juffowup
08-02-2007, 08:46 PM
We hear so many stories of hard-hearted elders, I wanted to share a positive experience I had lately.
Backstory: I haven't turned in field service time lately. Sometime in late winter, I stopped going out altogether, because I haven't figured out how to engage in public ministry with in the framework of what the Society wants me to do. At first I was successful using brochures and tracts to preach what is truly Good News of the Kingodm, but I had trouble making RVs. RVs lead to studies, which lead to using WT approved teaching methods or else, which leads to me teaching what I believe are falsehoods, which leads to me sitting on my butt and not doing anything, because FS without RVs and progression is depressing and hollow. Bad deal, but I was kind of in a rock and a hard place situation, and I'm not smart enough to see a way forward besides occasional workplace and family witnessing, that never seemed significant enough to count.
Well, not one elder at this Hall has approached me about this over the past year as my field service steadily dropped, then was hit and miss, and then increasingly miss. I was actually in a great funk over this because I knew I was about to convert from irregular to "inactive", and it made me feel ill. But we just got assigned a new elder in the past few months, and lo and behold he was made the FS overseer after the last CO visit.
One meeting around the end of the month I had been dreading, he waited until I got up during a meeting to use the facilities, and when I came out he motioned me over and put his hand on his shoulder and said "Brother, I noticed you haven't turned in time the past five months."
Oh boy, here it comes, I'm thinking. Judgement and guilt and "concern" over my report.
Me: "Yeah, I guess I've had a lot on my mind."
Him: "You know, I looked over your entire history, and I saw you have been regular in field service for 20 years, every since you joined, and it would be a shame to see that record come to an end."
Me: "Uh..."
Him: "I can't believe that a brother with such a great record has gone a whole six months without saying anything about Jehovah. I bet that you've spent five or ten minutes here and there with workmates or family?"
Me: "Well, yes, I have."
Him: "You know under special circumstances, we are allowed to count small increments of time or save them up, and I think this is a special circumstance, so I'm going to put you down for 1 hour of service this month, if that is alright with you."
I tell you, I just about cried at this point. Because it wasn't just that the brother had taken the time to look over my record and draw conclusions about my spirtuality and feelings about the matter, but he also took the initiative to talk to me about it in private so I wouldn't be embarassed. And the way he went about it, it was just like what you hope and elder would say and act like. I'm not doing justice to the compassion I felt from this man.
He continued: "And you know, you have your new son, I bet he'd like having the bible story book read to him. He probably won't get much out of it right now, but you might be surprised. Did you know you can count this time and track it as a study? So even if you aren't feeing up for service, right now, you can still have an important share that Jehovah values, instructing your own children."
As a new parent, I hadn't even realized this. Well, to make a long story short, I almost feel like Jehovah has given me a way to in effect, pay the head tax and not shame myself in doing so. I know this whole counting hours is pedantry at best, but it was still causing me a lot of greif to know I wouldn't be an active publisher. It might be silly in light of other things, but there it was.
The best part is that the Bible Story book has the whole simple truth right there. No 1914, no types and antitypes, I am really enjoying reading them to my child, and they seem to enjoy it (in 15 minute doses, anyway!).
I'm going to try to have this brother and his wife over to our place for dinner soon to thank him for his kindness and get to know him better. It is nice to see a brother try to be refreshing and upbuilding. There are ones out there that take the responsiblity seriously!
Backstory: I haven't turned in field service time lately. Sometime in late winter, I stopped going out altogether, because I haven't figured out how to engage in public ministry with in the framework of what the Society wants me to do. At first I was successful using brochures and tracts to preach what is truly Good News of the Kingodm, but I had trouble making RVs. RVs lead to studies, which lead to using WT approved teaching methods or else, which leads to me teaching what I believe are falsehoods, which leads to me sitting on my butt and not doing anything, because FS without RVs and progression is depressing and hollow. Bad deal, but I was kind of in a rock and a hard place situation, and I'm not smart enough to see a way forward besides occasional workplace and family witnessing, that never seemed significant enough to count.
Well, not one elder at this Hall has approached me about this over the past year as my field service steadily dropped, then was hit and miss, and then increasingly miss. I was actually in a great funk over this because I knew I was about to convert from irregular to "inactive", and it made me feel ill. But we just got assigned a new elder in the past few months, and lo and behold he was made the FS overseer after the last CO visit.
One meeting around the end of the month I had been dreading, he waited until I got up during a meeting to use the facilities, and when I came out he motioned me over and put his hand on his shoulder and said "Brother, I noticed you haven't turned in time the past five months."
Oh boy, here it comes, I'm thinking. Judgement and guilt and "concern" over my report.
Me: "Yeah, I guess I've had a lot on my mind."
Him: "You know, I looked over your entire history, and I saw you have been regular in field service for 20 years, every since you joined, and it would be a shame to see that record come to an end."
Me: "Uh..."
Him: "I can't believe that a brother with such a great record has gone a whole six months without saying anything about Jehovah. I bet that you've spent five or ten minutes here and there with workmates or family?"
Me: "Well, yes, I have."
Him: "You know under special circumstances, we are allowed to count small increments of time or save them up, and I think this is a special circumstance, so I'm going to put you down for 1 hour of service this month, if that is alright with you."
I tell you, I just about cried at this point. Because it wasn't just that the brother had taken the time to look over my record and draw conclusions about my spirtuality and feelings about the matter, but he also took the initiative to talk to me about it in private so I wouldn't be embarassed. And the way he went about it, it was just like what you hope and elder would say and act like. I'm not doing justice to the compassion I felt from this man.
He continued: "And you know, you have your new son, I bet he'd like having the bible story book read to him. He probably won't get much out of it right now, but you might be surprised. Did you know you can count this time and track it as a study? So even if you aren't feeing up for service, right now, you can still have an important share that Jehovah values, instructing your own children."
As a new parent, I hadn't even realized this. Well, to make a long story short, I almost feel like Jehovah has given me a way to in effect, pay the head tax and not shame myself in doing so. I know this whole counting hours is pedantry at best, but it was still causing me a lot of greif to know I wouldn't be an active publisher. It might be silly in light of other things, but there it was.
The best part is that the Bible Story book has the whole simple truth right there. No 1914, no types and antitypes, I am really enjoying reading them to my child, and they seem to enjoy it (in 15 minute doses, anyway!).
I'm going to try to have this brother and his wife over to our place for dinner soon to thank him for his kindness and get to know him better. It is nice to see a brother try to be refreshing and upbuilding. There are ones out there that take the responsiblity seriously!