I can't imagine doing THAT in my wildest dreams.....

• Putting on a three piece suit to spend a 90 degree summer day knocking on doors and trespassing!
• Dragging an entire family, including babies and young children to three or four day meetings in an outdoor stadium, living in a seedy motel room for the week.
• Getting home from work and spending the next six hours cramming for a 'theocratic review', getting the entire family ready to go, gulping down dinner, and speeding off to the hall, and then finally getting home around 11 PM, hurrying off to bed so that everyone could get up for work and school in the morning!
• Going to school to explain to the teachers why little Johnny can't color pictures of Santa, salute the flag of his country, eat birthday cake with all the other 5 year olds, bow his head when prayer is offered, or exchange valentines with all the cute 5 year old girls in class. And then explaining with grace why he is not immersed in a cult!

Well, on and on! These things were typical of my witness life - now I cannot imagine ever doing such silly things, and especially thinking that somehow they would bring pleasure to my God!

Any others?

Jeff

Hallelujah! Life is so much happier when it can be so much simpler!

32 years and 3 little ones

What a waste trying to convince people we had the "truth"

Same here sspo. Began to believe at 4 in 1959 - baptised in 1973. Was 'in' 31 years from baptism to exit. Only one child though.

Jeff

I don't have to imagine, that was my childhood and the first part of my adult life. Fortunately for our children we faded before they were subjected to a childhood of that. I do feel for the poor kids that know no other life than the drudgery that is being a JW.

That sounds like misery :(

I guess they removed this verse from the NWT?

John 10:10 (New International Version)

<<<<Getting home from work and spending the next six hours cramming for a 'theocratic review'>>>

   That's one thing I never  did, during the 15 or so years I was an active dub.

 I also rarely "underlined"  the WT magazines.    The repetitiveness seemed like overkill.  After all, the stuff they print is what, third-grade level?

 I mean,  how difficult is it to just  repeat  into a microphone some  lame answer  from a page, verbatim?

I can't imagine -  clapping for something, that I really don't feel moved to clap for.

Hello AK Jeff. The list of things you had to do for little Johhny in school, reminds me of being young and  going to school too. I myself don't remember any prayers being given, other than the recital of the "Lord's Prayer". I don't recall being told or instructed not to bow my head, only not to recite it. In fact, I went out and stood in the hall if I remember correctly. Is this "not bowing your head" a current teaching?

AK-Jeff,

If you can't imagine this:

Dragging an entire family, including babies and young children to three or four day meetings in an outdoor stadium, living in a seedy motel room for the week.

Get aload of this:

When I grew-up in the 'truth', we attend our DC - for 7 and sometimes 8 DAYS.  Sessions used to go to 9PM.  Even our Circuit Assembies used to start on Friday evening and run late into Saturday evening, two full weekends per year.

One year, my parents couldn't afford to stay close to the DC, so we traveled over 100+ miles each way - every day!  Not many cars then had air conditioning and were not as reliable as today, so I remember breaking down on the side of the highway on one of the days.

I recall the Society having a rooming department where, if you had a DC in close proximity to your home, they'd hound encourage you to open your home to allow Witnesses from outside of your area, to stay with you for the DC.  Once, JW relations allowed other witnesses to stay with them and the visitors expected breakfast before getting ready for the day and also asking if they could stay for a week following the DC, to sight-see as they were on vacation.

It's hard to remember all the particulars but I remember that there was field service on at least one of the DC days.  Your congregation 'group' would meet at the Assembly at a predetermined location and then everyone would go & blitz the city.  I don't recall ever going in FS during an assembly and I believe many others didn't either although many did.

The stadiums were generally outdoors where often, the only seats were in the direct sun with no overhead covering.  You'd often get sunburned in 90`F heat, bird pooped upon, drenched in the rain and pelted with sand when the wind kicked-up.  Everyone had to have umbrellas and generally carried plastic garbage bags to wear over your suit/dress if it rained.

Often the seats would be so hot, you'd burn yourself sitting on them, if you were lucky fortunate enough to rate a seat.  Sometimes you'd get the hard wooden benches or if you were really late, get to sit on the hard concrete ground, picnic style, so you'd better hope you remembered to bring blankets.  All the time, you'd better be dressed as a good little dubbie, pretend to pay attention and not complain that you were too hot, hungry, uncomfortable or had to pee.  Don't forget, there was a quiz the following week at your hall, so you'd better write something down incase you were put on the spot to give an answer.

I know this has been mentioned plenty of times in the past, but the closing prayer would last as long as a talk, all the while you're standing, swaying foot to foot and generally muttering under your breath 'hurry-up, Amen already!'.

Washrooms (especially women's) had long line-ups where it would often take 20+ minutes just to get into the room.

I can recall a local venue being directly on the international airport flight path, so planes would routinely fly low on their approach, deafening all in attendance.

