Data Dog ,you make some good points. If the WTBT$ has no problem disolving congs and selling off their paid for KH's in the US, how much easier would it be to do in other less "important" countries? The Watchtower has become a machine which rolls right over anything or anyone not expressly serving THEIR purpose.
What is happening in Mexico?
by ILoveTTATT 49 Replies latest jw friends
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ILoveTTATT
They are able to live a much grander lifestyle and probably seem very materialistic to the local brothers
The area of Mexico where I used to be... the "native-english" brothers almost all lived in a resort and were retired. One of them had a very nice truck, iPhone, lots of stuff, and his "knocking rock" was actually a $100 peso coin!! (around 8 dollars)...
My first thought was: Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND? Going to the poorest areas of the city, in your flashy car, with your flashy phone, and with a $100 peso coin as your "knocking rock"? And then you preach "having a simple eye"??!?!
The Mexican brothers usually went there to hide from the Spanish congregations. It was well known that the English halls were a lot more "open-minded"....
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ILoveTTATT
The main problem is that many of these English congregations in Mexico don't need to exist in the first place. Some of them may have 50 people attending, and every single one of them speaks Spanish fluently. Or the only ones that don't shipped themselves in to 'serve where the need is great.' Problem is, there are practically zero native English speakers in their territory. Outside of a few retirement spots and resort areas, there are very few native English speakers in Mexico.
Just about all of these congregations exist due to an artificial 'need' that a few local witnesses (or transplants) have dreamed up.
True, most of the "new recruits" speak Spanish fluently. There are many reasons for them to be in an English hall, many of them are there because it's "cooler" to be in an English hall... many of the new recruits are the richest of Mexicans (if you speak English, you generally increase your life opportunities 10-fold).
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Simon Morley
When I was "active" there were many who went to Mexico from Canada. One couple went for 6 months and had a housekeeper!! I would find every opportunity to get a dig in by saying: "It must be great to go where there is no need" I went down to Carmen De Playa for an actual vacation and watched from my balcony one morning as two pioneer sisters from our congreation strolled along the beach for 20 minutes with a bible in their hands and then came back, disrobed on the beach and caught the sun and local talent for th rest of the day. I bumped into the later that evening and they just had to tell me about their "big day in service" and all the RV's they had!! English speaking dubs in Mexico are there for purely selfish reasons - the Mexican dubs seem to have a very good handle on the locals and even the few english they engage.
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steve2
There is a theme here of comparatively rich Americans waltzing into Mexico with poor awareness of how their taken-for-granted greater wealth than the locals is perceived. It's not just Americans who are guilty of this swan-like insensitivity - I've seen it here in New Zealand where witnesses from wealthier suburbs splash their wealth as they go door-knocking in poorer areas. Kind of like peacocks riding in and out of the dump on fast wheels. The interesting thing is those JWs appear to have little, if any self-awareness of their displays of (relative wealth). Call me picky, but I guess I would have expected more awareness and humility among a people who are so critical of Christendom's displays of wealth and who claim to be doing a life-saving work. No, when the scales drop, you realize these sorry-ar*ed door-knockers are as self-absorbed as anyone else in this "wicked" world. It puts a whole different spin on going to serve where the need is greater!
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krejames
I suspect what is happening to the English congregations in Mexico is the same as is happening to foreign language congregations in most countries. They are trying to get them to integrate with the native speakers. Many foreign language congs and groups in the UK have been dissolved, and the ones left now have the same CO as the english language congs in their circuit. I know it's the same in Italy too.
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Diest
My guess would be that many people have moved out of Mexico due to the ongoing termoil in the North. I know that my worldly grandparents are not going to the Baja, where they own homes, due to the violence.
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ILoveTTATT
I suspect what is happening to the English congregations in Mexico is the same as is happening to foreign language congregations in most countries. They are trying to get them to integrate with the native speakers. Many foreign language congs and groups in the UK have been dissolved, and the ones left now have the same CO as the english language congs in their circuit. I know it's the same in Italy too.
Wait... so this is happening in other countries too? Since when? What languages are being affected?
Are the languages being affected the "joke" ones? (Don't mean to offend anyone, but English in Mexico is a joke)....
What about, for example, Spanish in the US? Dissolving that would be quite the blow to the Society's coffers...
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krejames
Yeah the Chinese congregations in the UK got culled quite drastically in the UK a few years back. Mind you there's an Italian congregation in the next town that is big and established and has survived. They all do now have the same COs as the English congregations, though. I also heard from Italian friends Back around 2010 that a lot of the foreign language congregations there were written off in Italy.
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ILoveTTATT
But the big question is WHY? Do the foreign-language congs end up being totally different from the "regular" congs? I doubt it's for money, unless for some reason the foreign-language groups are money-suckers...
It doesn't make sense...
Something interesting that I think is worth mentioning: My friend said that he had not noticed much of the more recent articles because he was so distraught by the fact that his congregation is going to be axed...
So... maybe it's a smokescreen?
idk...