Finally received our "shepherding call" today

by Jourles 47 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Blueblades

  They were running around the neighborhood making calls.My wife gets a call,they want to talk to me to encourage me? I'm on the road on the way home.She tells them nothings changed since we last talked.OK ! Let him know that we miss him at the meetings! Will do says the wife.BTW, my wife goes on sundays ,I don't go at all.

  A couple days later Blizzard time.No calls of encouragement to help with the storm.No call to the house ,do you need any help shoveling,something from the store,anything we can do for you.

  When I served we had a snow relief crew, no calling anyone up,,just going right out to the ones we knew that needed help.We would shovel and salt down the street for them,buy the needed things even before hand for them etc.No questions asked.

  What ever happened to the snow relief crew ?We missed you! Come to the meetings! The friends all love you!Out of work many months ,no help, no calls! We missed you ,come to the meetings! We love you!

  One day soon-oops! I better be careful with that word soon,it could stretch on and on.I will bust out and reveal all the details! To be continued:

  Blueblades
• 

  garybuss

  
  Hey Blondie, I have been asked that here before and ya know what? I don't remember anymore. I gave them the 10 questions on my mind at the time. That was spring of 1984. 1993 I gave em a call and asked about the progress of the answers. I had read Crisis Of Conscience in 1992 and I had them all answered by reading that one book.
  
  My questions were pointed and not religious. How does the appointment work? Wasn't Joe Rutherford the only writer of all the books after he became owner of the Publishing Corporation? Did Jesus appoint Joe Rutherford?
  
  I was upset about the denial of the 1975 end time prediction and I wanted to know the names of the individuals responsible for the denial. I wanted to know where in the Bible it says Jesus wore a necktie. I wanted to know why the candy machine at the district assembly in Bismarck North Dakota had butcher paper taped over it and marked "Out Of Order" when it was fully stocked and working perfectly.
  
  I asked them why the Witnesses went door to door promoting a parklike groomed earth and the Witness's homes had junk cars in the front yards and lawns two feet high.
  
  I asked then how I could attend a meeting where children are routinely beaten and abused when I am a child advocate and I physically intervene in every case of child abuse I see. I asked them if they would have a problem with me intervening in a child abuse episode during a meeting. They told me I would not be allowed to protect Witness children if I came back to meetings.
  
  They did make notes and wrote down my questions. Later in 1993 I sent then 40 more written questions with the answers by way of photocopied Watch Tower Publishing Corporation pages.
  
  In 1995 I started the PO box ad and later the recorded message and in January of 1996 the daily paper did a BIG article on the JW shunning and blood medical guidelines that had my picture on the front page. Several other local ex-Witnesses were interviewed and did a good job exposing the lovelessness in the group. Later that year the TV station did a 5 minute magazine segment of their interview with me. I had a copy of the Pay Attention book in my hand during that interview.
  
  About 60 local Witnesses contacted me during that time with friendly letters and comments. Some did leave and lots of local former Witnesses contacted me. Steve Hickey put together a public forum at a school about the Witnesses and about 100 or so people showed up. The media showed up too and another newspaper article followed.
  
  I did receive threats until I got caller id put on my phone. Now I am pretty quiet here but if they start harassing my family, I will start up a new campaign and this time I will go to the courts.
  
  
  
  

  The Way I See it http://www.freeminds.org/buss/buss.htm
  
• 

  OICU8it2

  Jourles: I got a call the same day. Same elder that's been inviting me back over the last couple of years or so. Didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. Offerred the last three months' mags. I had told my wife I was going to field some questions but since I just learned you can only get the mags from one of them I mentioned that alone. Maybe next time. This couple has always been very nice, especially during my first wife's illness a couple years ago. I even smoked in front of him and his wife and nothing was ever said. Maybe I'm already d.a.'d and just don't know it. At any rate, I've been trying to work up some questions for him. I thought maybe the U.N. would be a good place to start. I am not trying to trick anybody but would really like him to see the truth as I've learned it these past couple of months. Stuff from the websites, Crisis book, Gentile Times book, In Search of book, Freeminds Journal, etc. Maybe this was a special visit because he came with only his wife and she didn't get out of the car which she always has before. There're quite a few of the elders I used to hang with and I am trying to think of some way to enlighten them. Sad thing is I'm afraid once I mention anything that'll be the end of it. I'll think of something. Thanks for your story.
• 

  Thechickennest

  We recieved a pre-shepparding visit phone call from the elder apparently assigned to us. My wife was never mentioned in the call. She was just as inactive and baptized as me....I visited pleasantly with the elder, I pleasantly turned him down on all accounts. We mailed our resignations the next day. About a week later the same elder called again, said the "forms" had been sent to the society and we were considered disfellowshipped, and by the way he asked, "why did you resign?" I volunteered nothing to him. No mention again of my wife...So there you have it, The women in the organization simply are not recognized when it comes right down to the nitty-gritty. My wife was hurt and rightfully so. A form takes care of everything else...If they are looking for "heart conditions" it is only because it on their "forms"! What a sham! It is great to be disconnected from the crazy bastards. The organization of Jehovah's Witnesses is nothing more than a huge business operated by volunteers. My wife and devoted over 50 years of combined service to the borg. It is good we are still only just middle aged. We have time to regroup. I feel bad for ones that are older when the borg wants to get them in or out on the "forms". Yes, meet the bastards on your terms. Set the rules. No explanations are nessasary. Good Luck! Duane Wing.
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  garybuss

  
  
  Hi All, Ask the elders if it is okay for you to join a group that is listed as a member of the United Nations as a NGO. Do them a favor and make them dig up the facts on their own. Don't give them the name of the organization you are referring to. Ask them to get back to you.
  
  
  
• 

  justhuman

  When I had sheperding calls i really piss the elders off.

  I agree with them in some aspects, in some I don't give answer, and in the end I blame it on my financial status because I need to work a lot.(due to WT policy, remember Higher education, etc, etc)

  In the end I tell them I will do my best and thank them for their interest...until next time:)
• 

  mustang

  Justhuman:

  Don't forget to toss in a few "waiting on Jehovah's".

  Mustang
• 

  gcc2k

  Jourles, any update to this story? I have been following it with a vested interest...
• 

  Jourles

  Vested Interest? Do you mean you are tied to my situation personally or are you going through a similar one?

  Nothing to update yet. Still have yet to meet up with my assigned elder.
• 

  JT

  raised my head and said(paraphrasing here), "I really have a good foundation on the topics in this book already. It is almost a word-for-word copy of the United in Worship book which I have been through several times. I have other topics that I am interested in that I would rather go over which are not covered in this book. Topics that I have been researching myself." Both elders looked a little worried after I said that, and they did somewhat of a nervous shift in their chairs

  Jourles

  i like the way you addressed thier question, pretty good i would say