ZIMBABWE BETHEL ON IT'S LAST LEG, BETHEL GETTING CUTS. . . Email making the rounds.

by whereami 14 Replies latest jw friends

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  whereami

  And we sometimes think we have issues here... OH JEHOVAH HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL YOU'RE VINDICATED. HOW SAD. Remembering our brothers in Zimbabwe. . . In a meeting where Brother Losch of the governing body was fielding questions from the friends gathered. I asked about Zimbabwe and if we've stopped building Kingdom Halls there. I mentioned that I read Zimbabwe printed a 50 billion dollar note and that we've stopped building Halls. He confirmed that we had to stop. He said, 'we put $5,000 in a bank in the morning and by night it's worth 50 cents!" He said the friends are existing on one meal a day, sometimes less. They are starving. The one meal is just sustenance. Neighboring brothers are trucking in grain as fast as they can. Subject: Zimbabwe Keep scrolling....... Greetings, We received this news letter from a brother in the Zimbabwe Bethel:Hi to you all, Zimbabwe is going through a very difficult time. We have just heard that the branch has had to release 24 brothers from Bethel . That will bring the Bethel family down to about 60 odd. Some will go into the special pioneer work and others back to supporting a local congregation. That is seven married couples and ten single brothers. Others may be asked to leave if the economic situation does not improve. The branch has also had to cut back on a large number of special pioneers. So far this does not include me....!!! Additionally the whole Kingdom Hall building programme has stopped and all construction brothers sent home. So far the programme has built about 450 new Kingdom Halls for about 530 congregations under this assistance to&NB sp;countries with limited resources programme. The reason for all this is the deplorable economic situation that the country and branch has to work under. Our inflation is so high that by the time money comes in to the country, goes through the banking System and goes out to be used it has lost its value. At present US $1.00 is sitting at Z$100 billion. It will be worse this afternoon..!! So you may think, for example, that you are going to receive the equivalent of US$10. By the time you actually get it the value has dropped to a few cents. We can only draw Z$100 billion a day in cash if the banks have cash. Cheques and swipe cards are limited. We have not had bread in months. Fuel is scarcely available but only in foreign money. No mealie meal, th e basic food item for the locals, no sugar, flour, salt, cooking oil, etc. Electricity and water are often off for long periods. Some areas for months and months. So it is all very trying. The whole country is on its knees and the politicians do nothing to help. But then this is Satan's system. On the positive side. We had our Kingdom Hall dedicated on Saturday. 239 came from the two congregations that will use it. One English and one Shona. The Hall itself was a major effort. The site is on clay soil and so we had to go down with eleven reinforced concrete pillars about three metres. It took as long to build our Hall as it took the brothers to build our new Assembly Hall. 15 months.....!! Just had a new peak of over 33,000 which is very encouraging as about five million have left the country for greener pastures in Europe, America , Australia and South Africa due to the problems here.. So a peak in publishers is welcome news. Just came back from doing some rural witnessing today. We have not been out to our calls in the rural area of our territory due to the political intimidations that have been going on with the elections. Many brothers have had a very difficult time and some loosing everything. Typica l of Satan. The brothers warned us not to go out there. But today it was quiet and we were very well received. The Truth is still good here. Sadly we may have to leave before the year is out as we can no longer manage economically and medically. The three of us will move to England . The Medical Aid Societies, we have been relying on to assist with medical expenses, have collapsed. Along with most other institutions. It has been so sad to see such a beautiful country go down the drain......but then the whole world will be following suit. But we are well. Amali a had a cold and cough but now coming out of that. So keep all the brothers here in your prayers, they need them. We will continue to fight the fine fight. Your faithfulness is such an encouragement to us
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  Gregor

  Bethel staff is being cut because they don't have any money to feed/house them. Meanwhile in Brooklyn they are setting on billions. I thought the guiding principle was to gather the sheep before the end? Sounds like Zimbabwe is a prime place to find people who seem to accept the "truth" readily. Are we to understand that the WTS has set a financial cost/return criteria to their soul saving mission? Armageddon is nigh! Why horde money that will be useless? They boast about how determined they are to get the word behind the Iron and Bamboo curtain, etc. Something is wrong with this picture.
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  Gayle

  2008 JW Annual Report showed a -3% in Zimbabwe. With the downsizing of the Bethel there, the morale may drop additional. It is sad the condition there in that country. The Watchtower may have provided a quick fix dream for the people there but won't be able to help in any long term reality. I don't see how any JW organization can prosper for any length of time for such third-world countries.
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  whereami,

  How current is this? I thought this had been posted by someone several months ago.
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  whereami

  It's funny when you get apologists on here saying "it's not about the money". But this is a perfect example of when financial pressure is put on the "org" it does what it needs to do to survive financially. Screw the poor brothers lets cut our losses and get out. Holy spirit be damned!!!!
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  whereami

  Billy, i just got this a few days ago. I really don't know if this is old or not. Either way it's very telling.
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  Gorbatchov

  It is true. Brooklyn has $$$ and Africa has nothing. I know the situation in other country's there. The don't give a d...n about them.

  They speak but do not act.

  Gorbatchov
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  hamsterbait

  The conversion of money to ZZ dough is so bad now it is WORSE than in Germany in the 20s, where people ran to the shops with wheel barrows of money to buy food before it devalued again.

  I think it is unreasonable to criticise the WT for refusing to pour cash down the toilet.

  At the same time I actually hurt for the witnesses in Zimbabwe who must think the Great Tribulation has already started.

  Even sending money over there is futile.

  Until the people are sooo desperate that it is death or fight to the death for their very life, it will just drone on.

  The tipping point will come. Of course Zinbabwe has no oil... hence no intervention.

  HB
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  blondie

  I found this post on another site from 10-3-2008.

  http://stuffofinteresttojws.blogspot.com/2008/10/fwd-letter-from-zimbabwe.html

  Posted 9-27-08

  http://governingbodyletters.blogspot.com/2008/09/from-brother-in-zimbabwe-bethel.html
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  truthsetsonefree

  Expect to see real problems like this more often as WT's fiscal problems grow.