by LoisLane looking for Superman 36 Replies latest jw friends
I am kind of like a puppy dog, in the aspect of liking to meet new people. They hold out a "wonderment" to me. New thought. New idea. I know what's in my head, but not in yours, so I am happy to be quiet and let you speak, unless I realize you are shy.
We are trained to make an effort.
Just wondering what your experiences were visiting different Halls, back in the day.
As a stranger, going thru the door, were you "love bombed"? or ignored?
just Lois
As an adult teen, I visited khs and was invariably approached by single men (even those older than my parents) and, if they were too shy to do it themselves, by the congregation matchmaker. But that was ok b/c that's partly why I was visiting.
The women in my age group looked upon me with trepidation b/c competition was stiff for the bros.
Pretty silly stuff.
Rebel8>>>>>May I ask, if it isn't too personal and you want to share, where did you meet your husband? Was it at a different Hall?
Just Lois
I attended a Sunday meeting at Brooklyn Bethel's KHall one summer day. Before the meeting, a whole bunch of us JW's sort of hugged the wall in the back, while some men ran around doing things. Really no families that I can recall were there. We were all hanging back so that those who's Hall it was could welcome us. We all smiled at each other sheepishly but no one came up to any of us. Then Meeting started. Then we got to the Watchtower part. Wow. What a group of native and foreign accents we heard!. I forgot to add at the beginning the Brother welcomed all and mentioned, this being summer, most of the congregation was away on holidays or attending conventions and very few were left to do much actual hand shaking and greeting so after Meeting, please introduce yourself to each other. We all got a laugh out of that and after Meeting was over, all of us former wall huggers , started a lot of hand shaking with Brothers and Sisters from all over the world.
Just Lois
We travel a lot and used to make a point to try and catch a meeting.
We went by this one area every year.
1) 1st year, not a peep
2) 2nd year, only a poor brother that no one else talked to; he was desperate.
3) 3rd year, a sister with a non-jw husband and a couple of children. Was surprised we had been there twice before. I answered at the WT study twice and gave my name...she was the only one who came up to say hi.
Another congregation
1) a crowd of people saying hi, offering to go out to eat afterwards; found out there was someone there that had moved there from my circuit. A nice visit.
2) same response, friendly, wanting to catch up.
Another congregation
1) one elder came up and talked to us, turned out he was related a sister in my old congregation. That was it.
Circuit overseer story
The circuit had a new CO but no one had met him before. It turned out he was there a little early and decided to visit a congregation incognito. He and his wife were totally ignored, totally. He tried to talk to some of the brothers, but there were too busy for a visiting brother of dubious status.
Three weeks later he came on Tuesday night, his visit to this congregation. Ignored because they remembered him as that no status brother from before. He went up to the PO and introduced himself and then a flurry of introductions. That was back in the day when the CO had some leeway in his talks. It was about greeting new people and how Abraham entertained angels because of his hospitable nature.
(Hebrews 13:1, 2) 13 Let YOUR brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, unknown to themselves, entertained angels.
Blondie>>>>>I liked your different stories.
We went to a Hall once and afterward an Elder's wife said, "a bunch of us are going to such and such a restaurant for Chinese, if you would like to go, here's the address". We went. It was a laid back friendly Hall.
just Lois