What do you say in field service?

by blindersoff 37 Replies latest jw friends

  • anewme
    anewme

    Blindersoff, make service enjoyable for yourself. Do it your own way. Pray about it.

    Introduce yourself. Ask a question. Listen. Chat with people. Enjoy people. Leave them your card.

    I had a good JW friend. I miss her greatly. She never once "preached" at the door. She was from Holland and she played up the language barrier thing. She smiled alot, wished people "goot morgan" etc.. and basically just gave away magazines at the door. She was a walking ray of sunshine into the neighborhood! No one refused her! She was so pretty and sweet and happy. If people acted unhappy to see her she pretended not to understand and just laughed and kept going.

    She is a very serious Bible student but it was her choice to keep her service very simple and sweet and happy. She is being true to herself.

    I think I would plan on being a low hour publisher or an inactive publisher (one who puts very little to no hours in a month)

    But pray about the matter nonetheless. Jehovah cares that you are miserable. He can help.

  • kid-A
    kid-A

    I would try to place copies of "Crisis of Conscience".......sell it as a package deal with the latest watchtower and asleep.

  • anewme
    anewme

    Oh, you are presently dfd. You just want a plan for service when you return?
    Well, then ditto what I just said in my last post. Keep it simple and just do what you can. Or act retarded and just hand a magazine and say "Wattowa / Away?"

  • lola28
    lola28

    It is so hard to learn the truth about the "truth" when you do you feel lost and confused especially if you really believed it. I learned the truth in May and yet I still went to my convention that August, to my SAD and to the memorial. In addition to that I also went out in service several times and commented at the meetings. But nothing felt right anymore, it was like I was out of my body, I saw what was going on I talked to people but it just seemed like I was floating, like I wasn't really there.

    I tried my best to get to the meetings because I had freinds I didn't want to loose, and pepople I didn't want to hurt but it did not last. After a while I could not go out and preach anymore, I just could not do it.It came to the point where I really felt sick just thinking about the prospect of going out in service. The same goes for the meetings, I haven't given a talk sience before Aug. of last year. I had a talk scheduled for the week after the convention and I told a brother I would not be giving the talk.

    Soon I stopped going to the meetings, showing up maybe once every two, three months but not really participating just sitting and writting on a notebook. One of the last times I went to a meeting I really felt ill. Went back only once after that.

    There are so many people that I miss, I really do but I can't bring myself to go out and teach something I don't believe in,it would not be honest and I think the householder would be able to see that my heart just was not into it. For example before learning the truth I could go out in streetwork and talk to people and place at least 20 mags, one of the last timesI went out in street work I only placed four mags. What had changed? The people were the same but I was not and I could not make some one believe something that I did not believe in anymore.

    What did this cost me? All of my friends and the relationships that I had worked on for so long. I miss them everyday but I can't go backand pretend I don't know that the is something wrong with the society.

    I lost friends and that was so hard I can't imagine what it would be like if it was my family. Do what you have to do to keep your loved ones close, maybe you could just talk to the householder using your Bible and nothing else? Concentrate on good "happy" scriptures and don't place any of the societys publications. Would that be an okay compromise?

    Hope the best for you.

    lola (of the I can't believe I wrote this whole thing class)

  • blondie
    blondie

    1. Work by yourself

    2. Don't push the doorbell

    3. If with someone else, tell them you are unprepared, nervous, shy, and just want to listen.

    4. Go out just enough to be active; perhaps one Saturday a month.

    5. Try telephone territory by yourself. Just don't make any phone calls.

    6. Don't stock up on placement literature; just get personal copies.

    7. Get your own territory and go out by yourself (just don't really go out; just drive around)

    Blondie

  • AlmostAtheist
    AlmostAtheist
    5. Try telephone territory by yourself. Just don't make any phone calls.

    7. Get your own territory and go out by yourself (just don't really go out; just drive around)

    I always wondered why my workmates would tell me that JW's never call on them. I knew that every congregation I'd been in worked it's territory every 6 months, a year at most. Yet these guys were talking about 4 years without a call, without a magazine stuffed in the door, nothin'.

    Maybe they were one of the lucky ones that had an apostate fader checking out their territory. It's brilliant! Check out the territory, hold it for a few months, turn it in as "worked", and snap up another one. I wish I was still in so I could pull this trick!

    (No I don't. LOL)

    Dave

  • thom
    thom

    You could be blunt and to the point at the doors. Let them know what JW's really believe, billions will die at God's hand at armageddon, the bible was only written for the anointed, stuff like that.
    "Hi, my name is *****, I was asking people at their doors today if they'd like to live in a world like the one shown in this picture?"
    "Yes, it is pleasant looking isn't it? Well, do you know that God promises such a world in the near future to those who serve his channel, the WTBTS? Once God destroys all the wicked people, people who don't serve his channel, this is the world he's promised for us to live in! Won't that be wonderful?"

  • TheListener
    TheListener

    Hi blindersoff. Thanks for the pm, I totally missed this thread.

    Blondie had some great comments. I didn't get a chance yet to read everyone elses comments.

    I still go out in field service. Much less than I used to but I do go.

    Working alone isn't possible very often. They will always hook you up with at least one person as your partner. Even if it's just the two of you in a cargroup.

    Here is what I do (by the way, I sincerely believe in God and that the bible is beneficial):

    1. I introduce myself and ask if I can read them a scripture. (that cuts down about 85% of the householders right there).

    2. If I can read them a scripture I read them something I found beneficial in my own reading. It usually has nothing to do with the suggested presentations from the society or the current literature offer (which I carry in case someone needs to borrow something; you look pretty bad if you never have the current offer).

    3. If the househoulder appears interested after reading them the scripture I ask if they're a bible reader and if they've read that scripture and what they thought. (again, another 10% stop right there and I'm off scott free).

    4. If they answer and a discussion begins I offer them the tract "what do jehovah's witnesses believe". I always say something like "a lot of people think that JWs are weirdos and fanatics or maybe even a cult!! this tract discusses our beliefs." They usually take it.

    5. If they ask any questions about the bible or jw beliefs specifically, I answer the non-committal ones with something like this "jehovah's witnesses believe that..." or if it's something that requires more of a committment of my personal beliefs I use the old "I haven't really thought about that,,, I'll have to research that and get back to you." Of course, I never do.

    All of this allows me to go out without going insane. It allows my family some piece of mind that I'm doing something and not completely faded yet. Soon I will not be going out at all. I can't wait. Everytime I go in service I feel like I'm giving up a piece of myself and my dignity. I long for the day when I can say "here I am; bug off." - you know kind of like Samuel only different.

    Good luck.

  • stillAwitness
    stillAwitness

    He is doing this for his family. I can understand. Look at me. Only 21 but I've been on sites like these since I was 17 and I got baptzed at 14. I know what is the real truth but what choice do i have? I need to get my education first and then think about making the big annucement. Need to be established and stuff. Everyone has sacriffices that need to be made. And to ansewr you're question. The society is stressing reading and explaining a bible scripture when you go to the door. Not just leaving magazines. They are pushing us more than ever to start bible studies right on their doorstep. It sucks. But I still just leave magazines. And the ones that don't get placed I always trash. I dunno why I feel bad doing that sometimes? I guess b/c its like wasting a tree maybe? anyways, and now its like don't just go out in service on sat but at least one day during the week blah blah blah.

  • Shining One
    Shining One

    Blindersoff,
    I tried witnessing with the scriptures alone. The P.O. surprised me by complimenting that and the fact that I had such an ability to use scripture. Then I started finding out just how blasphemous the NWT is and that was it for my field service attempts...
    Rex

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