i am erica garza rodriguez.
i wanted to write and thank all of you for your interest and support during this long pursuit of justice.. to those wonderful friends who were able to travel to ritzville for the trial, my heart overflows with humble gratitude.. bill bowen (and wife sheila, behind the scene).
b (you know who you are), pat, chris, richard and wife, gsark, baharama and sister, maximus, were you there?
Dearest Erica,
Your courage and strength is absolutely awe-inspiring. I don't have the honor of knowing you personally but I am so proud of you. You are indeed a hero. I wish you all the happiness in the world, you don't just 'deserve' it...it's obligated to come to you on a silver platter.
Kat
i just found out my best friend died this morning.
i'm not looking for sympathy, i just need some input.
we were very close and worked together volunteering for the aids foundation here in my hometown.
Jon,
I am so, so very sorry. Your emotions are so visible in your posts and have brought tears to my eyes. I am not very good at offering advice so I won't. I see both sides of the coin and happen to think everyone else who posted all gave you excellent input. I do, however, think that Ray's and Tina's ideas were exceptionally beautiful and moving.
I may not know you personally but I have just met the heart-broken, tormented side and my heart truly weeps for you. God, I am so sorry for the losses, all of them, that you've had to witness.
Kat
Better late than never--
Born in Pawtucket, RI
Raised on Long Island, NY; then
Port Charlotte, FL
Currently in Orlando, FL
ooops!
how did i end up posting this twice?
is there a way to erase one of them?.
I didn't notice that this second (duplicate) post of mine was still here!
Anyway, that's why it took me so long to reply:
Thanks, steph, for the added info. I have actually come to the same conclusion of the advice you offered. I finally understand the differences (thanks to a wonderful, handy little diagram of sorts and article in the bookstore url that, I think, Quester pasted in a post in the other thread.) I have decided to get one literal, one middle dynamic (NIV is at the top of my list), and possibly, one of the more 'readable' versions like the basic NLT or The Book. The third, I think, would just be enjoyable to have; great for wanting a more contemporary feel.
Again, thanks for the input.
Kat
i was just wondering: never in my life have i owned (or even read) a bible other than the nwt.
i really wish to study the bible but really do not wish to use this version.
after seeing the plethora of bibles out there i was wondering if there is any person here who can give me an un-biased opinion on which bible to get.
Hello again to all:
I thouroughly enjoyed reading all the posts and I did learn a lot just from reading them. You all made excellent points. Thanks again for the input!
To Mark:
Thanks so much for the kind offer! Unfortunately, since I am still new on this board and have not even revealed my email address here, I am still uncomfortable with the idea of giving out any personal information to anyone, especially a home address...it's nothing personal, trust me. However, I have decided that a NIV will be among my choices. So while I would LOVE to get one for free, I will go ahead and just purchase the one I had planned on. Thanks so much for the kind gesture, though. It really means a lot.
Kat
i received a letter last night (as many of you did) about a particular.
custody battle being fought by a poster on this board.. she just found out that she lost custody of her 3 children to her jw ex, despite the fact that they are in danger of being exposed to a pedophile relative through this man.. i am asking anyone who may know anything about setting up a legal defense fund (or anyone who knows about utah custudy law/ lawyers in utah) to please respond to this post.
time is of the essence, the girls have already gone back to their father today.
<<My father who molested me signed an affidavit against me saying I was mentally uncapable of raising children due to being abused as a child.>> - alamb
Did he also sign the affidavit that says he is mentally incapable of signing any affidavits due to his own past as an abuser?
If I read your post right, I think there should have been one more affidavit to sign.
hi all:.
i need your opinion about one web site its www.timestime.com .why i am asking for it ?
i am more than surprised about subject of this site and now i am confused what its right and what is wrong.this site contain information about god end of times and so on and i didnt found anything what can convinced me that that they are mistaking.think is i am studying with jw but they didnt want to help me to answer my questions because they said its not healty to read anything else except their books.i didnt listen because i am used to do everything on my own and now i am really searching.so if you could tell me at least that they are mistaking on their site and show me how ill apreciated.
