We, as Witnesses were taught to believe that our giving the "truth" to people was THE most important gift we could give! Forget about giving money to charities or helping any other group out----We needed to give them the "real life". Do you find yourself giving back to the community or to others now that you're out??
Since JWs Never Helped Anyone But Themselves, What Do You Do 4 People?
by minimus 42 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
blondie
I donate blood.
I teach ESL in a literacy group.
I am active locally and nationally in child abuse issues in relgious groups.
I am active in my union.
I donate school supplies and food in the work sponsored programs as well as help coordinate.
I donate to various abuse and mental health groups and act as an advocate.
I am a member of my neighborhood association group and work with the local elected officials regarding new building developments.
Blondie
-
wannaexit
I am involved in various volunteer committees in my community.
I give money now to different reputable charities
I support the local hospital
wannaexit
-
minimus
Can you believe---looking back at things----how helping the neighborhoods or community was so frowned upon? We were trained to not help anyone but the Society.
-
Sassy
well I don't have any time for volunteer work after my long cummute to get home from work.....I would burn out if I gave my weekends away too..
and I 'gave' (by going in service all those years lol) that I am doing something for me.. like sleeping in on my days off..
but.. as a friend.. I am really there for people.. that is how I give right now
-
minimus
Sassy, I tend to agree with you----right now. But I think we have a responsibility to do our civic and moral duty to help others when we can.
-
Terry
My wife and I sponsor local youths who come from homes where they are in physical danger and have to be removed and raised by the State.
These kids are deeply scarred inside and have huge trust issues. When you volunteer you spend time with them taking them to your house or out to a museum, etc. The idea is to treat them, along with other members of your own family, as a "normal" person.
The sad part is, when they reach a certain age they usually transition into dangerous people. Almost invariably this happens. The rage is too overwhelming.
But, we try. My wife and I only hope that, if they get through the acting-out part of life, they may remember somebody once believed they were worth something.
Terry
-
Odrade
donate blood, charitable contributions. Sorry to say, I haven't gotten as involved in community as I should be. I think the opportunities are out there, they just go right over my head because I forget to look for them.
Blondie: ESL volunteer work? How did you get into that? I would be really interested in something like that, or any kind of literacy help really...
Odrade
-
jwbot
I have not gotten very involved but I have already decided to do these two things in the near future:
- Donate Blood
- Get Twobit CGC certified and volunteer in nursing homes and the local hospitals
- Get more involved in activism specifically feminist and gay rights activities and awareness
-
blondie
Odrade, I just called my local literacy group. They have training--16 hours though--which was fun. The training is in the evening. Then they pair you up with a learner. I got 2 bios and picked one. The last student was a young man around 25....very litle English...good thing I know Spanish. But he worked hard. Then he moved out of the area and my life got more complicated. I just got back in after a year and I have a woman about my age with several degrees but needs help with pronuciation and vocabulary. We read an article in the newspaper out loud then discuss it. It is good way of keeping up on current events. We have discussed politics, European and South American and US and Canadian. She comes from a country that is torn apart by civil war that became too dangerous for her to stay. We are working on her citizen papers...it's amazing what I don't know about the history of the US; but I know more about Germany than people here too. I spend about 2 hours a week with her. We get together for dinner and the literacy group has picnics too. Lots of foreign food...Hmong, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, many types of hispanic food, Russian, Polish, etc. I usually talk about gardens and vegetables. Evenyone has a garden...a culturally unifying thing.
Blondie