To give a little background, my parents are in their late 50s. Around a year ago, my elder dad got laid off from his job. He worked as a auto mechanic making ok money. My mom has not worked in 30 years. She has been pioneering for the past 20.
Even though my mom is a skilled seamstress and tailor, she refuses to find even part time work, even laughing about it when I suggested it. My dad gets called back in to work on occasion to work a day here, a day there. His unemployment has run out and they still have to pay the mortgage, buy food, pay bills etc.
Heres where it gets crazy.. Although he has no retirement, and savings are dwindling He responded to the counsel at the assembly and decided to take advantage of his not working and applied to pioneer. Soon after this he got a job offer from an auto shop for a full tiime position 9-5 not interfering with any meetings or anything. He turned it down, since his unemployment at the time paid more. A couple months later the other mechanic at his original job that he got laid off from walked off the job, clearing a space for him to resume his full time position there. Here is where it gets crazy. He told me that he feels it is THE DEVIL offering him this job because SATAN wants him to come off the pioneer list! Let me be clear. They are getting older, have NO PLAN long term or short term other than pioneering.
This morning I asked him how he was making it? He responded that he is selling his golf club collection, classic TV show VHS tapes and DVD on ebay, even some furniture! I asked him what will happen when it runs out? He said he doesnt know but Jehovah will provide "bread" if they take things one day at a time!! Again he is TURNING DOWN MULTIPLE JOB OFFERS to pioneer and is now selling off golf clubs to pay the mortgage!
If my mom and dad both got part time jobs, they could still pioneer and if they lived simple, could make it. What they are doing now is incomprehensible to me, even as cult members. Their eyes even seem to glaze over and they have this wierd expression on their faces. Their walls and tables are lined with WT publications. I fear they are becoming more and more unbalanced and making really dubious decisions. The short sightedness is mind boggling. His savings are going down, no unemployment, and they refuse to work. All they can talk about is WT related things. When a well paying job offer is described as from Satan, that says it all.