Did field service ever scare any one.

by life is to short 37 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Razziel

  I had householders in rural territory answer the doors with guns on several occasions. They were never "pulled on me" but just the fact they were there was unnerving. I have two experiences that stand out in my mind.

  The first was being in a cargroup full of sisters, and driving up to a house out in the country with several men shooting skeet. Since I was the only male in the group, even though I was only 12 or 13, I was sent out alone to talk to these guys, who turned out to be pentecostals, two of them Preachers, who also happened to be drunk and shooting guns. I gave them some mags and left ASAP.

  The other occasion was again a group of sisters working rural territory and calling on a compound for "The Republic of Texas". This is an anti-government group that doesn't pay taxes or recognize the authority of the US government, believes US annexation of Texas was against the law, and lives on rural land in Texas. They are watched by the Feds, but are left alone. The entire property was covered in no trespassing signs, violaters will be shot, etc, etc. Again, I was sent out alone to a group of men with guns and drunk. I found out later that they were on the do-not-call list, but the sister who checked out the territory didn't look at the notes on the back.

  All things considered, they were pretty hospitable to a pre-teen boy, (I guess they saw me as no threat). But they had AR-15s and shotguns in hand. They had a saddled horse in the driveway, and I was positioned right at his hindquarters. I did notice at the time that the horse was a little agitated at having a stranger standing there. I can't remember exactly what my talking points were, but I know I made some analogy to God and the "remarkable" animals, and then patted the horse right on the ass. All the guys looked at me and started laughing. I didn't know why then, but I do now. It's a miracle the horse didn't buck and kick me right in the face.

  They didn't take the magazines but I left them a tract, and thank goodness I was at least smart enough not to go back there for a return visit. I did all sorts of stupid things firstly because I was put in that position, and secondly thinking God would protect me. What an idiot I was.
• 

  just Ron

  Yes I did have a gun pulled on me and a teen out in service. Let's just say we left qiuckly and politely. Got to love the people that live out in the rural areas with guns. Just glad their were others in the car or we way have been shot. sorry to say I have never seen an angel stop a bulit.

  Funny thing is none of the people in that car group still attend meattings

  Ron
• 

  talesin

  Yes --- DOGS!

  Had a guy sic his dog on me once; I was only a tween, but it was similar to an Akita. That's one thing those GD bookbags were good for, keeping distance between me and a dog with its hackles raised and teeth bared. *shudders*

  tal
• 

  life is to short

  Thanks baltar447

  Sometimes it just helps to write what you went through in this religion. It was all so crazy. I was such a true believer. I truly believed in that Jehovah was with the religion, that the elders were spirit appointed, I bought the whole nine yards of it.

  Looking back I do not know how I could be so stupid. I was a born in and believed it all. I never truly questioned it as I was told when I did have any questions to just wait on Jehovah and not run ahead of His chariot.

  It was not until we had pedophiles move in to my hall that I woke up. It just all hit me like a ton of bricks that this was all just a lie, that I had been lied to my whole life, I gave up a huge part of my life to this lie. Sometimes I feel so stupid, I mean like I really went into the worst parts of Brooklyn just because some stupid men told me to, how stupid was I?

  All I can say was it was a cult and it was all I knew.

  It just helps to write about it and know that I am not crazy.

  LITS
• 

  Razziel

  Oh hell yeah Talesin, bookbags were good for that. I remember being at a backwoods not-at-home and turning around with a growling rotweiler ready to bite my ass off. He took a book bag to the face instead and then I ran my butt off to the minivan. GOOD TIMES! /sarc
• 

  talesin

  Oh, yes, Raz, rurals were bad for that. We also used to 'work' the very wealthy neighbourhood,,, long, winding drives to walk down. This one estate was so beautiful, but when we got to the bottom of the lane, on the waterfront, there was a whole family of collies. No one was home, and well, collies are not the 'friendliest' of dogs to strangers.

  Good times indeed! *snicker*

  t
• 

  WTWizard

  For me, I wasn't too worried about shootings and getting held hostage aside from that the call could drag for hours after I wanted to be home. But it was dogs, busted treads on stairs with wobbly railings, and back doors with little or no lighting even in the day that were the biggest safety issues.

  But, what it lacked in safety issues, drudgery issues more than made up for it. I have been dragged on calls where it was uncomfortable (hot, stinky--even in winter, the place would be 35 o C or more). Being set up with men was a worry--worse than regular crime. There was the one time I saw some old guy spitting blood into a mayonnaise jar at regular intervals. I was not a traveling doctor--yet they expected me to stay in on that call. No wonder my field circus hours plummeted sharply and permanently, from the lower 20s to lucky to get single numbers, soon after that. And the getting dragged to "just one more call" X 50 when I made it clear that I needed to go in at a certain time--I had to be inflexible or they would exploit it and make a 5 minute extension into most of the afternoon into the evening.

  Worse than what was on the other side of the doors, I was worried about who I would work with. Usually some scumbag that wanted everything I did to be what I was ordered to. But, on one occasion, the scumbag that dragged me into the cancer had his nephew (who he was probably grooming me to something horrible with) working with me in field circus. And, when it was time for me to go home, I could just hear the nephew claiming to need to pee--another 2 seconds of waiting around would have been likely disaster (I wasted no time getting in before anyone could let him stop at my place).

  I think I will stick to placing holiday ornaments in the common area hallway and making sure my Christmas display is available on short notice in case that scumbag has any more of that rubbish where that came from.
• 

  life is to short

  We too had the rural territory's and many people came with guns to their door. One drunk mam shoot his gun over our heads and said next time it would not be like that he would make sure his aim was straight on. Yet even then the car group did not want to write him as a do not call because as they said 'well he was just drunk and not in his right mind. And besides that other people lived at the home and they too had a right to learn the "truth".' I was so scarred I would have to go back as he told me to never come back and that he never forgot faces.

  And then the dogs do not even get me started. I was told I was lacking Jehovah's spirit because they always seemed to try to bite me not the other person with me but me. I was told I must be doing something to make that happen because no one else seemed as bothered by being bit like I was. I was bitten six times and chased to many times to count.

  I am really seeing why this religion is a cult, all we truly served was a publishing company.

  LITS
• 

  cult classic

  Your thread brought back memories, LITS.

  During my pioneer days, I would sometimes get behind in my time. If there was no one staying out past noon, I would go it alone. I grew up in a very liberal and progressive neighborhood, so it didn't seem that strange (to me) to be out by myself knocking on doors.

  About a year ago I was on my way to the library and went down one of the streets I had worked alone on a few times. This was one of my favorite streets because it was long and winding with tons of shade trees during the summer months. I just could not hold back the tears thinking about what a waste the whole experience was.

  You know, many times no one even knew I was out by myself. I know some of that was the feeling of the invincibility of youth. Most of it however was the training I received. Being zealous in the ministry was the right thing to do. And Jehovah and his angels would surely bless my efforts and protect me.

  For more reasons than one field service is very scary.
• 

  cult classic

  There was another time I was working alone and this young woman answered the door. She was pretty and soft spoken. She had also been beaten very badly and very recently. She was shaking. I remember asking her if I could help her. She said no and I went on with my presentation.

  What the hell was I going to do? I was working the door by myself and was younger than she was. Now I shudder to think what might have happened had she invited me inside. Would I have entered? Probably.

  Anyway, she took the literature and I prayed for her. I also continued to work alone while a twosome worked the other end of the street.