Your first talk at the Theorcatic Ministry School, do you remember it? (page 4)

darth frosty

actually no just one hell of a coincidence.

How long were those readings, six minutes? I was twelve. Don't remember the subject...soon as I got done headed straight to the bathroom. A brother had to come and get me. I was so nervous had forgotten the MSO had to rate my performance.

Lady Lee

Well I don't recall my first talk. That had to be about 35 years ago. I guess it wasn't so momentous to me.

But when the "need was great" we moved into a new French congregation that was starting up in our area. Now, I don't speak French very much. Actually I spoke it very little. Although my mother's first language was French my father forbade her to use it in the house.

My parents separated and my mother had moved to Montreal. My grandmother, and 4 of her children who were in their teens were also living with us. They ALL spoke French. Well actually they spoke a hybrid. Start the sentence in one language and keep going until you don't know the word you want and switch to the other language.

So what I heard at ma maison was les deux languages all mixed ensemble. Add to that my 3 French uncles who hated French and who made fun of me every time I tried to speak French. And there were a whole bunch of other issues that made learning French very difficult for me.

But despite the difficulties in learning to speak the language I could read it and actually had a pretty good ability to pronouce the words correctly.

Well we got into this French cong and I was assigned my first talk. And I got up and did a pretty good job of reading it off my notes.

Well. After the talk one of the elder's wives comes over and starts yelling at me. She just ripped me up one side and down the other in front of everybody. It's something I will never forget.

Wanna know what she was so angry about?

She thought I had lied to her when I said I didn't speak French. It seems I had done such a great job of reading my notes that she actually believed I had lied and just didn't want to talk to her.

Well after that you can bet I didn't want to talk to her. But I stood they and tried to explain my reading skills and lack of listening skills. I doubt she ever understood.

And I have to say after all my years in the JWs she was the only elder's wife I really did not like. She was never a humble servant. Ever! And she pretty much treated everyone like dirt.

Years later I learned she could speak English very well but refused to do so expecting others to speak French.

BluesBrother

Bible Reading, 2 Samuel chapter 18 - year? too long ago to remember but I was just big enough to see over the table on which I rested my old volume of the NWT that had just the books around Samuel in it. [ you have to be old to remember those]

The reading was about Absalom rebelling, being chased, catching his head in a big tree and hanging suspended until Joab killed him. I thought it was funny and had to stop myself giggling. The overseer sat on stage to give me support although I faced the audience. No mikes in that little hall , you had to "project your voice"

The start of a long attachment to the 'School' . It taught me how to address an audience and gave me some confidence among strangers so I hold it as one of the benefits of an otherwise wasted youth.

aarque

I was about 14 years old. I don't remember the talk itself, I don't remember who the householder was. I do remember throwing up in the bathroom beforehand.

LDH

Politically N2 and Lady Lee, great stories. PN I'd like to hear more about the home schooling, maybe you could start a thread?

I had been on the stage for so long as the 'householder' that I really don't remember the one where I was giving the talk itself.

However, one experience stands out in my mind. I was lucky enough to belong to a family who put a ton of effort into making the talks themselves interesting. Do you remember the dumb ass "Setting" remark, where you had to tell what the setting of the supposed talk was? Lord Ham Mercy. My family had a field day with that one!

When I was about 14 my mother was assigned a talk based on 'predestination.' Do you wanna know what I had to do? The talk was in the second hall (library) and I had a dust cloth and I was pretending to dust the books while loudly singing "Que Sera, Sera" ("whatever will be, will be) while my mother rushed in to show me the error of my ways of singing such a worldly song and kindly shared with me references from the library.

L-O-freaking-L.

You can barf now.

Lisa

Pledge Class

PoliticallyNeutered2

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert. The stuff in this email could be false. If you use it, use it at your own risk. Also, since about 7/05, I've earnestly tried to keep my large-scale internet presence politically/religiously neutral. Stepping on big toes with such new and powerful technology seems highly incautious in my case.

From LDH:
"Politically N2 and Lady Lee, great stories. PN I'd like to hear more about the home schooling, maybe you could start a thread?"

Thanks. :) The "story" was just a collection of couple of facts; but, I'm glad that you enjoyed them. :)

What would you like to know about the home-schooling? Unfortunately, that is a controversial political topic too. It has involved extensive legal battles. I've recently begun to learn that it is difficult to try to communicate "neutrally." :( However, if you just want to know a few things about my personal experiences with it, I suppose that couldn't step too much on big toes. :)

So, more specifically, what might you like to know? :)

Thanks again. :)

Peppermint

I can so remember my first talk it was in the little hall with about 6 in attendance. I was a nervous wreck.

JH

I was a nervous wreck.

Jankyn

Hee hee...LDH, that "Que Sera, Sera" story is a hoot! We had some uber-JWs who went on and on about that song being unTheocratic, but my elderette aunt loved Doris Day so much that we got to listen to it anyway.

Like you, I was onstage from about age two--in demonstrations and sisters' talks, because I could be counted on to remember my lines. Yes, if the fates were kind, I'd be an Oscar-winner by now.

But my first talk was cool. It was on "Ants," with material from the first Aid book (the skinny one that came before the big thick one and only had like three letters of the alphabet in it). I think I was about 8 or 9? can anyone remember when that book first came out? And my elderette aunt was my householder. My setting included my little brother's ant farm. How cool. I got lots of props from the congregration, and they applauded. Of course, this was before my dad was disfellowshipped (which makes me think it was 1968 and I was 8)--after that, I didn't get much in the way of positive feedback from those folks.

Jankyn, who later grew to prefer sharks to ants (see LDH's thread on preaching to school teachers)

Your first talk at the Theorcatic Ministry School, do you remember it?