Hi,
For those who have not met me my name is Michelle.(aka.mortons68)Thank-you Walter for the post earlyer last week for welcoming me.I have been wanting to do a post to introduce myself,but have not had the guts to tell my story.For one,I am very new to the computer , two, I was not sure about opening my life to complete strangers,and three ,my spelling and grammer is not that great at all. Vicki,thanks for leading me to this site.
I was born and raised to the jw religion. Not the best place for a child to be brought up in, has we all know.I would have to say it was about 1980 when My family left the big city of Toronto to a small town called Shelburne Ont.This is were I met my first friend Vicki Boer.(Palmer was her name then)I will never forget the first time I walked into that small little box called the Kingdom hall in that town.It was soo tiny compared to the huge fancy hall we went to in Toronto.There we sat for 2 hours, waiting for the meeting to end to see if there was anybody I could hang out with.Low and behold at the end of the meeting Vicki come running up to me with her little sister by her side,introducing herself.At first I did not know what to think.(she was just bouncing around with this cute dress on)Vicki was so polite.She introduced herself to me and my family and took me around to meet everyone in the congregation.After the meeting she gave me her phone number and we met the next day at school.She was two years younger then me,but because we were in a small town,were only aloud to hang with people in our own race..lol..there was not many girls our age to hang out with.I always thought it was awsome going to her house.You see her family was you could kinda say well off.Compared to mine she was rich..lol..She would always have my sister and I over to her place.We would hang out for hours.She would give me all her old cloths,(I remember that just like yesterday)and would never say anything to me at school in regards to me wearing her old cloths.She would never make fun of me for not having money.My family did not have alot of money at all and she never ever boasted on how her family was well off ..I remember one time going to her new house that her family had just moved into and there in her kitchen was a refrigerator that had a water/ ice machine on the outside of it.I had never seen anything like it in my life and I drank that water and used that ice machine like I was planning on pocketing it to make a ice rink...lol..As many times I used that thing in one day and night( like 6 times in the middle of the night) she never once said to me or made any commets about the ice/water machine.She just let me awwh over it.Something yet so simple but yet ment alot to me.Once again she never bragged or boasted.I know you might be thinking right now that this is and was know big deal,but to me,because I never had alot,Vicki always SHARED.No matter how simple it was.This is one thing I always and have not ever forgotten about her.She was a real person with a real heart.What she went through I could never imagine.I am sure though if she could have traded her comfortable life for for my poor life,I am sure she would have.We always think though know matter what our age...the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.In my case I thought Vicki was the luckest girl in the world to have what she has.....I was wrong! I guess looking back now,my mom and dad did not have alot of money,but they were always there for me.Regardless what the expence was.
After reaching high school I was labeled in our congregation as a bad influence.Vicki and I were not able to hang out any more. I would call her but I was not aloud to talk to her.Her dad would always say she was busy and could not come to the phone.Did not like the man anyways. He always made her look like a idot.He was the type of a guy that was, do as I say, not as I do. He always would be so nice when my family was around but as soon as my dad left there house he was a total jerk to her.I always remembered Vicki minding her p's and q's when her dad was around. I always thought she was such a good kid.She always looked after her little brothers and sister.Every time I was there she always had house work to do while I was there as well.He would make her cook,clean and make supper for him while I was there visting.She would beg me not to go home.( now I know why) I would say to her why does your dad never let you do anything?She would just shruck her shoulders and say "Im use to it" I swear she was just a maid there.I dont know how he could have been so mean to her..She worshipped the ground he walked on.Oh and by the way,he never attented the meetings like her mom and the kids.Well when I was about 16 my family left the BORG.We also moved.I went through hell.I explained to my parents the crap that was going on in that congregation.Thank god they finally listened to me.
Here I am 14 years old, seeing with my own two eyes watching all the adultrey,smoking,boozing and back stabbing going on and the brothers wanted to know why I did'nt want to go out on service! All this was going on with the adults NOT the teenagers.I mean we learn what we see right.This was all going on where I was babysitting. I have to admit that being 14 years old and adults are giving you booze and smokes,would you not feel all grown up? When someone who gives you the booze and smokes tells the elders that your not going out in service enough and need to be spoken to, what kind of hypacrete is that?When the elders came to me ( well my parents brought them to me) they wanted to know what was going on.I told them the truth. They were not buying that. I was chalked up to being a troubled teen with not enough spritiral food brought into my life....there answer was more meetings,more service,more studying,more service,more service,bla,bla,bla,bla, and so on.My parents finally relized that some good councelling and getting the hell out of the religion that, that is what I needed. The brothers just swept it under the carpet.They just acted like I was just a juvenile looking to cause trouble in there perfect congregation,and how could I say such terrible things about there loving brothers and sisters that were just trying to guide me and lead me down a good clean christan life.BS! Is what I told them.That went over like a lead balloon.Anyways my parents got the hell out of there and we moved.I lost touch over the years with Vicki and her family till this really weird thing happened.
My husband and I were looking into becoming foster parents.In order to become foster parents, you had to attend meetings. I attended the first few myself.( my husband ia a truck driver and is not home much)The third meeting was on sexually abuse. The signs to be looking for when a child is being sexually abused.They started by handing out some stories and information that we were going to go through..The leader started reading the story aloud when I almost fell off my chair. It was the story on Victoria Boer on how she was abused by her father and the religion covered it up.It got into details about where she was raised in the Shelburne Congregation in a small town,what her father did to her,and how she decided to sue the Wacthtower.By this time I had to excuse my self from the group.I went out in the hall and continued to read the story. It had been about 18 years since I had seen Vicki but I new it had to be her.I left to go on line to see if I could find out any information with The Fifth Estate.( not knowing anything about the computer I had to get my kids to help me..lol.)I e-mailed them and explained my story.They returned it with the transcripts of the show. From that show is where I got the silent lamb web site. I then proceeded to write silent lambs my story in hopes they would get in touch with Vicki for me.Finally a fella named Bill wrote to me and told me Vicki would be in contact with me shortly.That very day Vicki e-mailed me. She was just has happy as I was to finally rekindal our frienship.We got on the phone that day and spoke for about 2 hours.....From then we have stayed in touch closely but have not gotten to see each other.Fate works in weird ways.....I justed wanted to let you folks know that what you are doing for her,with all your dedication and love you are her real family....She was a innoccent little girl, a sensitive girl and she was a good hearted person who did anything for anyone...She was always there for me when I was a kid,so the least I can do for her is stand by her side and be there for her.
My life as been a remarkable journey.(since we left the borg)The brothers and that organization told me I would never ever be happy.Well news flash,I set out to prove them wrong.I am a happy,and I did it without them..........Actually with my parents by my side all the way........I have a husband and two wonderful,healthy children.....thanks for listening to my story,and Vicki......I just wanted to tell everyone about your heart that you wore on your sleeve and I am and will be with you to the very end......Love Ya!......see ya soon.........
Michelle
mortons68
Welcome to the board