There is an elderly couple in my former congregation that left the Circuit work after about 35 years due to his health problems. As a kid I remember people being giddy with excitement when they were going to be visiting. He seemed so knowlegeable and she so zelous. Later as an adult his talks seemed very corny and the logic and reasonings were pretty sketchy. You sort of overlooked this because they were very sweet people, very devoted to one another, truly the kind that lived up to what being a Witness is supposed to be all about. Like many they found themselves elderly without any means of support .They didn't have much, if any Social Security because they had been in the Circuit work since they were newlyweds and they never had kids so there was no family to turn to. Uncomplainingly, at a time when most people rertire, he got a job as a school bus driver and she got a job in a dept. store. They had a tiny old death trap car and lived in a mobile home in a senior mobile home park. It was spotlessly clean but was a bit dated and shabby, and in need of repairs. About a year before I left the org for good, she came to me because she had found some used carpet while out in service, somebody's return visit or bible study was getting rid of it. She had heard that in another life I used to install carpet and wanted to know if I could help her out. I was happy to do so but when I unrolled the carpet we realized there wasn't enough that was worth installing. She began sobbing and explained that one of their old friends from Gilead was going to be visiting the area but her husband was too ashamed to have him see where they were living and didn't want to invite him to stay. They had never owned a home and hadn't a clue how to fix things around the house. She thought that if the carptet were replaced and they had some repairs done it might make him feel better about their situation. It made me angry that these two lovely people were in this position after all they had done in their lives for others. Long story short, I installed some new carpet for her and fixed a lot of the little electrical and plumbing problems they were having. He came home from work and was grinning like a little kid when he saw how much better things looked. He went around switching on and off overhead lights that hadn't ever worked etc. The point is, these people were waiting until they were 72 so they could stop working and resume pioneering. Unlike the man in the story, they were very perky and seemed to thrive on having this JW mission in life. They were absolutly certain that although they lived in a place where people who hadn't fared to welll in life also lived, Jehovah was looking out for them and I was sent by him to help them. Viewing them now, through adult eyes, it was almost a little weird and as if they were out of touch with reality and a bit child like but that's exactly what the organization encourages and those are the ones who can keep doing it.
