Your worst convention experience.

by zeb 91 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  Honesty

  1996 DC - Columbia S.C.

  First Day:

  Due to all the loving brothers and sisters who had seats saved, the only seats

  were in the upper balconies which were accessed by climbing up very steep steps.

  We had our 5 year old and 3 month old children in tow and didn't even try to climb them

  so we could obediently stream to the mountain of Jehover to be educated in the mental-regurgitating

  bullshit from the faithless, diseased slobberers.

  Instead, we opted to sit out in the breezeway where it was 20-30 degrees cooler than inside the venue.

  Less than 10 minutes after the first boasting session began we were approached by a snot nosed attendant

  who couldn't have been more than 19 years old.

  He told us that we had to sit inside and continued on his merry way harassing other families with

  young children who were sitting on the floor in the breezeways.

  We knew better than attempt the stairs and the 100+ degree heat inside the auditorium.

  So, we loaded up the kids and instead of checking into the motel, we called and canceled the reservations

  and then proceeded to drive approximately 100 miles to Myrtle Beach where we had a glorious 3 day

  real vacation which the kids thoroughly enjoyed.

  That was the last DC for me.
• 

  exwhyzee

  Got word that a young woman we know, flipped her car on her way to the "special assembly" yesterday. Her trip to the assembly was a two hour drive, part of which was over a mountain pass. As there is frequently this time of year, a spring snowstorm blew in and she lost control of her car suddenly on the snowy road.The car rolled over on it's top but she was able to pull herself out of the car and despite bleeding cuts, began hitch hiking home . Some young guys gave her a ride all the way to her town, no one thought to bring her to the emergency room even though her forehead was bleeding. She's ok, but I'll bet this is her worst assembly ever. It's also proof, that even on the way to an assembly,you're on your own as far as God or the myriads of angels helping you.
• 

  dazed but not confused

  Every convention -My butt and legs falling asleep.
• 

  cobaltcupcake

  Oh gosh, Montreal 1978, tent/trailer city. Having to walk a quarter of a mile to use the bathroom, ice cold showers (not exaggerating), hot, dusty, crowded. Ex-hubby and I were sharing a pickup-truck camper with another couple. All the trailers and campers were parked around the perimeter 4 feet apart.

  The camper next to us had to recharge their battery every evening, and their exhaust pipe was pointed right at our window. The family in the camper consisted of an unbelieving husband, two screechy kids, and a long-suffering JW wife. Every evening the unhappy husband took his wrath out on the wife using every nasty word you can imagine, and a few you can't.

  On top of everything, I developed a bladder infection on the trip to Montreal and was sick, sick, sick. It was a 5-day international assembly in umpteen languages with tens of thousands of people milling around (I think top attendance was around 80,000) so it was sheer luck if you ever connected with your family or someone from your own congregation.

  Of course, we had to do field service. Our "territory" included an apartment building in which lived a very vocal, JW-hating lady who screamed at us in French as we went to every door.

  Oh yeah, memories are made of this.
• 

  free2beme

  My wife puking her guts out like mad in the middle of the drama, and not being able to get out to do anything about it. As no one wanted to miss the one thing in a convention that did not make you want to slit your throat to get out.
• 

  breakfast of champions

  Veteran' Stadium Philadelphia (somewhere in the 1980's): just sat there and watched individual beads of sweat bloom through my clothes from every pore in my body. That was sometime around "Live Aid". I swear the place was engineered as a giant solar cooker.

  Yes, those old Yankee Stadium days with Freddie Franz closing the place were actually quite interesting. . .
• 

  DaCheech

  finallyfree: at the time I did not understand why people rushed to the food stands........... but I starved too in montreal!

  1984 or 85 or 86 in giants stadium, nj was #2 on my list: rained 3 1/2 days and the only way to survive was to walk the hallways
• 

  jgnat
• 

  talesin

  wow, that Montreal '78 convention caused a lot of misery! It was the last major thing I did as a JW (had already faded), and we stayed downtown at the Delta Hotel. Had room service, laundry, etc. I took 2 days off and went sightseeing - I was a BAD GURL! Sorry y'all had such a horrid time, wow.

  t
• 

  just Ron

  I was pregnant when we attended the 2 day assembly in the spring of 2007. I was fat - close to 300 pounds - and very pregnant. The seats in the auditorium were in super long rows, and of course the end seats were already taken before the doors opened in the morning. I absolutely couldn't squeeze past people to get out to use the bathroom.