More AMA Answers....
When you mentioned how common adultery and fornication were in your assignment, do you think that was a product of the culture there, or do you think it's just as common here in the states?
I tend to think adultery is more common there. I always had to have substitute speakers ready for assemblies because some elder would always be caught or confess to adultery. Prominent elders to not so prominent elders. I served as an elder here in the US and although there is adultery, I know hundreds of elders here and it's a very small percentage in comparison. I rarely heard of an elder here being disfellowshipped.
As far as fornication is concerned, my guess would be that over 90% of young people engage in sexual activity. Each week in each congregation I had to review recommendations for elder and servant and sometimes regular pioneer. It was extremely rare to see someone who did not have some judicial action in their past. I think the percentage is about the same here in the US, maybe a little lower.
Can you give any advice on how to best stay under the radar when the local circuit overseer visits? And maybe also regarding the elders. I want to avoid any shepherding call or making appointments with a grinning or kind of demanding person standing before me.
Stay away. Or go and don't comment. Don't stand out in any way. I used to stand in the back of the Hall and look around and listen. Who is commenting? Who isn't? Who seems to be "reaching out?"
I didn't really look for rebellious ones who could cause problems, but if someone stood out by not sitting down and paying attention I might ask about them.
The advice given on this forum is gold. If the CO wants to talk to you ty to avoid it, and if you can't get out of it, just nod. Don't give any info.
This now marks the end of the Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread:
Sorry it took me so much time to answer all of your questions on the AMA. I think I answered them all though. If I didn't, remind me please.
I know my writing is sometimes disjointed, I have two jobs and two little children and not a ton of education nor time. Plus my thoughts on your questions are sometimes disjointed, some things you ask I have never thought about. Some questions I answer no and then later realize I DID experience whatever you were asking.
OK so back to the circuit work. I think some in here are picturing a Circuit Overseer driving up in his Buick in his suit, a mature, experienced man who commands respect, his wife at his side, speaking in serious tones as he greets the elders then the rest of the congregation. I know not all are like that but you get the idea.
That wasn't me. In my assignment the new CO's were and are young, strong elders under 30 who are assigned to rural areas and can walk for miles in the heat and sleep on a cot. I rode the bus to my assignments my first two years in the circuit. Once I actually rode on the OUTSIDE of a bus, hanging on as I got covered in dust. I slept on a hard cot in the same room as the hosts with a curtain dividing us. I used outhouses and took bucket showers, no hot water in those areas. I walked all day on dusty roads and then gave talks on someone's back porch that doubled as a Kingdom Hall with a yeartext tacked onto the wall and their boom box for the songs. No microphone. Eventually I got the bigger circuits in the city and I got a car which I actually brought from the States, a salvage vehicle. Ask some of the posters on here who have served in those countries. They no doubt have crazy stories also.
Even worse was my life experience. I had hardly any. Raised a JW, not married, and working part time. I was arrogant and ignorant, the worst combination for a human being and even worse for a Circuit Overseer. I had my 600 pages of notes from MTS and my binder of letters from the Society to all Circuit Overseers. I was a true believer, clueless to the real world, clueless to real moral values and ethics. I was good at spouting Witness doctrine and I acted humble, inside I thought I was the coolest dude around. A missionary CO, what could be better than that?
So some of my answers reflect more my experiences as a missionary rather than a CO. I certainly tried to act like one, in fact I would meet with the CO when I was on vacation back home. I would literally hunt him down in whatever Hall he was at and ask him tons of questions on policy and procedure. All CO's are required to have several "service talks" on hand to use and adapt to local needs. I didn't have any when I started. I just copied talks I heard from CO's here in the States and passed them off as mine.
When I came back here to the States and re-entered the work force I was a joke. I missed a lot of work on purpose to prove how "spiritual" I still was. I talked like an elder to my co-workers. I had instant problems getting along with others and respecting boundaries. During work meetings I would agree with whatever the boss said, and raise my hand to support whatever he was saying and wondered why everyone laughed and called me a brown-noser. So much for my CO experience. At least now I have woken up. I am so thankful for all of you for helping me over the years.
So anyway, my experience as a CO was in a foreign country, although I did have a lot of interaction with CO's here and I did serve in Bethel here.
I definitely have some issues to work out, but thanks to all of you I feel I am headed in the right direction.
