Foreign Language congregations

Ironhead

I used to think it was good to use foreign language in the ministry as people like to here the ~~lie~~ truth in their mother tongue. I attended a foreign language congregation a few years ago, but I quickly started to hate it. On the TMS you were counselled on your laguage skills not on how good your talk was. Public talk, watchtower, tms and sm all on the same day. We use to start at 1.30pm and finish 5.45pm, not only was it a long day, but listening to talks,etc in another language for hours when you're not fluent can give you a bloodly headache! And because of the meeting time, I hardly spoke to my wife on a Sunday because we had to go on the ministry in the morning and we didn't get home until 7pm. So much for family time! During the CO visit we used to get counsel by not doing enough RVs. How could we when our language skills were limited and the householder can't speak english. When people of a particular language do come to meetings, I found they only mingled among those of there own race or culture and cliques quickly form. When you were a jw, how did you feel about foreign language congregations?

serendipity

Hi ironhead,

Ministry in the morning, meetings all afternoon- I'm exhausted just reading that. How long did you last?

Ironhead

Ministry in the morning, meetings all afternoon- I'm exhausted just reading that. How long did you last?

Two and a half years. I had to get up for work at 4am. It was a nightmare. I found that lazy pioneers found it easy as they didn't go on the ministry until 11am next morning.

IRONHEAD.

carla

And because of the meeting time, I hardly spoke to my wife on a Sunday because we had to go on the ministry in the morning and we didn't get home until 7pm. So much for family time!--- My jw says if I would just go we would have all this 'time' together! right.

BluesBrother

Once when I (some years ago ) gave a public talk in a city congo, I was slightly disturbed to see the Asian bro.s seperating for their own Watchtower study in Gujurati . It seemed like segregation to me.

The Society are big these days on the "Foreign language field" It is seen as growth area ripe for the taking. Think about it, a person is in a land, there is little contact in their mother tongue then, Knock Knock , somebody makes an effort to talk their language. Wouldn't you be impressed? They are also less likely to check things out on the net. Truly sheep for the fold (or fleecing?)

Ironhead

Good point Carla. We may have sat together at meetings but we couldn't talk. My wife and I hardly ever stop talking. There's better things to do on a Sunday.

IRONHEAD.

fullofdoubtnow

We were encouraged to learn Punjabi as there were a lot of people in our territory who had only a limited knowledge of English. I tried, but never really mastered it, though some did. However, for all the effort people put into it, the results were rather insignificant.

Forscher

Frankly,
I enjoyed most of my time in foreign language congregations. They were not quite so uptight as the English langauge congos and really knew how to party. Our meeting times were a little wierd, but not as unbearable as yours. And the congos I attended were not as demanding withy the langauge skills as your apparently was. One of the three elders in the last one I attended wasn't nearly as good atthe language as he thought he was, the way he butchered it really grated on people's ears. Our one MS couldn't even read the language understandibly, It certainly amzed me that he was made a book study conductor with his poor language skills.
I seldom got counselled on my language in the TMS. Though I did come back from the loo one time to find a rather humorous note in my seat about an inadvertent misuse of a word on my part. I found folkks generally encouraging of those who put out the effort to learn a new language, though I understand that is by no means universal in the foreign language congos.
one time I was going door to door with a CO when somebody thought they would get out of a discussion by coming to the door and speaking in another language not common to my area. Both they and the CO's mouths hit the ground when I glibly switched to the language they'd spoken in, German, and contiued with my topic. The look on their faces was rich! Thanks for making my day with the memories!
Forscher

Foreign Language congregations

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