Posts by AudeSapere

39

New Rooming Arrangement for some district conventions in the UK - what are they up to?

by 88JM in

jw
friends

so i missed this letter below being read out last week - i got a look at it from the notice board this week.. from what i heard, this announcement was not received entirely positively as such, but there were apparently one or two for who this is a bit annoying.. staying at hotels for the district convention is nothing new here - many are used to staying at the same hotel/b&b/campsite every year, and get quite friendly with the owners.

but this year, it looks like not only do we have a new location for our district assembly (glasgow - the s.e.c.c.?

) but we are being told what hotel to stay at, supposedly to make things cheaper.. what i can't understand is, if this is really for the benefit of people, why didn't they do this years ago?

AudeSapere

Ecan6's link above was very interesting and insightful into the workings of DC's as regards to a subsidy that WTS receives from a local community.

It's a short read but enlightening for me. [Also, the PDF of the minutes of the City Council meeting which highlight the revenue to the local businesses and the city. ($300,000 estimated return to the city - not counting the boon to the businesses at a time of year that is usually 'dead'.) - Read the PDF that is shown at the bottom of the article. You will likely be surprised as well. "Follow the money" comes to mind.]

This paragraph made me laugh, though:

But this year City Councilors say they want to see more outreach into the community.

Baldwin explained that in the past the City Council would encourage and suggest that the group to partner with other organizations in the community, but wouldn’t require it. The Jehovah’s Witnesses would instead perform some other kind of service work.

This year, she said they decided to tie the funding directly to the completion of a community service.

Councilors gave the group three options including providing support or volunteers for a local Habitat for Humanity project, Helping Hands Mission relocation or a food or clothing drive for one of the city’s food banks or shelters. The group could suggest its own partnership, but it must be approved by the City Council.

hehe While in the past they were happy with free labor for arena cleaning and for free landscaping services, they are now wanting JWs to be move involved in community outreach - and not the bogus door-to-door 'Life-Saving' proselytising that they may claim as charitable activity. The city wants actual, bonafid, charitable activity in exchange for the subsidy. Would really like to see an update on this...

-Aude.

2

Stephen Lett's combover is famous

by zound in

found stephen lett on the first page of google images when i googled "famous combovers' (don't ask!).

http://memegenerator.net/instance/34747377.

got me thinking.

AudeSapere

Can someone please make the links clickable?

Aude.

14

Gut wrenching situation

by laverite in

jw
friends

i have a close relative who has a baby with a terminal medical condition.

he could go at any moment or last a few years.

but the ultimate outcome is that he will die very young.

AudeSapere

I agree with you, laverite. It is as if she callously flaunted her hope to a mother in despair. Of course, her intention was to win over the mother so that she, too, could have the same [false] hope. And that 'maybe' was quite odd. Or not so much. As someone else already said, there are likely many who no longer really believe that the end is coming any time now. Or that it will take the form that we had come to believe - oh! so long ago.

This thread reminded me of a strange conversation that I think may have been the beginning of my questionings...

In preparing for a talk that I had, I went to the home of a woman who was probably close to 60 at the time. Something had happened in our cong and I mentioned - as all good JWs did then - that soon the new system will be here and we won't have to worry about all these terrible things that happen to us now (or something to that effect). Her response to my canned JW comment was: "Oh, Aude! You don't really still believe that, do you?"

Stopped me dead in my thoughts. Jaw open. Speechless. LOL. Then, "Well, yeah. Of course I do."

We rehearsed the talk and I've thought about her comment many times. She and her sister and aunt were at nearly every meeting. But she did not believe. How could that be??

I don't remember ever talking to her about it again. Wonder where she is and what her thoughts and beliefs *really* were.

Strange feeling, that was.

-Aude.

5

I have a friend in a tough situation

by YoursChelbie in

jw
friends

i have a friend who just got married by the courthouse.

her husband and her were to have a church wedding but the very day before the wedding she tells me he begins to behave in odd ways.

first she sees he has strange marks on his back but he cannot explain how they got there.

AudeSapere

I don't understand why she would want to stay married to this man. ??

-Aude.

67

Powerfully heart-wrenching experience by FORMER BETHLITE

by Black Man in

jw
friends

just wanting to post an experience by a former bethelite.

the first part was just published with the other two coming overt the next couple of weeks.

click the link.

AudeSapere

Marking for later.

75

JW family made contact....

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

.....after 8 years of us being disfellowshipped.

the made contact through my aunt who is still 'in' - as in she has faded but is not disfellowshipped and will pop to a meeting now and again - she does this for my grans' sake.. the contact was from my aunt and uncle (he's an elder) these were the 2 witnesses used against me in my judicial case.

they contacted my aunt and said to forward the message onto us.

