Posts by jillbedford

25

Letter from PO......opinions????

by jillbedford in

after leaving jw, being a former regular pioneer for many years, i wanted to still help others is a meaningful way.

this year i am raising money for the leukemia & lymphoma society.

i am training to run a marathon, 26.2 miles as part of my fund raising.

jillbedford

After leaving JW, being a former regular pioneer for many years, I wanted to still help others is a meaningful way. This year I am raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I am training to run a Marathon, 26.2 miles as part of my fund raising. I have been sending letters to all my friends and family over the last several months asking for financial support. Any amount is appreciated, I do suggest a 26 dollar donation, thinking one dollar a mile. So far I have been overwhelming by the generosity and support of my friends. I haven't heard back from any witnesses. Yes I sent all my old witness friends and family letters as well.

I send a letter to my PO in the congregation I would be assigned to if I went. He and his wife have been by several times. They are a very nice couple.

I just got a 5 dollar contribution in mail from this brother, enclosed with a letter. So far the donation have been more generous than 5 dollars, but maybe that is all they can afford. Although they do live in a house 5 times more expensive than the apartment I live in. Also enclosed with donation so far have been notes such as, "Wish you the best! Best wishes on your training!"

In response to all donations so far, I have written a personal thank you note to that oerson, letting them know there donations will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That all things in life have a way of coming back to you. That there generosity will be rewarded. I let them know how training is going. And make a few comments to wish them well personally.

I am puzzled as to the best response to this donation. Please give me your advice.

This is the letter I got from the PO (I have edited names for their privacy):

Dear Jill,

*** & I would like to be able to speak to you in person, but we do want to respond to your letter regarding your running in the Country Music Marathon. Many people do many things that has some effect on the problems of this system of things. We also are running in a race for everlasting life, where there will be no more pain or sickness, or sadness.

Rev 21:3-5 "With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning no outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away. And the One seated on the throne said: Look! I am making all things new. Also, he says: Write, because these words are faithful and true."

Isa 53:4 Truly our sicknesses were what he himself carried; and as for our pains, he bore them. But we ourselves accounted him as plagued, stricken by God and afflicted.

Matt 8:17 that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, "He himself took our sicknesses and carried our diseases."

The invitation to run in this race from Jehovah and Christ Jesus our reigning King and High Priest. These are the ones who will do away with all sickness.

And that is why we are answering, the call from Jehovah and the command from Jesus to do this work.

Isa 6:8 And I began to hear the voice of Jehovah saying: " Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I proceeded to say: Here I am! Send me."

Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, "All authority has been given me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU. And look! I am with YOU all the days until the conclusion of the system of things."

So it is ***'s and my priviledge to share in a work that is being done by volunteers in upward of 200 lands. In all these lands, people are being invited to benefit from a program that helps people learn the Bible's answers to such questions as:

1. Why do we grow old and die?

2. What is the purpose of life?

3. How can you find real happiness?

We engage in this activity because we are genuinely interested in you and others. it is our hope that someday soon we will be able to talk to you again in Person. Please feel free call us.

"agape"

****** & ***

(Also enclosed was the "Life in a Peaceful New World" tract.)

55

You know you're NOT a JW anymore when...(add some)

by Flindersgirl in

you don't automatically wake up with a headache on sunday morning.... you no longer go around (while in field service) mentally deciding what home you'll "have" after armaggedon.... every item of clothing you buy as a woman is not first assessed for its modesty value.... you no longer worry about the 144,000 watching you have sex...:).

when on holiday you don't have to find the nearest kingdom hall asap (remember brother and sisters you are not on holiday from jehovah!!!).

being able to laugh about having a numb ass at the assemblies from sitting and the hilarity in having to tell people that you found the meeting "uplifting" when really you were fighting sleep the whole time.... you no longer have to avoid entire sections of music stores in order to make sure you don't pick up and "demonistic" vibes from backmasked cd's.

jillbedford

When you can devote the time you used spend in field service, for me that was 90 hours a month, doing work helping others in a way that really matters, like doing charity work. When you arrive at the charity locale, they are truly happy to see you are glad you came.

Not waking anyone up on Saturday morning to ask if they would like to go without holidays and change to JW. This is how I learned to back up in my car better than anyone I know. I can go backwards for miles. And I have.

Being able to donate blood when you have a sick friend. Or just because it is the right thing to do.

Being able to speak to everyone and ask how they are doing no matter what their religious affiliation is.

Re-uniting with family, who were shunned before because they dared to question the WTB&TS. So they were all D'fd. They thankfully forgive me for the years apart. Blood is thicker than water.

Not hiding when you see JW out in service in your neighborhood. Calling security instead as there is no soliciting allowed.

Finding happiness and contentment for the first time.

