Good Experiences as a Jehovah's Witness

by minimus 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  Nosferatu

  In the last decade or so, the Society has discouraged these "congregation picnics".

  Are you serious Minimus? What KM did they put this in?

  Personally, I have very few memories of congregation picnics. I was never happy at any of them. I remember a congregation baseball game in particular, when the baseball bounced off the ground, hit a sister in the face, and she fell back and hit her head on a rock. Not a pretty sight.

  Oh shit, sorry to rain on your thread Minimus. Hmmmm, let's see. Good experiences...... MEETINGS GETTING CANCELLED! That was the only reason I liked winter.
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  Euphemism

  Okay, I have good memories from social activities, of course... but I also actually have some good memories related to borg activities.

  I loved pioneer school. One of the instructors was a jerk, but the other one really knew his bible... and he taught the bible, not WT dogma. We had various interesting conversations over the course of the school, and he had plenty of personal disagreements with the Society.

  I enjoyed working in the cleaning department during the convention. It gave me a chance to leave my seat, get some exercise, and banter with friendly people instead of listening to the talks. Plus, I think everyone should do manual labor from time to time, and cleaning at the KH and conventions was the only time I did that.

  I enjoyed conducting Bible Studies. I regret them looking back, of course. But I really loved them at the time. And there is one of the studies I can look back on with some satisfaction; it wasn't mine, but I took turns conducting it... the man had been a drug addict and alcoholic for 20 years. Somehow, religion just gave him the emotional strength he needed to go clean. He was a very reasonable, down-to-earth man... not inclined to cultish thinking at all. We had a hell of a time trying to "readjust his thinking" on some things. I hope our efforts weren't totally succesful!
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  garybuss

  
  As a young Witness in my 20's I enjoyed the jam sessions and house parties, the comradery, the girls . . . I did not like meetings, service and study very much.
  
  I did have a good experience with a Witness well after I left. Nancy and I were returning from a camping vacation on our motorcycle in 1992. We had just left Glacier Park in Montana and were heading to Great Falls. We were having fuel delivery problems with the bike and we stopped at a station and had the tank pumped and fresh fuel put it. At the station there was a lone guy on a 1200 Goldwing getting fuel too and we left a few minutes ahead of him. All seemed okay but a few miles up the road we were back down to 30 miles an hour and started limping along.
  
  The guy on the 1200 caught up with us and fell in behind us at 30 miles an hour. We pulled into the next rest stop and he followed. He asked if there was anything he could do to help and I told him I was going to try to limp into Great Falls to the Honda dealer and have the bike fixed. He said he would stay with us and he did. We made a 3 hour or so trip take all day and he stayed right behind us all the way. When we got to Great Galls it was late and the dealer was closed and he offered to let us stay in his house.
  
  I thanked him and told him we would camp in his yard but he insisted we stay in the house. So se went in with him and on the table were Watchtowers and Awake magazines and other JW books. I asked him if he was a Witness and he said yes. I told him my wife is one too and he was surprised. He took us out to dinner and paid and then took us to the Honda dealer to show me where to go in the morning.
  
  Next morning he made Nancy breakfast while I got a new fuel filter put on the bike. His name was Marvin Catchpole. What a great guy! GaryB
  
  
  
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  Euphemism

  Are you serious Minimus? What KM did they put this in?

  I don't remember ever seeing it in writing. But I know that there were statements like this:

  g96 9/22 22
  To illustrate: It makes sense to invite only as many of your friends as can be supervised properly. Smaller gatherings are less likely to turn into "revelries," or "wild parties.

  So any large groups were viewed suspiciously.
• 

  undercover

  I remember the "spoons" game. Learned that one from friends up North. Why did the elders shut that one down?

  There was this card game we used to play a lot too. "Nerts" I think was the name. High speed, two people in a team, unlimited number of teams in a circle. I remember that much. Don't remember the other rules. Boy, did that game cause some arguments and fighting.
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  undercover

  GaryB,

  You're story about the guy helping you: He was more biker than witness. That is classic of how bikers help each other. They come from all walks of life to enjoy one thing; motorcycles. When another biker has trouble they will all help however they can. Religion, politics, rich, poor, it doesn't matter. That is more of a true brotherhood than the witnesses.
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  HadEnuf

  Let's see...after some serious thinking about this I came up with the following:

  I met my dear husband of thirty years at a witness wedding.

  I enjoyed going on breaks in service, but only if they had chocolate donuts with creme filling.

  I enjoyed going to conventions because we got to stay at a motel, eat out and get lunch served between morning and afternoon snoozes. (When the new lunch arrangement was instituted that really sucked. The only way I could get the kids to have any enjoyment at the convention was to bring unlimited amounts of pudding, danishes and generic cola.)

  I enjoyed going to meetings in the summer because the hall had air conditioning and we didn't.

  I enjoyed the picnics and roller skating parties until they were forbidden...yes...they really were forbidden...oops...getting a might too negative there. Sorry Minimus

  I liked buying a new dress for every memorial and circuit assembly and at least two new outfits for the district conventions (I would have to wear one outfit from the circuit assembly to the three day district convention because my husband said it was getting way to expensive having to keep up with all the other sisters outfits and we were going to the conventions/assemblies for spiritual upliftment and it wasn't a gosh darn fashion show.)

  And I had to get new earrings and shoes to match.

  Now I have run out of positive things. And that is all I have to say about that!
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  minimus

  Euphemism, I could the WT. instructor not teach WT. dogma and only the Bible?
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  1badmutha

  Over the years, I studied with two little girls and an older woman who became like family to me. Thank God none of them accepted the so called "truth"! The one thing I got out of my bible studies & field service was that it made me have me more tolerance & compassion. Under normal circumstances, I would never go to a stanger and have a discussion, especially in some of the rough areas we preached in. The more empathy I developed for the people I preached to, the more I started questioning the rationale behind counting time, and not doing more to help people... (with something more substantial than spiritual food). That was the begining of the end for me... no more good times
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  minimus

  I placed magazines with a woman that used to come to the door always just partially clothed.