Posts by PoppyR

18

What if You Could See 10 Years Into The Future?

by new boy in

isn't life crazy?

i just spent 30 days selling christmas trees.

i set there in the rain and cold playing christmas music helping people buy their tree...blessing each and every person who did.... i looked up into the sky and wondered where i will be 10 years from now.

PoppyR

I know just where this is coming from, I had the SAME surreal thoughts on Christmas day, watching my boyfriend play on the new Nintendo Wii with my boys, in a room full of Christmas decorations.

If I had looked forward from even 5 years ago I would have thought I'd entered a parallel universe! I didn't know him then, was married, and a good pioneering JDub and obviously not a christmas card in sight.

I would like to look forward another 5 or 10 years, sometimes it would be good to know how things are going to turn out before you waste loads of time and energy attempting them!

And also to check out the last 5 years lottery winning numbers

Poppy xx

140

I have a theory. Please take my poll!

by changeling in

jw
friends

i'd like you all to tell me 2 or 3 things:.

1- were you raised a witness or not?.

2-if you were, was your family very "theocratic" or not so much?.

PoppyR

1.Yes

2. Very Theocratic

3. Agnostic, verging on Atheist

35

Ready to out myself...

by Mickey mouse in

...well, to you guys at least.

i'm a long time lurker, still a jw (for how long i don't know?

:-s) and at a bit of a crossroads.. you've probably heard the story before.

PoppyR

Hi Mickey!

Another Fader... In my experience, it hurts them (and you) but you'll both live through a carefully planned fade. I do think you may find that if you continue to go to meetings etc that in time you wont be able to do it anymore.

I have been out more than two years now, and to be honest have got to the stage where I dont care an awful lot anymore if they cut me off or not, as I realised their love is conditional, and I dont want that for myself or my children.

It's a very raw and tough time you are going through, and as you have seen, MANY here understand exactly the place you're in, you wont be judged no matter what you decide.

Poppy xx

79

GOOD MORNING FROM ENGLAND

by Dansk in

jw
friends

anyone up?.

.

ian.

PoppyR

Morning Ian!

I'm up, but very late and lazy today as it's the first of my 10 days off work WOOHOO!!!

Downside is kids are off school and already driving me nuts

Poppy xxx

18

Pentecostals convert 20% of population in Guatemala. How do they preach?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the christian science monitor reported today that 20% of the population in guatemala is converting to pentecostalism.

with a population near 13,000,000,that would mean a membership of 2.6 million people.. how do pentecostals convert so many people?

what are their preaching methods?.

PoppyR

I dont know how current this is, I found it in an old post, but I thought it may be a very good way to combat the 'Jehovah is blessing his organisation' line.

http://www.gatheringofisrael.com/gospelclock/gospelclock2002.html

Clearly shows the pentecostals growing at a much faster rate than the witnesses.

Poppy

35

Getting Married Today!

by alamb in

courthouse.

3:30. thought i'd tell my "family" here.

thanks for being the friends you are.

PoppyR

Only just seen this, and it seems I'm too late to stop the wedding

Many congratulations, I hope you two are really happy.

Love

Poppy xxx

37

I want to thank you all

by mouthy in

jw
friends

i have received the most beautiful cards & pictures, poems, tea,ornaments & such lovely compliments from each & every one of you.. i was going to write those i didnt send cards to ...but there was so many ,i really couldnt.

my heart was filled as i read each & every one of them.

as you all know i lost my hubby,& 3 kids in death, one daughter to the wt & grand-children.. as i read all of them i couldnt help thinking of job---he lost lots -but regained more.

PoppyR

Thank YOU Grace for your card, and all the lovely ones I've had from JWD, every day now I have a couple drop on the mat! It's fabulous, and is driving my ex insane as he comes here to pick up the boys and keeps asking me how do I know all these people from USA, Canada and Australia!

Hope everyone got mine.

Love Poppy xxxx

41

Here's the reason for the 3% jump in publishers for the past year

by sir82 in

jw
friends

it is immigration that explains the vast majority of the increase.. who is it that immigrates?

the poorest of the poor, the desperate ones that would be dead from starvation or execution by gangs/guerillas within 5 years anyway.

these were not the ones being converted in their home countries - when you have to work 14-18 hours a day, 7 days a week just to feed your family, there is no time to "study", attend meetings, go out in field servce, etc.. so, they go to their new country.

PoppyR

I dont think it's the whole picture but definitely a glimmer of it.

In the UK we have a huge immigrant population, I have a friend who is a qualified teacher and earns so little in his home country (Hungary) that he can work here on the minimum wage doing manual work and support himself and send money home too. It's mostly European such as Polish, Russian and Albanian.

We have publishers learning Albanian and I heard the other day one of them, (not even a pioneer) has 15 studies.

Imagine the picture painted though, you arrive in a strange country, are not altogether welcomed by it's people and suddenly you can join a group of happy, friendly people speaking your language.

Dont discount the baby boom though, remember the WT is far behind, when I had my children (14 years ago) it was much frowned on, now more and more couples are realising the end is nowhere close and are starting families late in life. This would account for publishers just coming up now.

Poppy

111

New Yearbook stats for 2007 now out!

by Dogpatch in

the report is out!.

http://www.watchtowernews.org/2007report.pdf.

cooking the books with 3% increase??.

PoppyR

I cant get away from the fact I'm very disappointed with this report!! I KNOW the figures are probably cooked etc etc, but ultimately the JWs will use it to crow over for the next year. And I may be naive, but I dont think they're cooked any more than normal, it's just been a good year for them.

Looking back on my statistics chart it's a similar year to 1998, even right up to the average hours being up on the previous years. No doubt we will have a downslide next year, I'll put money on it.

The point that has stuck with me and I will use mercilessly? Is the one about how many more people were born this year, and how many more witnesses, translate that to each year so many more million will have to die because God 'waited' as he wanted to allow enough time for more to be saved..

Poppy

21

Can I be DF'd

by Robert7 in

jw
friends

so the reality is, .

- i am in 'good standing'.

- i am questioning/doubting the validity of the bible.

PoppyR

Yes you can.

I think the question is will you?

I am in a very similar situation to you, although probably 2 years on, I faded quietly, kept my head down, and now think everyone presumes I am no longer a witness so I dont even get the 6 monthly calls (does anyone get those?)

So I have avoided being DFed.. but like Besty said, at what cost? I still have to hide what I am, and to be honest most of my family think of me as an apostate anyway, I am now thankfully at the stage where I dont care either way.

But the answer is yes you can, and if it really worries you, you need to keep your head down, if it doesn't, then that's a good place to be.

Poppy