Posts by Coffee House Girl

58

The truth about Hispanic JWs in the United States

by Hecce in

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i will like to share some facts about the spanish congregations in usa.

Coffee House Girl

Very interesting perspective, I appreciate you sharing-

As a white girl who tried to learn spanish in order to help a spanish group get started in my area (I didn't pan out and gave up after a year), I was always impressed with how much friendlier and jovial that the spanish friends were with each other than the bros & sis were in my english congregation (I never felt a part of the spanish hall because I was just learning)....but your experience does put a different spin on it (I was female and never felt superior to the spanish friends), and shows me how the JWs are just as biased as everyone else out there-

I had no idea about how they traped illegals into baptism either...wow

42

New here

by winnie12 in

hey i'm new here, i've been reading up so much here and on other sites about tatt and it has really settled a nagging feeling of doubt within me.

truly i have been lied to and have been trapped in this cult.

i've been suffering with depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, hospitalization, anti depressants, loneliness all this while being in supposedly surrounded by "the happiest people" on earth.

Coffee House Girl

Welcome! I also could relate to your story (born in, dad not in the truth, worried about mom shunning). I remember feeling depressed, alone, and suicidal-feeling like I was having a nervous breakdown from the mental stress of wanting to leave but so worried about what it would do to mom. People have given a lot of good advise here to not do anything drastic and do not share your personal feelings about the WT to mom- I know that can be a challenge, JWs are trained to spill their guts!

Keep your cool and maybe take some gen ed courses in canada, then maybe you can transfer to a school abroad- speaking from experience (I am a college senior now and have studied abroad), be sure to do some research to make sure that any college credits taken abroad will transfer back to your home country or are acredited...you could end up with an expensive degree that is not recognized anywhere else!

But taking the step to go to university is exciting- that is something positive to focus on!!! Be sure you are doing things to widen your network of friends outside of the JWs...join a club, join a gym, get out there and talk to people, I think that really helps.

Best of luck to you!

CHG

84

What Was your Favorite Music Concert you attended, group or solo artist?

by flipper in

jw
friends

hello ya'll.

mr. flipper here.

my wonderful son who as you know i always brag about.

Coffee House Girl

My favorite (chronological order)

U2 pop tour 1997ish

Morrissey 1996, 1999, 2003, 2008

Radiohead 2011

with lots of other coffee shop small concerts by local musicians which were often funny, emotional, and beautiful!

CHG

20

What is your weirdest field service experience ?

by cookiemaster in

mine just popped in my head and i just had to share it.

a few years ago i went with a special pioneer(and elder) at one of his studies who was a cow herder in the mountains.

obviously, even though we were going to the middle of nowhere, where no one lived, we just had to go all dressed up in nice suits and all.

Coffee House Girl

I had to go to the door with this large oaf of a man who was dumber than a box of rocks, he insisted on knocking on the doors with a large metal bolt so that the householder could hear us knocking...

this particular door was slightly ajar and he just walked in! I couldn't believe it!! There was this poor young woman sleeping on the couch and was awakened by a giant dude in a suit (missing teeth, he kinda reminded me of andre the giant when he spoke)...needless to say the woman was scared shitless....

once she gets her bearings she rejects his offer of a brochure...so he gets out another magazine from his bag and offers it to her, she is dumbfounded and kicks him out-

yes I am still out on the porch horrified and embarassed that I was seen with him, all I could do is say that I was sorry and leave before she called the cops on us-

CHG

9

I need to make some new friends now.

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

it gets harder to make friends as you get older and you're children more independent, i feel.. i know it sounds a bit sad but any ideas about how to make some new friends??.

i'm not averse to joining a club or starting a new hobby.

i just feel a bit out of practice.. nelly no mates xx.

Coffee House Girl

The university is where I ended up making the most friends...but that still took a couple years out of the borg to nurture new relationships, and now I will face starting over when I enter Grad school somewhere else!

I agree with other posters, find a hobby or an interest and join a club, volunteer at an art museum or zoo, exJW meetups are really nice too

I feel your pain being a shy person myself, but making the effort does eventually produce results!

Best of Luck!

CHG

16

Interview with an Apostate: Reopened Mind

by Reopened Mind in

were you a born in or a convert?.

i loved science so naturally the conversation centered around the topic of evolution.

they placed with me the book did man get here by evolution or by creation?

