So I ended up going to the meeting yesterday. I have been absent for almost 2 months. My wife was also absent as long but mostly out of chance. She would have gladly gone but in between relatives visiting, out of town trips, etc. Some Sundays she made the attempt to go but ended up waking up late. She has come to hate showing up to the meeting late because she feels they make her parade all the way to the front row. (No surprise to me there). Now with the new year there is a new schedule for the Sunday meeting. It now starts at noon, so many less chances of missing it. I decided to go with her because I had the bad feeling that having missed so many, someone was going to approach her. Despite the better advice from the organization, our elders have a really bad habit of approaching women when they are on their own to question them.
Nothing less than what I expected, as soon as the meeting was over, we tried to make a dash for the exit. We were already in the parking lot, half way to our car. I was thinking we had made it out but no. Surprisingly, a sister cries out for my wife.
Sister D....! Hi!
Oh!, I thought, I guess she just wants to say hi. After the regular chit chat, I was surprised to hear she was delivering the invitation to my wife. Not me. She told my wife in a very social tone that her and her (elder) husband would like to come by our house later for a visit. She did make eye contact with me but she never addressed me directly. She clarified we did not have to prepare a meal or anything. It was just going to be social.
When we got home, we got ready to go out grocery shopping and I told her we needed to discuss about that visit. She was open to the discussion (which also surprised me) but that she did not think they were going to come that same day. I said I wasn't so sure but that either way we had to discuss it in case they did. We both agreed to avoid the visit until we had a chance to talk. Not much later that day I get a call from them. I showed my phone to her while it was still ringing and she was like "Don't answer it!". So I did not. Later a get a text message from him asking me if we would be home later that day. I replied that I could not receive him that day and he replied right back..."What about Friday?"
It is obvious at this point that the visit has a dual purpose. I got to say this couple if one of the nicest JW couples you will ever meet. I would hate to have to avoid them. I also feel that since is a couple and not a company of elders, the weight of the visit may not be the same as a shepherding call. I do have it clear that anything I say will be used against me and that regardless of her presence, she would be a witness against me in a JC if she has to.
My wife and I still have to take the time to discuss this but I was wondering if anyone has any previous experience with this kind of approach. I have read many here, but I don't know that I've read one where a couple (husband and wife) would push themselves onto visiting someone. Any experiences out there?