So, about the time my wife’s book was published; One Thurs night meeting Bro. Viagra tie gets up for announcements and starts telling about this great deal our congregation can get on a new riding lawn tractor. “But we have to act fast because it’s a ‘close-out’ model and there are only a few left.” Then he proceeds to make a motion to buy it and goes thru that whole voting process that they do at the Kingdom Hall.
As soon as it was approved, he wipes his brow and says “Whew, I’m glad you all agreed, because we already bought it!
My wife & I looked at each other and then looked around. Nobody else seemed to have caught that we just voted on a farce/LIE because it had been already bought!
On the way home, I asked my wife “Did that really just happen?” That was shocking to us. The following Tues night at our friend’s house after the book study, he asked us, if we had noticed what the P.O/COBE had done Thurs night. He had already researched it and found a WT article on ‘Presumptuousness’ and we had already research it and had found a WT article that was about ‘Mis-using cong. funds and it had an illustration in there about a MS ‘borrowing’ cong. funds without anyone knowing. Which brought out that no matter what, this was STEALING from the cong!
Now it was a matter of who was going to approach the Elder’s first. We found out later our friend ‘chickened out’.
So I carried that article in my meeting book bag and a few weeks later, I got my chance and asked Bro. Viagra tie and the Cong, Service Overseer [An ex-CO] to meet me in the back room. I told them point blank, that what the P.O, Bro. Viagra did that Thurs night, by getting us to vote on a tractor that he already bought was nothing more than stealing cong. money and I have a WT article to show you. Both brothers said “NO! That is not necessary. This was a decision made by the BODY.” Which I knew was another lie, because the previous Sat, we were in field service with the elder that had won the old lawn tractor in a sealed bid auction. He stated that he didn’t understand why we needed a new one when the old one was still in very good condition.
So, I asked him point blank “Are you telling me that the rest of the body did not know about the purchase of that new tractor?”
His reply, “No, we knew nothing about it.”
So, because of his reply, the very next meeting is when I hauled those 2 elders into the back room.
At that point, I let it go.
So then about two weeks later is when Bro. Viagra tie hauls me in the back to tell me that 2 sisters complained about my wife’s book and they would like to meet with us……You can all see how that went.
Now bear in mind, that a brother told me when we first moved to this cong. That if we ever have anything to do with this brother to cover our bases. Because he will use your words, twist them around and use them against you.
Interesting side point to this, we don’t own a video camera but our daughter, who was going to college to be a sign language interpreter, had to borrow one from a family member at that same time. So we just happened to have had one when those brothers wanted to come over.
Now, notice in the video when Bro. Viagra asks about our daughter being there, I said its best if she went in the back room, unbeknownst, she was actually instructed to listen and take notes. Just in case the video didn’t turn out.
For those of you who have seen the video, as soon as they left, I was on the phone to the CO. and letting him know what had just happened and how 6 times, I asked who my accusers were and then I let him know the Bro. Viagra had admitted that he didn’t even know who had said anything or if they had even read her book. I brought up how they said MT 18 didn’t apply, and that they would not let me apply MT 5. So he started asking me about the book since he had no knowledge about any of this. So I said it was a FICTION romance novel and in no way was it any more graphic than the Song of Solomon. I also informed him about the incident over the lawn tractor and the false cong. resolution & vote. I also told him the elders had never opened up our meeting with prayer. So I had to question the CO, “Who spirit did they approach me on?”
So he says, “Let me look into this and I’ll get back to you.”
About a week later, CO calls me and tells me that he met with our BOE and told them that I had the proper view of MT 18 and they DID violate my scriptural rights by not allowing me to apply MT 5. He further told me that he instructed those 2 elders to come back and APOLOGIZE for what they had done. Also, that he assigned 3 elders to investigate the lawn tractor incident.
The elder assigned to take the lead of this group was the same elder that had bought the old tractor and had told me that the body was not aware of the purchase. We were excited, that he was the one chosen because we felt that something might finally get done.
Unfortunately 2 days before those Elders were scheduled to come back to our house and ‘apologize’ the lead Elder on that committee was killed on his way down to a Circuit assembly.
So those 2 elder’s come back to re-visit the issue. Unfortunately we no longer had the video camera and didn’t feel like we were going to need it. WRONG!
First, they did open with prayer, but everything he prayed about was about the elder that had been killed. Nothing regarding our meeting, or God’s spirit. So, Bro. Viagra starts by saying we want you to know how much we love you and how valued your family is to our cong. and how important it is for us brothers to be united by love.
Ok, folks, I don’t hear an apology in here so I’m starting to simmer. So I speak up and say “I’m surprised brothers that you’re not here to apologize, because I was told by the CO that you were told to come and apologize.”
Bro. Viagra: “Apologize???? For what???”
Me: “For lying to me.”
Bro. Viagra: “I never lied!”
Me [With volume rising]: “Yes, you did. Because my daughter was taking notes.”
Bro V: “What? Well she must have mis-heard. I never lied to you”
{Wife is laughing out loud by now because she knows that I’m at the boiling point and that I also have the video within my reach.} Later she told me that she was thinking “Oh God Bro. Viagra don’t go there. Oh Damn! He did.”
Me: [Leaning over to reach into my book bag and pulling out the video] “Yes, you did because I taped it and it has everything right here!” and I physically shoved it in his face.
Bro. Viagra turned purple and the look on his face was absolutely PRICELESS.
So, yes they know we recorded that meeting. My wife had never seen me go from 0 [zero] to pissed off in like ½ second. I was fuming!
Bro. Viagra jumped up “I can’t believe you taped this. Are you taping this now? Come on Bro. R we’re leaving right now!”
Bro. R: This really bothers me; I’m going to step down because of this.” He looked sick. But he never did step down.
So a few days later we get another call from the CO and questioned me whether those 2 elder’s had come to apologize yet.
Me: “They did come, but they never apologized.” I told him Bro. V was dancing around the issue, but I need to let you know that I video-taped that first meeting.
CO: “Yes, I am aware of that.”
Me: “So is this going to cause any problems for me?”
CO: “No, but how would you have felt if someone had video-taped you in these circumstances.”
Me: “I suppose I would feel bad, but shouldn’t we be asking this instead; If the cong. feels so threatened by an Elder that we have to video tape a meeting to protect ourselves how does this Elder still qualify to serve? Doesn’t he then become the wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
Dead silence.
EVERYTHING was dropped. Including that committee that had been formed to investigate the tractor ordeal. It was sad that at this point my wife had already been chemically poisoned which was limiting my meeting attendance. Which made it very easy for me to stay home and get the phone tie-in.
Sorry this is so long but this had to be told as a complete story to go along with the video.
By the way, as of this posting, our video on YouTube is almost up to 2200 views. We were hesitant at first to let JJ/Ray publish it, but if it helps just 1 person then it’s worth it.
Bizarre twist: That Monday that our video was published, that night we had 2 elders show up un-announced. But it was NOT about the video. So we will post that topic another time.
Affectionately Brother of the Hawk {Now you know why I always say “I will surrender my mind no more, forever]