Not settling because this is all you know.

24

Another JW divorce!

by Goldminer in

jw
friends

.

my wife just got word that another couple in the local congregation will be divorcing.this will be the third one within 2 years,all couples in their 20's-30's,just like us here.. anyways,he committed adultery,got a std and she threw him out;the children are devastated.he was known for flirting with any attractive woman,married or not,christian or not.. what upsets me is that these people all went to the hall acting like righteous christians and pre-meditating their family-breaking adultery.meanwhile,i'm treated like shit because i don't attend all meetings here,they must have a wager on my wife and i.like i told the wife before<i'm not going anywhere and i value my family.

jillbedford

From personal experience, my witness husband and I divourced, due to adultery. We were married 11 years. The other woman was married too. I feel if we had 11 good years we could have worked out the infidelity. My reasons were based on lack of financial support. He never had a real job, just cleaning jobs like all witnesses have with their lack of education. I needed health insurance, 401k benefits, paid vacations days and sick days not only for my sake but also for the sake of my daughter.

Both of us are inactive and can still attend meetings if we wanted to.

My ex smokes now, so I guess he would get busted on those terms.

We were both in our early thirties at the time of the divource.

48

Can you comment on this story WITHOUT being negative?

by nicolaou in

just for a moment try not to be a bitter, twisted, hate spewing apostate and read this....... .

by erin concors, tribune .

jerry and crystal baxter still look back on their first major argument as newlyweds and laugh.

jillbedford

I loved reading about this couple. I hope I too, can be so lucky. The key to having a long, happy marriage is being truthful and honest with one another. Forgive one another. Accept each others differences of belief. That is the spice of life!

Thanks for posting such an inspiring post of so many levels.

37

WT Rule: Disfellowshipped Should Shun One Another!

by Swan in

anybody remember this?

two people who are disfellowshipped can't talk to one another and can't even carpool to the meeting.

i seem to remember this vaguely mentioned in a previous thread.

jillbedford

And I thought Jesus died for the redemption of all our souls, no matter what mistakes we made, he welcomed us with open heart, open minds and open arms.

Ooops! How silly of me! We are to shun those we do not meet our standards and make them fix their own vehicles late at night, and walk to the KH in sub-freezing weather!

Thank God! I am free at last!

99

Things I love about Texas

by IP_SEC in

jw
friends

being that it's such an auspicious day for the great state.. things i love about texas.. 1. shiner bock.

2. san antonio.

3. corpus christi.

jillbedford

No one has mentioned my very favorite Texan Lance Armstrong.

I am his next stud wife.

81

Supposing The WT DOES Monitor This Site..

by Englishman in

how can those doing the monitoring not be affected by what they read here?.

how can anyone not be affected by the paedophilia scandal, the un scandal, the 1975 debacle?.

how do they find someone to read here and still stay a jw?.

jillbedford

I know for a fact the elders monitor all "apostate" sites from time to time. They are looking for active witnesses that have strayed and to keep up with what we are planning to do.

This is why we must always keep up with what they are doing as well.

There is always a Judas amoung us......

48

Hello

by sweet tee in

this is my first forum post though i've been out here reading yours for a while.

i didn't know how to post my bio.

i became a jdub at the age of 16. i had a child out-of-wedlock who was 1 year old at the time and i was searching for answers - i wanted my son to have a future and the one the witnesses portrayed was better than anything i'd ever heard!

jillbedford

Welcome!! You are among friends!

Your story sound so much like mine I almost fell in the floor. My witness husband also had no motivation and desire to work or provide for his family. When we divourced in 1999 he decided not to pay child support or work anywhere or go to any more meetings. He did decide to start smoking....at 37. He called me a few months later asking for a ride as his car had been re-possessed.

I re-married a couple of years later to a motivated man who knows what he wants and how to get it.

40

Elders disfellowship my cousin

by YellowLab in

jw
friends

just a little background, my cousin is 38 and hasn't attended meetings for nearly 20 years.

then, a week later, another elder and the circuit overseer came knocking for the same reason, so she decided to go to the thursday night meeting.

then on sunday, she went for the talk, and was told she had an elder's meeting at 12:30 that afternoon.

jillbedford

So disfellowshipping the Ex and having him permantently cut off from his family so the ex-wife can marry the new boyfrined. Wow! The depth of Christian love. Incredible!

10

The GB have a certain malevolence

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

think of all the failed prophecies that the watchotwer propagated.

think of the lies and deceit they have fed us.

yet, they keep finding excuses as to why doctrine changes.

jillbedford

Any intelligent person is going to see the flaws.

For example, maybe 1975 was a human error, what about 80 years after 1914, still no Armageddon. The answer to this is to publish a Watchtower article on how we were wrong on the definition of a generation?

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.