Coffee House Girl

Reopened (& ADD by extension of course)

So nice to read your interview, thanks so much for your continued support and insights!!!

CHG

17

If I was out I'd...

by OneDayillBeFree in

jw
friends

what kinds of things would you like to do if you were out of the organization?

and if you're already out and free, what kinds of things did you do that you really wanted to do but couldn't because it was against jw beleiefs?.

recently, i overheard some of the younger crowd of jw's after a meeting talking about how they wished they could have this or do that, get tattoos, play the newest video games (you know, the ones with all the violence and realistic 'kickass' graphics and such), grow out their beards for 'no shave november" wear miniskirts and dye their hair crazy colours... etc.

Coffee House Girl

My list of the things I've dabbled in so far....tattoos, nose piercings, dyed hair pink, mini skirts, pot smoking, out drinking till dawn, "slam dancing" at the clubs(I heard that term at a circuit assembly), university higher-learning, holidays, sex outside of marriage....it has been a busy four years of living!

Even though I've gotten a few eye rolls from some of my decisions, do I have any regrets?? Nope

It is my hope OneDay that you will get to knock off a few things from your bucket list!!!!

CHG

61

Have you grown detached from caring about JW family and old friends?

by tootired2care in

jw
friends

after being out of the borg for a year and a half, weve dealt with a lot of nonsense from local elders stopping by unannounced, well-meaning do-gooders trying to encourage us.

somehow weve managed to get through this without getting dfd/dad.

for me the worst part of it all has been that much of my family has shunned me, and stopped talking to me, as soon as they heard through the grapevine that i wasnt going to meetings.

Coffee House Girl

tootired2care,

I left over 4 years ago now...all the drama from me leaving has simmered down. I too have all my jdub family that doesn't contact me or talk to me, my mom had surgery this week, and when I went to visit her my sister didn't even acknowledge I was in the room. I learn to have a sense of humor about these things...when my sister and another woman from my old kh started talking about the weather I chimed right in..... even tho I never got a response, I could still tell that it rattled them which made me chuckle inside.

I have really gotten detached from all of them, I will be graduating college this spring & going on to grad school (I am the only one in my family to ever do this)...and listening to their superficial conversation at the hospital made me realize that I have nothing in common with them anymore. THere is nothing I could say to them to make them change their minds, and any "wordly" successes I achieve mean nothing to them...so we are at an impass. I hope if they ever wake up they decide to contact me, but I have gotten to that "acceptance" part of my grief...

CHG

57

What rumors have you heard about yourself since leaving?

by donny in

jw
friends

good morning all,.

i have had the opportunity over the last couple of years to speak with a couple of jw's who had either attended the same congregation i did or were married to someone who to the same one.

for the record, i disassociated myself in 1992 due to being followed around by an elder or two who had heard that i had ray franz's "crisis of conscience" in my possession.

Coffee House Girl

I was just told recently two of the rumors in my old hall was that I went crazy & broke up a marriage. I did go crazy, but it was the stupid JW policies and doctrines that drove me insane, and I never broke up a marriage- coffee shop guy was married before, but so was I...we all have pasts & we left our pasts behind when we got together.

CHG

11

A conundrum for ex's

by ctrwtf in

jw
friends

so...hanging out with some new found friends.

they're talking about going to church.

the whole family goes, everything is great.. my daughter comes home talking about her friend that had his first communion.

Coffee House Girl

I took a comparative religions class last semester for an anthropology credit and my big project was to go to two different church services and write a 7 page paper comparing the two, I went to a traditional catholic mass and a non-denominational service

I get what you are saying about feeling a sense of comunity and the social aspects of belonging to a church,

I really loved the traditional "motions" of the catholic service, as a participator one could really feel that they were part of something...part of me really felt at home with the structure and pomp and circumstance

The non-denominational one gave me more "creepy vibes" than the catholic service with the group singing and raising their hands in the air, but I noticed that they offered many different specific programs for people to choose to be a part of...so one could even skip the service if they want and join a youth group, softball league, or bible study group, young moms...

There are so many options out there and you wont be struck by lightning by the almighty if you walk into a church...so what the hell...just try one once and see what you think, the great thing about not being a JW is that you never have to committ to anything and you never have to close the door on any possibilities. I am still an agnostic, but the assignment really taught me to just try new experiences...it will only enrich your life and expose you to new people to get to know

CHG