Did you feel guilty for not pioneering? (page 3)

creativhoney

Thank goodness no, i got an education. Obviously the worldly philosophies took me away from the truth..

When I was younger I felt guilty for not doing more I pioneer for a bit over 2 years. When I came back I felt a bit guilty but I figure I was doing plenty for the congregation which to me was just an important when I visit brothers in the hostital even if I could not inform it I felt it was just as important.

I force my wife to become a pioneer she keep pioneering until she found out TTATT.

Now I was was doing territories and the service overseer who was pioneering at that time kept doing census on many of the territories. Even though I thought it was great that he would do it he would give me a mess to clean up. He had to move from the area because he had been out of work for a year that is why he was pioneering. Well when he left gave game me a ton of papers this was around October.

Well in all that mess he gave there was a sheet with the total hours for every single publisher at the hall. Out of 12 pioneers only two retired systers did over 700 hours. A few others in the low 600s. The rest on the 400-500 range. And there were 3 others on the 300-400. The lowest numbers came from an elder and his wife, both pioneers but were doing nowhere what they sign up for.

I though what a bunch of hypocrites. But the elders had a lot to say about that since they encourage them to continue even if they where not doing their time.

I also found annoying that if you are involved RBC the publishers could not count their time spend doing RBC projects but the pioneers could and were encourage to join RBC because they could count their time.

I would see sisters from other congregations come to the contrustions projects and all they did was gossip and entire time they where there. They pioneer and belong to RBC so could easily count that time.

bigmac

pioneering was so easy--i got conned into it at the big assembliesc as a teenager----just meant hours spent in coffee bars--snooker halls--even a 10 pin bowling alley. if we needed a bit of money--we went out and flogged a load of watchtower and awake mags--we actually sold them in those days.

total waste of time--miss-spent youth.

this was 50 years ago.

sd-7

Not really. "Pioneer" does not appear in the Bible. It seemed to me that God would understand our fierce need to eat and would realize that nobody was going to give us food despite what the Yearbook stories claim. I also understood that Jesus said to make disciples, not to be pioneers. As long as you're doing that, or trying to, I figured I was covered. If God didn't accept me because I did 10 hours instead of 20 or 40 or etc., but he accepted this pioneer who was making filthy jokes and gossiping all the time, well, then what was the point?

I couldn't help but notice that the people telling us to 'do more' (ie. circuit overseers) were getting free meals from the congregation and driving cars better than mine. That said, I simply ignored them.

I'll always remember this one pioneer who was just visiting, mind you--I'd just met her for the first time. And she needed a ride home, she was related to a guy I was acquainted with and visiting him. So it happened to come up that I was still living at home, and she suddenly got this nasty attitude in her voice and asked, "Well are you pioneering?" It was all I could do not to strongly encourage her to walk the rest of the way home. I guess she's of that Society-sanctioned school of thought (at least I've read in the KM from the 70s of an experience like this, they might not be comfortable stating it flat out that way nowadays) that people should get kicked out of their parents' home if they're pioneering at the age of 18.

But mostly, I just wanted time to myself, to be able to get some rest instead of burning myself out trying to work to provide for myself and do that at the same time. I did originally have that as my goal once I got out of high school. Luckily I was encouraged towards college by mentors at school and didn't get too much opposition at home. I would've missed so much if I'd been stuck pioneering. On the plus side, I now realize I wouldn't have qualified anyway, with the mat-sturbation and all. I did actually get rejected when I applied to be an auxiliary pioneer because of that, now that I remember it. I can remember the COBOE explaining that to me at the KH during a song, got pulled into the back room, I think. So I could do the hours but just not get my name read from the platform. All guts, no glory. That would be kind of pointless in an organization like that one...

--sd-7

besunny

yes I did feel a guilty because every assembly would always have a talk about why are you not pioneering,and I did Aux. from time to time,,but I also got my nursing degree and worked as well,,thank god,because the pioneer brother that I married was a abusive,typical know it all,and I had to support my kids and myself when I left him,,,thank god I got some education instead of wasteing my time pioneering

everchangingworld

Guilt was probably one of the reasons I stayed pioneering for so, sooo long. But, looking back, I can admit that I thought I was having a great time.

Everytime I had a great day (most of the time because of the social aspect since I had a few friends with a good sense of humour in our cong), it served as confirmation for me that Jeh. was blessing this work, blah blah. Whenever I had a bad day, hated service, it was confirmation that I was "slipping" spiritually, had to beef up my spiritual routine. Whenever I had a bad day at work, it was confirmation that the "world" was empty and had nothing to offer. Good day at work? Well that was Satan trying to trick me that the world had something to offer. And so I got stuck in the cycle.

When I hated service enough, and read enough articles about how super happy all the people that move where the need is great are, I figured that was my ticket to true happiness. The same cycle happened there. Some really fun days because of the adventure of being in a new culture was confirmation of Jeh's blessing, the bad days were because of this "system", and it continued until I woke up.

notjustyet

I auxed 2 times, first time it was the last day of the month and night time and I still needed 1.5 hours to get in. I was watching tv and saw one of those religious shows where there is a bank of people to accept your call for prayer. I called in and spent the next 1.5 hours witnessing to the person on the phone.

They did not even have a bible with them thought that was ironic.

The next time I only got 1.5 hours that month. I was short 58.5 hours and that was the last time I signed up.

NJY

Did you feel guilty for not pioneering?