Saturday Encounter on the Street

OnTheWayOut

Complicated story, but I will make it easy.

My dad had surgery on Friday. He lives 2.5 hours away and the hospital was another .5 hours from that. I wasn't able to make it out there on Friday as I had to work Friday night. So I told the wife we would drive out on Saturday, spend the night at Dad's home and see him on Saturday and Sunday.

Just as my plans were solidified, my sister told me that her foodstamps still hadn't come- some government snafu. My sister is a total invalid from her illness and her husband cares for her. They are on public aid and no foodstamps pretty much means no food. (Don't sidetrack the thread to discuss this, it is not the subject.) I told the wife we would go to the store and buy groceries for my sister on our way out of town. So we did that.

Arriving at my sister's apartment building, we hop out of the car. Jehovah's Witnesses are working the street. My wife sees 4 "sisters" and instead of grabbing any grocery bags, she beelines it right over to the ladies. I am certain that we never met these ladies. I grab all the food bags and walk over to the courtyard of my sister's building. I stand and wait for my wife, figuring she will be over in a minute or two. I mean afterall, she knows we have to deliver the food and embark on our 3 hour drive. She doesn't come over, but continues talking to the JW ladies. I gave up and went on to the apartment.

My sister lives in the low rent district. The building's entrance buzzer doesn't work. I could call on the phone to let my brother-in-law (BIL) know I am here, or I could knock on the window. (She's on the first floor because of the wheelchair.) I call and BIL comes out to grab some bags. We go inside. About 10 minutes pass before the wife finally calls my cell phone. I open the apartment door and I can see her through the glass hallway entrance door. I step out and open the door. She says "They are looking for their friend." I am a bit confused, but figure she means the JW ladies are looking for someone around here and my wife was trying to help. (I have no idea how she could help, as she doesn't know people in the area.) Anyway, I start to close the door on her again and I said "Let me know when you are actually ready to come in."

She says "I am ready now." She puts her hand in the door and still stands there holding the door open. I have stepped back into the apartment. Next, two of the JW ladies come in the door and go up the stairs toward the rest of the apartments. My wife walks in after them and comes into my sister's apartment. So I say it right away- "You just used me to allow the Witnesses in the building to knock on all the doors." She says, "No, they are trying to locate their friend and the buzzer doesn't work." I ask, "Is their friend in this part of the building?" She kind of ducks the question with a half-hearted "I am not sure." Well, my BIL heard our discourse so he goes up the stairs and tells them to leave the building. They don't argue one bit but leave.

Okay, so I said something right away to let her know I wasn't pleased being used. I have to spend the entire weekend in close quarters with my wife, so I decide to not mention this again. I voiced my displeasure. What I wanted to say was, "Suppose your co-workers used you to bring someone at work to a surprise birthday party? How would that make you feel as a JW that thinks birthday cake is from the devil? What if your loving husband did that, knowing how you feel? Because that's what you did to me."

Oh, Dad is okay. He went home on Monday, but will be recovering for a couple of months.

jamiebowers

What I wanted to say was, "Suppose your co-workers used you to bring someone at work to a surprise birthday party? How would that make you feel as a JW that thinks birthday cake is from the

devil? What if your loving husband did that, knowing how you feel? Because that's what you did to me."

That's what she deserved. Shame on her for using theocratic warfare AKA: lying.

Glad t hear your dad is ok.

blondie

OTWO, I'm sure they wouldn't argue with your BIL.

Shame on your wife letting those women into a building intended to be safer keeping nonresidents out. In my hometown, you can and will be arrested for doing that. 2 jw men were and had to pay a hefty fine. The WTS left them hanging. Those women could do what jws have to do around here to "work" those buildings, write letters or make phone calls, to "save" them. You might remind your wife that is not necessary to break the law and violate people's safety to "preach" to them.

See you soon. I'm looking forward to seeing the MOVIE...........

Get well to your father.

isaacaustin

You handled that well. If you did not have to be away for the weekend as you were to be I would have made that comment on birthdays, qulaifying of course that this view on birthdays is the JW view.

chickpea

glad on two counts

1) that your dad is on the mend...
2) that you were firm but not overbearing
in letting your wife see how unloving her
actions were to you... definition of gracious!

undercover

Glad your dad is okay...that's the main thing. Your sister is fortunate to have a brother who can help in times of need.

Those are the main things to focus on. You're a good son and brother. You're obviously a good husband as well.

I'm also sure your wife is a fine person...or you wouldn't work so hard to keep the relationship intact. This was an instance of where the cult mentality took over and allowed her to do something that she probably wouldn't have done otherwise. Sometimes we just have to bite our tongues in these type of deals. I'm glad you chose to vent with us instead of arguing about it in the car for 3 hours.

Another thing stood out to me...something that becomes obvious once you're out looking in: here were JWs working the street in an obviously distressed part of town. They're selling hope...hope in the future for better times, yet there are people in distress now. They don't need hope for the future, they need food now. Do JWs ever do any kind of charity work to help the needy and sick...even in their own congregations? No, they're selling magazines and a pipe dream that will never come true.

Your wife didn't see it, the JW ladies didn't see it, but if Jesus did/does exist, or if Karma is real, you exhibited the charity and works that befit Christianity or result in good Karma. And if they don't exist, then you can know that you did the right thing to help people now. You don't talk a good story, you provide good works.

OnTheWayOut

You guys get it. You know how to respond. Thanks.

UC, your "distress now" analogy really perks up my day. Thanks.

blondie

*** km 9/96 p. 6 par. 33 Preach the Good News Everywhere ***If not permitted to witness personally to the tenants of high-security apartments in the congregation’s territory, some have made a practice of witnessing tactfully to the security guards on duty or to the managers in the rental offices. The same method is used in private, gated communities. A circuit overseer and a few publishers visited seven apartment complexes in this way. In each case, they told the manager that although they are not permitted to call at the apartments in our usual way, they did not want him to miss the information in the latest journals. Managers at all seven complexes gladly accepted the magazines and asked for the next issues as well! The residents of such complexes are then contacted by telephone.

See those jw women could have contacted them and obeyed the WTS in the process. There is no need to disobey the security regulations of a building. It seems that this neighborhood needs those security arrangements even more than other areas (FYI for your wife)

When I was a jw going from d2d, I never tried to circumvent this security arrangement. Just once early in my career I did with another sister only to have them chase us out and call the police. Even when you ring the bell, the congregation I was last in said that even if one person let you in, you talked to them and then went outside and rang the next bell.

Room 215

Interesting, Blondie... to me it's just another example of how the WT has morphed. In the old "blood and thunder" days, we were encouraged to use any ruse to gain entrance to private aprtment houses, etc. .... now that the Society has huge assets to protect, they've become pretty timid. The legal department has done all it can to distance itself from the local JWs.

Saturday Encounter on the Street

Share this