by Open mind 35 Replies latest jw experiences
I know someone that killed a householders dog out in service. It was a little ankle biter and he held up his foot to keep it away as it was attacking. The dog ran into his sole chest first at full tilt and died instantly. I wasn't there so I don't know what the householder's reaction was, but I bet it wasn't one of admiration seeing a large, ogreish boy with an IQ of about 80 saying "uhh I killed yer dawg" in his thick Georgia accent.
I would have beat the sh** out of that idiot.
Man it sure sounds like you and I have been out in field svc together. Ha, ha. I grew up in the 4 corners area. If you came up to the houses like you owned the place, like they do here in california, you might get yourself shot. The dogs would probably eat you, or goats would climb all over your car. We also worked the Indian reservations in the area . You had better use common sense or else suffer some problems. When we worked territory here in california I was amazed how stupid the witnesses were and impolite. The experience you had with driving right up to the front door , where you could look in the door and see the whites of the eyes of the homeowner, and then everybody would argue who was going to get out. has happened to me several times. I would just go ahead and get out and take it myself .
Where I grew up it was considered polite to go to the back door in the country. Hardly anyone used the front door.
You got me to remembering a lot of funny and interesting times from where I grew up. I think that is what kept me sane with the witnessing work. The rest of the time in svc was just miserable crap.
Thanks for that, OM. LOL!
I, too, have worked in G-d's country. I used to work with a pioneer sister who was right next to fearless, very thorough. She drove me up to a remote shack one day, and it was my turn to go to the door. When I got to the door, I heard a full scale, loud, potential violent domestic megabattle in progress. I did not knock (very rare for me) and hightailed it back to the car. I explained the situation, and she, very wisely, did a quick U-turn and got the h*** out of there!
Another time, she drove down a winding driveway about 3 miles long (no hyperbole), and we ended up at a tiny, one-room moonshine shack. I knocked, but to my eternal relief, no one answered.
Lordy, I love city life!
Regards,
SandraC
One time out in "God's Country", we pulled up to a trailer in the middle of nowhere. I was glad no one was home because I imagine they would have come out with a gun since they used marijuana as a nice border plant in their flower beds. Since I grew up in the middle of moonshine country....we had many a gun escorts off the premises with the recommendation to forget that we found that road. Nothing like the "good ole days" of door-to-door torture.
I went with a brother (pardon the JW speak) to a door with a rooster.
He kicked the crap out of that rooster. When the householder came, the brother said the man should keep his rooster locked up.
The householders answer was something to the effect of liking the rooster better than unexpected visitors.
You all just reminded me of my favorite rural tragicomedy. Five of us were wedged into a Toyota Corona. Pio bro and sis in the front, 3 of us auxiliary types in the back. As we pulled down a long driveway, a big collie dog came out barking and yapping and snapping at the tires. The pio bro slowed down but relentlessly kept heading for the sheep target. As we neared the house, the faithful protector collie got too close to the car and pio bro and Corona ran over Lassie! Oops! Now pio bro is about to get sick from hurting Lassie. Pio wife is yelling at pio bro and crying. Lassie is wailing and yelping. Woman of the house and her teenage son come out to see what the fuss is about. WOTH doesn't drive, and teen can't go to vet alone. Problem is, though, that the Corona is already filled with 5 witlesses trying to save the lives of the householders (sorry if we kill some pets along the road to salvation). So the brilliant solution was to drive all the way back to town and possible salvation for the dog, about ten miles or so, with the teenager holding pain-wracked Lassie in his arms in the TRUNK of the Corona! Imagine the scene: the ashen driver wants to die from guilt and pain, his wife loudly crying, yelling, etc. The boy in the trunk with Lassie gets repeatedly hit on the head by the bouncing trunk lid as we maneuver the bumpy and twisty rural roads. As horrible as this sounds, we 3 auxiliary types in the back seat, stuck between the tragicomedy in the trunk and the crying in the front, got our funny bones in a knot and couldn't stop laughing. We couldn't even look at each other without bursting out. It was terrible for all involved -- especially poor Lassie. Years later, I've forgotten whether or not the dog survived. Somehow I do remember, though, that the pioneer's paying for the vet bills wasn't enough to make Lassie's family decide to become witlesses.
Anyone ever go to the door with someone who peeked in the windows thinking no one was home and then made comments about which house she wanted after Armageddon? I always wondered if the people were home and avoiding our annoying knocks. Anyway, there were a couple of sisters here in rural Washington that even were so bold to wander around to the backs of houses and peek in the windows. And they weren't soft spoken ladies...quite loud. Always made me nervous it did.
Mrs R
This dredged up a memory.... my turn.
Outside of Philadelphia, PA.... Collingsdale I think.... I was working with the local pioneer dude that everyone worshipped. I was maybe 10 or 11.... we go door to door all morning, doing our thing. It was my turn, I ring the bell. No answer.... the pioneer opens the screen door and beats on the door hard. We hear a lady say she is coming, to hold our hourses. She opens the door, she is maybe 85 or 90... skinny and frail, you know the skeletons-with-skin-type. I do my thing perfectly, and she says ok, she had to go get her purse. We are waiting, and hear a THUMP, then a scream with some moans. He asked if everything was ok, she screams some more. We go inside the house, there she is laying on the floor still screaming. He called whoever you called then for an ambulance (pre-911 service) and by the time they got there, she was dead. I knew she quit screaming and I was glad.... I figured she fainted or something.
And you guessed it.... after all of the hubbub was over with, we went on and finished the block.
Animal
bad attitude - that is one of the funniest stories I have ever read about field service - in fact these are all funny! I'm a city girl, don't have anything comparable except for getting picked up by Navy security when we did service in Navy housing. One woman and a whole van of kids, a real threat to the US Navy!
Here in Missouri, we got around problems with dogs by carrying those dog zappers that you use when you are training dogs. Emits a high pitched noise that only dogs could hear. I think that it was on the list of supplies for Field Service. They would roll the window down, push the button, the dog would run for its life and then take the door. always keeping the zapper in their pockets in case the dog came back for more. :).. the good old days.. I do not miss them at all!
