Be Honest: Did You ACTUALLY Report Accurate Field Service Time?

by minimus 80 Replies latest jw friends

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  james_woods

  I can honestly report that all the time I was a pioneer, I did not ever see even one circuit overseer who did not play all the "fs time games" that have been mentioned here on all the other time-cheating threads.

  One obvious way was jumping out to "start your time" right down the street from the KH, and then driving off for miles into the rurals before hitting another door. Same thing in reverse after the drive back. Another was loading up as many people as the car would hold and having all of them cool heels while one or two did "return visits".

  Long after I was out of the JW, and unrecognized in another town, I listened in amazement as a Circuit Overseer sat and gossiped during a field service break with about 5 or 6 witness sisters for the best part of an hour in some restaurant. He was going on and on about what new printing presses they were getting at bethel, kingdom farm, etc etc etc...
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  JH

  Back in Jesus time, they didn't have sophisticated clocks or watches, so I used the same way of calculating time that they did, which could explain a difference in a few hours per month...
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  minimus

  James, it became an art to S T R E T C H your time in service. Elders and COs are most "qualified" for this work.
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  John Doe

  Yes. To lie about field service time would have completely undermined the reason I was there in the first place. And no, I don't think I was pathetic for being honest.
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  minimus

  John, I take it that you were a fine example too.
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  undercover

  I fudged my numbers...but was sneaky about it. I triedt to keep my average at 10. But sometimes I would report 7 or 8 and then the next month I'd report 12 or 13 to bring the average back up.

  If I had to be completely honest about it, I'd have to estimate my true average about 6 or 7.

  Not only was I deluding the WTS, I was deluding myself. I always rationalized my bookkeeping somehow. I wouldn't subtract break stoppage like we were supposed to because we didn't take more than 30 minutes. I'd start my time on the way to the hall because I would leave a tract at the gas station or convenience store. We spent more time riding around looking for an old RV("I swear, I thought it was right here down this road...maybe it's the next street") than we did door to door.

  I started naming my RVs Elsie...'cause I was milkin' em like a cow.
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  minimus

  Undercover, you bring back memories..... And the Watchtower tells people how life saving their work is! BULL!
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  John Doe

  John, I take it that you were a fine example too.

  I've not been a fine example of much in my life, aside from my honesty, perhaps. I usually only had 1 to 2 hours per month, and the most ever was 9 if I recall. ;-)
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  The Lone Ranger

  When I started full time pioneering, I tried to accurately report my time, but I found it very hard, so I used to just round it off, but I found that I couldn’t visit even the sick and aging because I couldn’t count my time, and some of the self-righteousness ones would really shove this in your face, if you went into a shop for a chocolate bar or a coffee they would keeping telling me “you can’t count your time”, finally I got sick of this, I continued to visit and the old and sick and they really appreciated it too, and I would just put in the report whatever time was necessary, I think it was 80 hours for a full time pioneer then, it’s only 70 now, and 50 for an auxiliary pioneer.
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  minimus

  Well John, it was like the widow's mite.