AudeSapere

LouBelle wrote: ... They need to take the council of the scripture that states that the elder in the congregations have to be like fathers and husbunds to the orphands and widows, that they have to be the shelter from the sun and rain.....and have suggested that if they are so concerned about my grans' loneliness that they prepare one of their spare bedrooms for her - this will eliviate the cost of putting her in an expensive home.

Beautiful! Put it back in their court.

I am going thru something similar with my mother. I am not DF'd not DA'd but she told me and other non-active siblings that her family is her congregation. Now she is older and poorer (having spent her money on trips and early 'retirement') and wanting help from her kids. She leveraged my cancer treatment to get congregation support (she kept the cash). When I needed help getting to the emergency room when starting chemo, she could not help because it would make her late for a Bible Study. In my 20's hen I asked for a loan ($50 to get me thru til payday) she refused because I needed to learn how to manage my money.

Now she wants help because she needs a new car - or something. (I didn't pay attention to the details from my siblings.) I have no money to spare her. She can look to her congregation and reflect on her own words: Manage your money better. The cong is her family. Jehovah's will comes first.

The fact is, though, that her non-jw brother does have room for her. But I think that she doesn't want to be inconvenienced with a move.

Anyway, good for you, LouBell and your mom. Good response. I might be inclined to make a donation of time or money to you local Senior Concerns society - to help the general aging community. In memory of your gran who died 8 years ago.

-Aude.

39

Need Help - Parent in ICU

by AudeSapere in

df parent is in hospital icu and surgeon wants to give blood.

parent is df for almost 20 and firmly refused blood for personal reasons (spiritual).. .

my concern is that parent is taking strong stand based on outdated jw gb hlc guidelines.

AudeSapere

amos77 wrote: 30+ years ago, absolutely nothing from blood was permitted. This DF person, in my experience having been out for so long, is that unless DF people have been debriefed/deprogrammed in some way with regard to JW doctrines, they still hold to the same beliefs

Yes. This is what my parent's thought pattern was. And why I wanted to gently, but firmly explain that things have changed. Actually, I had begun the conversation about 6 months ago. Parent was holding firm to the absolutely No Blood Whatsoever rule, when infact the organization who taught that rule no longer believes it themselves.

And being DF'd does not necessarily mean a person is ungodly. Being depressed and DF'd, refusing blood could actually, in their mind, serve two purposes: (1) end their life and thus their depression, and (2) be one last loyal act to a god they feel has abandoned them along with the org that kicked them out 20 years ago.

I would like to add that my parent is healing nicely. And many of the comments here, along with the full printed copy of KerryLouderbeck's article, have created good topics for conversation with my parent and one sibling. Some exception was taken to some of Kerry's comments, but overall the article was well-received. And the best analogy from JWN comments? The Apple Pie analogy. It's been brought up a couple of times. Thank you all for all your comments. Everyone is greatly appreciated.

-Aude.

6

Great Meetup in Phoenix AZ yesterday!!

by Gayle in

about 28-30 of us there for two hours at the phoenix library.

alot of personal experiences of those being raised jws and experiencing shunning!

it was filmed but sensitivity was certainly given for those there, were several there, who could not be filmed because of jw family yet.

AudeSapere

I love that it was held at a library. Perfect setting. Will remember that for next meetup around here.

Will you post the film somewhere?

-Aude.

25

After 4 years..JWs knock on my door.

by Tylinbrando in

it was last weekend.

i was visited by 2 older jws that appeared to be elders.

first time in 4 years any of them have come to my door.

AudeSapere

Hamsterbait wrote: WHY NO BOOK BAGS OR BIBLES????

My last few months in service I did not carry a bookbag, just a bible. I just could not peddle magazines that I thought were wrong.

My dad often made RVs and shepharding calls with just a bible - and a compact one at that. He carried it in his pocket and took it out only when necessary. He felt that often the best shepharding was just to listen to people and let them talk. Then may close with parting scripture and a prayer.

Lack of bible and bookbag can mean something good. Or it could have been a baiting. But maybe not.

-Aude.

25

After 4 years..JWs knock on my door.

by Tylinbrando in

it was last weekend.

i was visited by 2 older jws that appeared to be elders.

first time in 4 years any of them have come to my door.

AudeSapere

My response disappeared...

Tylin wrote: Why are the words that came out of my mouth the only ones I could muster?

I think your response was perfect. According to your account, the one man responded with tears in his eyes. If you had given an angry response, he would likely have given the non-sympathetic, defensive response that he was programmed to to give by Brooklyn.

Instead, you touched the human side of this man and he responded as human. You let the the natural, compassionate personality come out.

Sounds to me like you did great. Nice job.

-Aude.