Welcome Peter,
I agree with Free that you could check out the links. I can also understand how hard it can sometimes be to get certain feelings and questions out when typing. My parents are from Poland, I am first generation American, and we are all bi-lingual. Many in my family are still learning English--my dad just made up his own mix of English and Polish . One thing my father has told me is that it is MUCH harder to express your thoughts in English on the computer than to just speak it. I never realized that until I talked to him on the computer. Anyway, I think your English is terrific!
I wish I could give you answers about the JW's but I myself am learning. After being raised as one, I just now am starting to read other materials that are not on their 'approved reading' list When I left the JW religion I was never baptized. While I can't offer you any real answers (sorry!), I would like to tell you that you are doing right by not getting baptized and by doing your own research. It is so important to decide for yourself, not let the Watchtower decide for you. You are right in thinking that for them to try to tell you not to read anything else but their work is a warning in itself. You are on the right track. Please give it time, there is information to be found. I agree with Free...post a specific topic and also, follow the links.
Kat
on tuesday, my mom called me at work to tell me my aunt linda passed away.
she'd had diabetes and kidney problems for years.
tuesday, she was on dialysis and her blood pressure bottomed out and she just went to sleep and never woke up.
Michael,
There's not much I can say that hasn't already been beautifully said in this thread. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am not only for the loss of your Aunt Linda, but also for your other losses. You need support now more than ever and it's a shame that it's not available where it should be naturally. It's also upsetting to know that these people, Billy especially, are cutting off their noses to spite their faces. I am sure they need and could have gotten an abudance of comfort and friendship from an obviously caring family member, you, to help them in and share with them the grief of losing your Aunt, and they are missing out because of some groundless, cruel rule that they are blindly following. Again, I am sorry for your loss; and I am also sorry for theirs.
Kat
as some of you may have noticed i always include this quote with my signature - "why is it when we talk to god we're praying - but when god talks to us, we're schizophrenic?".
i am poking some fun at this concept basically.
however, a few years ago, driving in my car on the way to work, i heard a very clear, audible voice that was not mine.
Hey Roy,
Cool, albeit eerie, story. I tend to be a optomistic skeptic. I always start thinking, "Naaahhhh"...but then I go to "well, it could happen".
I think people are so skeptical these days about everything. There are a lot of people, myself included, who believe in some unquestionable and undefinable higher power or powers. With that said, why is it so hard to accept something like hearing a voice from nowhere? Sure, it sounds crazy. I'd have been the first one to admit you to a psych ward, but why? For those of us who do believe in the even just the possibility of God, who are we to say what is possible and what is not?
To answer your question about personal experiences: I personally heard a voice but I attributed that to my pregnancy hormones affecting my mental state of mind. It wasn't a deep, heavenly or meaningful message. It was downright stupid and ended up being nothing. I was alone in bed reading a book and it was late at night. The entire house was silent. My son was asleep, my husband wasn't home, and the tv was off. I heard a man's deep voice, low but commanding, a little louder than a whisper, say "Put the book down". It was IN my room, not far away...so near me that I felt it (if that makes sense). At the time it happened, I screamed and jumped out of bed so quickly and got so startled that I nearly induced my own labor from all the excitement! I called my brother and my mother to pass the time because I was too scared to go back to bed. They laughed hysterically and told me I was crazy. And, once I calmed down, I put the whole event behind me as a figment of my imagination. To this day I deny it was anything. I won't believe it was anything other than my imagination. If I let myself believe it was anything more than that, I would never read in bed again! I think that's why I am skeptical.
Kat
hello, this is my first post to this board.
i'm a married 24 year old male, i've been married for 2 1/2 years.
my wife and i are in the process of trying to get out of the wts, presently we live on the east coast of the us, but are planning to move to the west coast in 6 months.
Welcome Pablo!
Good luck in your move and I hope all goes well. I am relatively new here and this is a great place to get information and support. I hope you won't hesitate to post should you need to 'talk'. There are some terrific people here.
Kat
