Charity begins at home

Mickey mouse

I wanted to get this down in type before the thought is lost.

This afternoon, I gave two hours of my time to help a local charity raise money by packing groceries in a supermarket. The charity provide support to families who have a child affected by a disability that, well, let's just say it's close to my heart. As I drove the twenty minute journey to the supermarket in question, I struggled with some feelings which I understand are part of something called dissociative disorder, sometimes experienced as part of post traumatic stress disorder. You see, at the moment, a different 'charity' has been tearing my family apart and this has caused me some distress. Fighting back tears, I parked up and went in. I felt that perhaps I was not up to this task today.

As a Jehovah's Witness, I have spent literally thousands of hours in what is sometimes described as a 'charitable work'. What I took part in this afternoon was notably different. People were appreciative of the work we were doing. In two hours, I raised somewhere between £50 and £100 and there were approximately 30 of us, each doing a 2 hour shift. As I packed bags, people asked me which charity we were raising funds for and a number of people donated in excess of £5. I wondered whether they would care that the person packing their shopping is considered 'mentally diseased' by some.

As I left the store, I felt a sense of satisfaction that my two hours were well spent. The majority of people I interacted with were kind and generous. Although my faith in human nature has taken a beating of late, this afternoon it has been restored somewhat.

MrFreeze

When working on my resume I was told by my mom to list volunteer/charity work I've done. I told my mom that I hadn't done any. She said "What about preaching?" I never put it on because I didn't see how preaching was helping anybody.

dozy

Excellent point. I often used to come in after a ministry session & just wonder what , if anything , I had tangibly accomplished , other than annoying a few people. Well done for your effort.

ekruks

I've always felt a good, deep sense of fulfilment from any kind of volunteering I've done to help people, but the ministry never gave me that, except the odd rare occasion I might show someone a scripture point they didn't already know.

I liked the idea that we were helping people, showing them a way of life that would free them from the oppressive church or the vices of drugs, etc., but we never really seemed to do it - no one was that enthusiastic about it, and instead it was just lots of internal politics - brothers liking the 'privileges' that pioneering had helped them to achieve. It was hopelessly disorganised, and we seemed to ruin each others efforts.

Helping people to have something to eat, or cope with illness, or rather, get their life on track, that feels good, but pestering someone to take a magazine they probably won't read, or join a religion that is giving me stress, well that never was easy, especially when the bubble burst.

@MrFreeze, trying to explain that to an employer or on a CV is a nightmare. I always have found it difficult to explain to 'worldly' people what I did with all that time over so many years, why I have so little materially - I spent 20 hours a week knocking doors - that's almost as much as people work. Most people will think that is crazy.

Band on the Run

Perhaps you could post it on your resume if you broke down into functions. If someone asked outright that charity, then there would prob. be a problem. It would be nice if the Witnesses started by practicing charity among themselves. Benjamin Franklin was responsible for countless mutual benefit societies. A secular alternative to church alms.

I was a candystriper in early high school. The hospital was not the best experience so at least I saw what I did not want in the future. Wearing the uniform around town was the best part. People oohed and aahed over the volunteer teen age girl. One of those cutesy family sitcoms had a teenage daughter who was a candy striper. The program gave you points towards a nursing scholarship. I saw no problem with candystriping and the Witnesses. When I worked it into a ministry school scene so I could show off the uniform at the KH, my mom sat me down and told me that the Witnesses were wrong but I would be heavily criticized for not doing FS.

My father announced that "charity began at home." I would love to know where the expression started. There was no reason why I could not do high school, home chores, and volunteer. He forced me to call and quit. It was so sad for me. I lost friends. The coordinator wanted to know why. I was to embarassed to explain so I just hung up the phone.

wobble

Well done Mickey ! It is therapeutic to volunteer, I have done a fair bit of late, and all my fellow volunteers have been such lovely people too, and great fun !

And the generosity of the British public is wonderful to behold ! you can tell that for many they are giving the "widows mite",

(small value coin, not her little child !) they are not well off people, but ordinary folk who are just good, caring, giving people.

I hope your life settles down soon, to a routine of doing what makes you feel good, which I know will, in turn, benefit others.

Mickey , I've P.M'd you.

PSacramento

In the many passages that relate to "good works" in the NT, you will not find any about "door-to-door_ preaching.

You will however find many many about taking care of those less fortunate than Us, of taking care of those in need and taking care of those that have very little when we are blessed with so much.

To care for the sick, to visit the lonely, to give shelter to the homeless, to feed the hungry and give water to the thristy, to love those that feel unloved and to take care of those that have no one tp take care of them.

These are the works deemd righteous by God.

out4good3

When working on my resume I was told by my mom to list volunteer/charity work I've done. I told my mom that I hadn't done any. She said "What about preaching?" I never put it on because I didn't see how preaching was helping anybody.

Don't ever, EVER put that on a resume. In the early days of our marriage, my wife used to put that on resumes thinking it would curry favor with a potential employer. I was mortified the first time I saw her doing that while she babbled the usual canned WT excrement of it being a lifesaving work more important than anything else. "We're out there because we love and care about people"...... JW's may rationalize that within themselves but outside of their little clique, they come off as being world class idiots.

It never, EVER worked for her........

Let me tell you as a member of several hiring committee's a year, If I ever saw something like that on a resume or anything alluding to participation in WT sponsored activities as a volunteer charitable work, that resume would be file 13'd without even a passing thought.

cantleave

Good work Mickey.