I always knew I had a "few goat hairs" on me because for as long as I can remember I hated with a passion going on field service. I used to wake up and start thinking of excuses I could use to stay home - non of them worked on my parents though, you had to be at the brink of death to be excused from going out to fs.
When I was 10 they sent me in the service with this older sister who just LOVED to ambush young publishers into speaking when they were not ready to. She would do it by calling out and when the person came out she would start speaking and all of a sudden go : "My friend here wants to talk to you" and you were caught. She did it to me a couple of times and this particular day I decided she wasn't going to get me if she tried. Of course she did, she pulled the old routine and when the lady from the house turned to me I said: "No, I didn't want to talk to you" and she kept going in a very tight-jaw manner "Yes, remember you said you wanted to talk to the lady of the house". And I responded: "No, you called her out, so you talk to her - I have nothing to say to her". She was so pissed, right after she went to my father. I was grounded for a few days, but it felt great!
Another memory of field service: Having to commit your summer vacation to pioneer "voluntarily"...Yeah, right! My friends and I would coordinate our pioneering and ditch service and go to the beach. tehe
divejunkie
JoinedPosts by divejunkie
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The joys of field service
by TallTexan ini posted this as a response under another post, but i couldn't resist starting a topic on it...lol.
does this sound familiar to anyone???
when i was a jw, i thought there was nothing cooler than getting up at 7 a.m. on saturday, getting showered, putting on dress clothes, meeting at 8:30 a.m., answering a bunch of phony 'how are you this morning's', watching as people jockey for position in their favorite car groups so that they could be with their friends (because god forbid you get stuck in a car group with someone not in your clique), and miss looney tunes while listening to some lame attempt at a 30-second presentation by brother monotonous, then being sure to get out by 9:00 a.m. 'cuz if you were with brother rule-conscious you couldn't start your time until you knocked on that first door.
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divejunkie
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convention freaky memories
by joelbear insucking on lifesavers to stay awake.
watching families eat meals during the session.
the smell.
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divejunkie
I used to volunteer to work - only because it guaranteed you an excuse to come to your seat late and leave it early before and after sessions AND only after careful deliberation with girlfriends or the boyfriend to coordinate the assignments so we could hang out together.
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The new blood card?????
by Es inim sure its prob been posted some where and i have missed it.
but someone mentioned the new blood card.......how is it different this year with the big news and all?????.
es
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divejunkie
I've been wondering the same thing...anybody cares to explain?
The last year I had one was 96 or 97... -
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divejunkie
<div>
For the profanity talk:
<div>How about:
<br></br><br></br> "It's a sign of spiritual weakness when a christian starts imitating worldly people and their behavior in the way the act and speak. Jehovah's people are clean people, of mind, body, spirit and mouth. So, stop f*cking swearing when you're out of the hall. God dam*it - you better stop that bullsh*t now or your asses are gonna be f*cked up in Armaggedon".</div>
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divejunkie
Making the most of an incredibly unsatisfying life
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New year, new place, new life - ITIS and Freedomlover
by freedomlover inif you have followed our story you know we were moving out of state to start over and get away from tons of extended jw family.. we are officially moved.
hundreds of miles away from our old life.
as i write this, i feel numb, cold, and very raw.
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divejunkie
Congratulations!
I know how hard is to break away from the org when you stay too close. Leaving is hard. But the relief and peace of mind you will enjoy from now on, is priceless (I know, I sound like a mastercard commercial). Now you'll be in a place where no explanations are needed or expected - no judgements from those around you and no weird encounters with former friends and fellow JW's.
I did the same thing with my husband. Like I said the feeling of relief is like nothing you can imagine.
Enjoy it! -
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Subtle (or not so subtle) ways you've been invited to memorial
by Mysterious inwhat are the most subtle, or least subtle ways your family members have tried to invite you to memorial.
2 years ago my mother put the invitation by my chair and it sat there for several weeks without being touched or moved.
last year she asked if i would come if she made a special effort to come pick me up.
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divejunkie
My parents always "casually" mention that they are going to it about a week in advance - they also say time and address in case I forgot. It's funny. The first time my mom realized that I didn't go to one, she almost had a coronary. She was like "How could you not go?"
I told her: "Mom, I haven't been going to the KH for a while already. Why go to this one meeting? The memorial is like "The Night of the Living Dead". All the DA's, DF's, or faded ones that still have family in there, show up and then you don't see them again for a whole year until the next memorial"
She looked at me like she was looking for an argument to the statement and finally said "You are something else" -
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Dub women and make up
by MsMcDucket inwhen i became a witness, the sisters were on me about not wearing make-up.
it seemed like every sister in the hall wore make-up.
i, coming from a "holiness" background, didn't feel comfortable in make-up; so, i usually didn't wear any.
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divejunkie
"It strikes me that the JWs often manifest a very competitive streak. If you are very good-looking, and can get away without much make-up, and Sister Bad-Complexion needs a half-inch thick layer to just look presentable, that could cause resentment.
If Sister Look-At-Me shows up with a Gucci bag, well, maybe I should buy that Fendi I saw last week.
Of course it is not just sisters, brothers compete with their material goods, and even with assignments. "Well, guess who's head of the rooming department at the District Convention this year!"
You have hit the nail in the head!!!
These are my thoughts exactly! The competition in the congregations is fierce! And here is my theory on why JW's are so competitive: BOTTOM LINE: MATING AND STATUS
Mating: Because of restrictions of finding a husband/wife only in the organization, the herd is already thin to find a suitable mate. On top of that if you want to remain in good standing and enjoy the ass kissing of all those around you, you have to find a "GOOD" brother/sister. That means pioneers, MS, Elders, etc. the more titles and priviledges, the better. That thins the herd even more.
If you are a female, you have the dissadvantage of being in an organization where the female/male ratio is like 6 or 7 to 1. Big time competition. So you have to keep your looks and status up. Your personality really comes in second place as long as you can keep appearances in the congragation with your service reputation.
If you are a baptized male in good standing, you already have the odds in your favor. However, the more titles you have, the more "eligible" you become. Women will be competing for you and that means you have the luxury of choosing whoever you want. So you can wait and go for whatever makes your day. If you want to go for substance, you will find it. But if you want to go for the sister with very specific physical, "spiritual" and financial attributes, you will find it too.
As you know, nothing seems to be more desirable and celebrated that a "good" marriage between "good solid christians". Whcih brings on the STATUS part of the equation.
I've seen it first hand for so many years, is not even funny. I personally know elders and bethelites who when single would say things like "I would never marry a sister who's not a pioneer, blond, tall and thin. And she needs to come from money and have some still" -
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Hay algun latino o latina aqui? De donde son?
by divejunkie inpregunto porque no he visto ninguna indicacion de algun latino aca.
mis experiencias en las congregaciones han sido siempre en congregaciones latinas o de idioma espanol en eu.
alguien tiene la misma situacion?
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divejunkie
Sorry I saw posts in German and I thought it was ok
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Hay algun latino o latina aqui? De donde son?
by divejunkie inpregunto porque no he visto ninguna indicacion de algun latino aca.
mis experiencias en las congregaciones han sido siempre en congregaciones latinas o de idioma espanol en eu.
alguien tiene la misma situacion?
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divejunkie
Muchas gracias! No hablo portugues, pero estoy aprendiendo poquito con una companera de trabajo de Brazil. Pero entendi tu mensaje. Veremos a ver a quien encuentro...