I pioneered for over 17 years. I sincerely thought I was serving Jehovah to the full, but I was always stressed to the max. Getting those 90 hours was a killer. And it never seemed good enough. I can't believe I wasted all those years.
Pioneering---Did It Make A Difference In Your Life
by minimus 27 Replies latest jw friends
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pr_capone
IT made not a bit of differance in my life. The only thing I am grateful for is the fact that I never helped anyone to get baptized.
Its kinda hard to do when you knock soft at every door.
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RedhorseWoman
Did it make a difference in my life? Yes, it certainly did. It kept me in a minimum wage job with almost no benefits because they would allow me to work part-time so that I could pioneer.
It pushed my psyche to the limit, since I have always been a shy person, and it was absolute HELL to have to perform for 5 hours a day as a literature salesperson (yes, I pioneered when the quota was 100 hours a month).
It allowed me to wreck my health and gave me the opportunity to spend a month in the hospital, three months totally out of work, and years trying to recover from an illness that was constantly exacerbated by stress.
Yes, quite a difference, I would say.
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Roddy
LDH >>it allowed me the privilege of driving a junky 1979 Chevy Nova for three long years! (you didn't really think pioneers could afford new cars, did you?!?!?) <<
Funny you should mention that. It seems that the WTS demands much of pioneers yet by all accounts pioneers are forced to buy cheap run-down cars that are maintenance nightmares. And, of course, they have to add more wear and tear on those vehicles hastening the severity and frequency of maintenance. Pioneers are especially forced to put on a brave face, not murmur over their lot in life, be examples to the flock, and do their quota. All the good it did for those I knew. It makes me sad to remember those that have sacrificed higher education, well paying jobs with health benefits, retirement, and even marriage and children only to be washed-out and on their own. Not the WTS nor the elders will give them a bag of groceries for their years of faithful service, and giving the WTS and the congregation money they where guilted into not using on themselves for an ordinary simple pleasure.
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JH
SO CAN ANY ONE TELL ME WHAT THE F_ _ _K I WAS PREACHING ALL THIS YEARS
you were a salesman for the Watchtower Organization. You helped them get rich.
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dobby
Lisa - I feel ya! Sooo True!
What a waste of time! It made no difference in good way. It just trashed all of the wonderful prospects of a vibrant, healthy, intelligent woman. Instead of going to college I cleaned houses and ran paper routes. Ran my health into the ground not sleeping and gave myself a nervous stomach trying to talk to strangers (totally not my personality). Not to mention the damage to my self-esteem - why couldn't I bring anyone into the "truth"? Even the friends I made while pioneering would drop me like a sack of dirt if they knew I was posting this right now.
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Brummie
The only thing I didnt look forward to as a pioneer was having to spend so many hours working alone on the service (probably worked 30 hours per month or round abouts alone), only 2 pioneers in the cong. Summer months were best when quite a few pioneered for a month or so. Also wasnt too struck on Febuary, with only 28 days to get the hours in and all the blizzards. Always managed though.
Overall I enjoyed it.
Brummie
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Big Tex
Well I met the love of my life, so I guess that made a difference. But actually that was the only good thing that came out of all that pioneering time.
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cruzanheart
I regular pioneered for 13 years. The first couple of years were fun -- there was a large group of us, all around 18 or 19, and we had a good time and felt like we were doing something really useful. Then, as I went through my 20's, it started to feel like a tremendous waste of time. I didn't really feel like I was helping anyone, even though people kept telling me I was. Then I met my the love of MY life (see Big Tex) and if that's what it took to meet him, then it was definitely worthwhile.
I had some cool experiences, some very funny, but I do wish I'd listened to my gut feelings and quit earlier, gotten a full-time job and my own apartment before getting married. But, of course, as my mother told me, if I had I would have displeased Jehovah because that wasn't a good reason to stop pioneering, and of course I would have been raped living on my own.
Nina
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Scully
Wanting to pioneer, and being told that I didn't qualify because my RVs were too low really crushed my spirit. They'd let me auxiliary pioneer, though.... but they kept holding the carrot just out of reach. I think they wanted me to quit my part time job first, although they never actually came out and said it, they did imply that I needed to make some adjustments in my life so that I could fit in pioneering. Hubby worked full time, I worked part time, we had one car which he needed for commuting.
Finally I just thought to myself...... Screw this $h!t. Maybe Jehovah doesn't want me to pioneer. A couple of months later we started our family, and I never thought about pioneering again.
Love, Scully
Edited by - Scully on 3 February 2003 0:34:44