Using your car in service and still the GB asking for money

by life is to short 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  life is to short

  Oh yeah OG that was the other thing that TOTALLY got to me. Not only was I DRIVING MY CAR but then they complained. Seriously!!!

  We always got used cars no way could we afford a new one though it was suggested that we should and just put it on payments. Yeah that would work we were making at the most $600.00 a month and putting $300.00 into gas driving around so yeah a 250.00 a month payment would to totally doable what was I thinking we could pay rent and eat on the ext $50.00 how selfish was I. Seriously! These people just made me crazy with how rude and hateful they were.

  So anyway this one car of ours had the knob to the heat upside down but it worked fine. It was a HUGE discussion in every car group that we had, it just bugged most of those riding with us to now end. Why did it matter? I asked and asked for them to stop missing with it as I was afraid they would break it, then one day I got into the car and in all honestly someone had fixed it right, we had tried ourselves and couldn't but it just frosted me that even though it was on right that they had been playing around with it when I clearly had asked them to just leave it alone, it worked was all the mattered and it was just a stupid nob so what if it was upside down it did not matter to us so LEAVE it alone!!!

  Then of course because I was just the lowly wife and if my husband was driving and we had any male in the car did't matter what age the male had to sit in the front and I HAD TO SIT IN THE BACK. Just the way it was because of my gender.

  This one pompous elder was the one who usually sat in the front and he LOOOOOOOVED it HOT and I mean baking hot. Oh my word it was so miserable with that blasting into the back seat. It did not matter how I felt because men were in charge, I got my feelings so hurt so badly but no one cared, including my husband.

  Then we had this car with a broken cup holder in the back and I asked and asked and asked that they not use it so this one time I go to clean the car and the cup holder is just thrown on the floor, I knew who did it. Seriously they could not even apologize?

  Don't even get me started on them slamming the doors and letting their kids write on the back seats, etc it was just like we were a free taxi.

  I just hated how rude they were. It was just so crazy.

  LITS
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  DesirousOfChange

  LITS: But when we were pioneering over half of our income went into field service. And what really got to me was those who did not pioneer and showed up without a car or told us that they could not use their car because it was too low to the ground, it had a rock chip in it, it was not clean enough, they had't gotten paid yet and didn't have money for gas and well since you go out all the time lets just use your car.

  I kid you not these are all things that were said to me, no joking. Most of the reg publishers who rode around in our car made 5 to 6 even up to 10 times more money than we did and yet they were more than willing to pile into our car and not even say thank you most of the time when they left. Yet I did get to hear about the great times they had on vacations, eating out, etc. And what really killed me was when they would get into our car and announce that they did't have any money until payday which was always at least a week away but when we went on break and I ordered my small coffee they always ordered lunch or get 5 to 6 six dollars in junk food. Funny how that works.

  I hear ya! And I know of some locally that had the same complaints. We ALWAYS drove. Even my wife when she was Aux Pio. We bought a van -- for service. We refused gas money. It was OUR donation. It was how we used our "worldly riches". The tight-wad elder/pioneer we had in the Cong made damn sure someone else drove instead of using his car that another brother gave to him (after his constant whining).I don't think he EVER bought a tank of gas for himself. He knew how to "sing the blues" and other generous JWs covered a lot of his expenses (trying to buy their position in the Cong -- and maybe Heaven).

  Former Bethelites that came home and pioneered had learned to perfect the "principle of gleaning" while at Bethel. They couldn't afford rent, clothes, food, gas, insurance, or anything else. But they could attend every concert and see every new movie or Broadway production when it came to a local venue. Esp if they were from a "prominent" JW family, the R&F would line up to pick up the tab.

  Doc
  
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  life is to short

  Doc

  I did't mean anything personally about you and there were a few in some halls who were like you where they used their cars all the time, usually the CoBE and other elders would always go with them in service. There was this one new elder who moved in and had this great well paying job. In all honestly he was really nice guy who I feel sorry for, Looking back I truly think he knew tttatt but was just stuck.

  Anyway the way the other elders sucked up to him it was just was amazing to watch. I think a huge part of my problem was that my husband truly believed it was the "truth" and tried to live it and the other elders just did not want to deal with mentally ill people which every hall had, so we got them all. I myself did not know how to deal with them also.

  I remember being out in service and spending an hour stuck in the car with a brother who was hearing voices. How do you deal with that? It just took it's toll on me. I was stuck in a no win zone. I totally got where my husband was coming from that these people needed help and needed to feel wanted but taking them door to door was not the answer. It just put more stress on their mental problems.

  My husband and I tried to live what we thought was the truth. I look back and so wish I would have spoken up, but it probably would have meant my marriage and everything I had, which I know now was nothing. I have no family outside and I now know a huge part of it was that I just felt stuck.

  It's just now hearing the GB ask for money all the time and knowing how broke we were and we never asked for money or talked out our finances so no one knew. I a sure everyone thought we were doing fine.

  I just look back with such regret now with how the religion is going and how much I gave up.

  LITS
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  flipper

  LIFE IS TOO SHORT- Indeed I totally understand what you're saying. I used my vehicle a lot out in service the several years I pioneered and most other times also. And to add to that I drove about 30,000 to 40,000 miles a year in my business as well- still drive that much in my business.

  In regards to what Dave Ramsey said it seems that he in the media and many other Americans are conditioned through commercials and propaganda that if a person doesn't get a new car every few years - that we " just aren't living the life " . LOL. Yeah- a life of credit and $400.00 a month payments for 6 years is what we are " missing out " on ! LOL. I don't mind " missing out " on debt and car payments personally. I still own a 2003 Toyota truck that I put 400,000 miles on the first engine- then instead of buying a new $ 25,000 to $30,000 vehicle I invested $ 9,500 the last couple years putting a new engine and transmission into the truck - so I still have no car payments since I paid it off in 2009. Makes life much easier not staring down a $ 400.00 per month car payment .

  You are right- the GB are greedy grabbers who don't really care how much " sacrifice " they put on JW's. They will drive them into the ground literally financially and every other way with their demands, rules and regulations. I'm scared to even ponder on how much my elder dad gave to this cult financially in his 90 years ( 65 years in the cult ) . I guess time will tell. Interesting thread thanks for posting. Take care my friend, Peace out, Mr. Flipper