Are there any ex-missionaries here??

by fulano 80 Replies latest jw experiences

  • fulano
    fulano

    I meant $$$$$, It's 1.00 am in europe and I can now afford to drink the best whiskey.

  • Kaiser Stuhl
    Kaiser Stuhl

    fulano,

    i really don't want to say exactly where i served but it was in a different hemisphere to you and in a politically more stable but no doubt more stone-age place. I was a young man then and tough as nails. I was given some crazy assignments, long trecks through rugged jungle and mountains, and was zealous enough to nearly kill myself carrying them out. The branch overseer just pointed to an untrod area on a dark green map, I said "here i am" and they sent me ;) I say politically stable but there was a civil war when i left lol.

    I'm sorry your experience wasn't as positive as mine. But believe me, I know what "burn-out" is like. One time after two months without hearing another word of my own native tounge I just stared at the shadows on the wall for about a week (giant cockroaches mainly ;)

    Yes at least half the missionaries don't like it (it's easier with single men - we keep them amused with motor bikes and guitars) I still play a good spanish guitar but i don't have to play with motor bikes anymore.

    k.s.

    Edited by - kaiser stuhl on 26 June 2002 19:21:13

  • one
    one

    LDH

    As the WT suggested I went to where the need was greater, outside the usa, twice. Heavy responsabilities, judicial commitees etc etc. I paid all my expenses, not to be under wt control.

    Then later had a contract with the Navy to provide technical services whre the need was greater...

    Were you a missionary too or just serving at the military airpor/base?

  • Farkel
    Farkel

    Kaiser,

    : I served in one of the remotest places on earth and bear scars to prove it.

    Yeah, Kingdom Halls have a way of doing that to people!

    Farkel

  • dungbeetle
    dungbeetle

    <The spiritually minded ones are hard to find, they are few. >

    They aren't hard to find, OldHippie---they are now ex-jw's!!!!

    Spiritually minded people cannot tolerate cult-like thinking, becasue cults are essentially dead, closed systems and spiritual people are alive, growing changing.

    Sell out or get out, that's what happens with the Watchtowers of teh world.

    (((((((((((( oldhippie )))))))))))

  • unclebruce
    unclebruce

    not many kingdom halls in the PNG bush or australian outback brother Farkle .. nah musta been the brainwashers. (I was a bit like frankenstein's monster but with the screws higher up .. it's ok now i've loosened 'em up

    unclescrew loose

    ps: ain't it a bugger when yer 40 posts are up and ya gotta reveal yerself!

  • Kjell Hedblom
    Kjell Hedblom

    Hi Fulano! My memories from going to D.R. isnt that nice.Went there on a trip with my closest JW friend and stayed in Cabarete for a month in April 2000.We did go to Sosua K.H. and we went to fieldservice and most of the meetings,but between Nobody did care about us. I do think the main reason was that we did go to D.R. alone without our wifes.Our wifes didnt have any problems with us going for a holiday 1 month. My friend was told by his doctor to take a vaccation.He had been working to hard and needed a break and I was the only one that go with him.He is a Diabetic and need someone to travel with him.

    But the Sosuaconv. had no hospitality,but the brothers and sisters smiled and told us they were delighted to see us.During this month we did go to the meetings very often.I remember that there was an C.O. visiting.I think he was from Canada.We also went in to Puerto Plata one day and we did see 3 person sitting on a bench.They were missionaires.If I remember correctly 2 were from Canada and 1 from G.B. Well we did have a nice Holiday and a great tann but spiritually did we recive nothing.

    Now I am out from J.W. since 4 weeks ago( was bapthized 34 years ago at age of 16) but my lovely wife is still a JW but havent attend any meetings since my D.F. I have never been a Missionary (only fulltime pioneer) but I have study with one 1973 and 1974 with the name of Mats Kassholm (does that count,LOL)

    Anyway Fulano it has been nice to read about your innerthoughts

    Hugs from Kjell with Family

  • felix a
    felix a

    fulano,

    Your comments about the concerns of the missionaries serving in the home beiong focused on the rooms you lived in, the cars you may or may not have had and the matter of personalities all remind me of the words I heard from Redford & Glass. While serving at Bethel back in the eighties, I had what I then considered to be the privelege of auditing the Gilead lectures and your comments are just mere echoes of what I heard. I walked away from it all thinking that it was a life for anyone but me. I still have a few of my notes and handouts from Glass with the chapeter by chapter review of the bible...

    Any how, life is better on the the outside you'll find just give it some time. So welcome to the board and looking forward to hearing your story more fully.

    David P

  • fulano
    fulano

    @Kjell

    To bad you had that experience in the DR. The couple from Canada must have been the thin blond guy with a nervous wife. Well they are very unhappy. Once he told me he wanted to go back but that he was to old (44) to find a job back home, how sad!! He was removed as an elder without any clear reason and both are ignored and humilated by the branch and CO and DO's. In fact we had 3 missionary-elders who were removed and that is really hard especially when you dedicated your life to Jehovah and give your life in the hands in what you call at that moment his organization. We lived a while with a couple who both drunk more wine and gin than water on expences of the society. Than suddenly he was appointed as a CO, guess why? he had told the branchcoordinator that he would leave missionary-service. They probably were afraid of their reputation towards Brooklyn beacuse so many had left already missionary-work in a period of 2 years. So just to calm them done they gave him what he wanted: more privileges.

  • IslandWoman
    IslandWoman

    Hi Fulano,

    The Society's video on Gilead, "To the Ends of the Earth" came out in the mid '90s. I used to hope they would produce an update video on the couples they featured, letting us know how they're doing etc. But I guess from what you and others have posted it's very possible some if not many of the 95th (1993) Gilead class may not be doing too well.

    I feel very bad for those who sincerely volunteered their life to only see their efforts and work go unappreciated by the very ones who sent them there.

    Thanks so much for this thread.

    IW

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