Hi All!
I haven't had much opportunity to be on here lately, except from my phone, which I can't post from. But I have actually had chance to sit down at the computer and I wanted to share something.
So my sister has joined a foreign language group. A few weeks ago, a letter was read to their group, inviting all who are serving in this language to go to Isreal for a special campaign to witness to a small minority of Jews there who speak this language. My sister of course signed up, and was accepted along with several others in the group. Now the Canadian government runs a website which has travel advisories for all countries around the world. The travel advisories for the 2 areas which her group is assigned to are "Avoid all non essential travel", and "avoid all travel"; The reasons being that conditions could deteriortate rapidly without notice, rockets and mortars have been fired into those cities as recently October 2011, and an increase in the level of military activity in the area in March 2012. I'd really like to know what idiot at the top okayed this campaign!
Anyways I messaged my sister about this. Here is our conversation over text:
Me: Uh, have you read the Canadian govt's travel advisory? IE - Avoind all non essential travel? Avoid ALL travel for ********* area
Sis: Really?
Me: Yeah, google "Isreal travel advisory". The Canadian govt has a website with travel advisories for every country. The only semi-safe area is near Jerusalem. Its too unstable there. The north bordering ******* where you have been assigned - they say avoid non essential travel. Region surrounding the Gaza strip - avoid ALL travel.
Sis: Lol oh well
Me: What do you mean oh well!?!
Sis: That's alright
Me: Not really ... you're going to a place that's already unstable and volatile where the situation could change rapidly and talk religion of all things??
Sis: Jehovah will protect us.
Me: Pretty sure the Bros and Sis in Rawanda who were raped and tortured and mutilated and murdered thought so too. I heard the yearbook was a delightful read this year.
Sis: This is essential travel. Could be their last chance before Armageddon. And we're all in groups - we'll be fine.
Me: So if you die in a rocket attack from Lebanon (which is something the government warns about), it will be worth it because a ******* speaking Jew will have been given a watchtower mag?
Sis: Yeah :)
So I got pretty angry at this point. The level of brainwashing is astounding.
The GB is risking my sister's life and others, for the extremely remote chance that their work will have any affect whatsoever. Maybe they're just looking for a story for a paragraph in the yearbook.
Anyways it looks like I won't be able to talk my sister out of going, which is extremely frustrating!