Through my teenage years, all the teens would parade themselves on the ramps into the stadium, and show-off their latest fashions.  If you didn't match their fashon standards, you couldn't be part of their clique (not that I wanted to hang around with snots snobs) and were considered a nobody.  Some of you will know of this location as I've read about this same experience and location mentioned here previously.

The sound systems were often too loud and the echo made understanding anything said, an exhausting excercise.  It didn't seem to matter where you'd go in and around those buildings, it all seemed to echo.  One year, I noticed that the best sound was far out in the parking lot.

Early-on, hot meals were available at the DC for both lunch and dinner.  Line-ups were so long, you often got the 2nd rate items with little time to eat before the sessions restarted.  After the days became shorter, lunch was only available, then they cut out hot meals and offered items such as crappy burgers, ice cream, fruit bags and soda all dispensed from de-centralized stands.  I know of a few people that had gotten food poisoning at the DC including my (now) S/O who was violently ill on the last day of an 8 hour away DC.

As I got older, food was cut-out alltogether and you had to bring your own.  In doing this, food got better (and available all day) although it meant having to lug more stuff in and out or going off premisis as we usually did.  Venues also got better, often at indoor, air conditioned arenas.  The number of days was also reduced to the three or four days you mention.

After we were married, our 'assigned' DC was again an 8 hour drive away, even though there was a DC only about 2 hours from home.  Being good little dubbies, we went to where we were assigned and only used the Societies list of 'Approved' places to stay.  After calling virtually all of the places listed, we were only able to find 1 room, about 45 min. from the DC.  After traveling all that distance, the 'approved' place was a dirty, dump of a room that you could rent by the hour, above a bar where the bathroom was shared by all the rooms on that floor.  Needless to say, we got on the phone and were lucky to find another, more suitable room for 1 night and then another place for the remaining 2 nights.  We drove staight home after the Sunday session.

'We' have not attended a DC now for upwards of 10 years.  I believe many witnesses are still 'priviledged' to clean the DC venue top to bottom, a week or so before attending as 'delegates'.  Talk about slave labour!  We know of JWs that told us about going to redecorate and plant flowers OUTSIDE of the DC venue.  WTH!  Gotta present a good appearance to the world you know!

I don't know how we all did it then.  When I think about the last time I attended a DC, it was an exhausting and demoralizing experience, even though it was ONLY three days.  If you haven't experienced anything longer than a 3 or 4 day DC that finishes at 4 or 5 PM, consider yourself lucky.  You have no idea and need to understand that for some of us, the GREAT TRIBULATION has already occured.

Being a JW is truely a unique experience, compared to what most people in the 'World' need to go through.

 

 

 

in my wildest dreams

ohhhh mate! this is the stuff of nightmares!

Conventions were exciting for us a kids for the first day (some place new, yay, and motels with a pool!), then an excercise in excrutiating boredom.

Also as adults. Conventions were the first thing I gave up as a JW.

Memories! We attended a convetion at Fenway Park many years ago. I think it was 7 days. Our room was at a dorm at Brandeis University which was quite a distance away. We went to Boston on the train and had to find a commuter train to take us out to Brandeis. We got off the train and had to walk about a mile to the campus with suitcases in hand on a very hot day. Oh, and the best part: I was 8 months pregnant with a 2 1/2 year old in tow. When we finally got on campus, we asked a security guy who was directing traffic where the room was. He looked at the paperwork and said, "That's on the east quadrangle, on the other side of the campus." I think I must have looked like I would pass out, because he suddenly said, "Wait right here. I'm getting off in a few minutes and I'll give you a ride over there." What a nightmare. How foolish to go there and put ourselves through all that!

I can't imagine doing this myself but my childhood was spent in all the ways described in this thread.

And I remember the 8 day assemblies in the summer.  I only remember 2.  One was at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.  HOT! HOT! HOT!

I think it was the most uncomfotable week of my life.

Tuesday and Thursday nights were meeting nights.  No questions asked.  You do your homework before the meeting or it doesn't get done.  Never getting enough sleep.

I remember the WTBS had a rooming department for the assemblies.  I only remember my family using it once.  We went to an assembly in St. Petersburg, FL.  I just remember that the place they put us in my father found absolutely unacceptable.  I didn't even go into the room.  We left and found another place.  My father always made his own reservations after that.

Great thread!  Horrible memories!

What were we thinking?

Oh we wern't allowed to were we

I did what I never in my wildest dreams thought I would do as a JW so many years ago. I went to my child's school and met with his teacher and explained to her that regardless ofwhat my ex husband says about holidays, I don't want my son left out of anything. She was relieved, we had a good talk about the witnesses. Never thought I would be meeting with a teacher without that cheesy blue brochure. Haha.

Angie

My fav when I was kid they were building us a new hall while the new one was being built we had meetings in an old scout hall middle of winter no heating I was around seven years old and all I can remember is being so cold i felt like crying. The key to being a good Dub child memorise all the often repeated things big A, obedience ec. That way if anyone asks a question you can just give them the anser that you know they want!

Wow, this reminds me. 

This weekend a friend (that I know from his friendship with current JW's) from Europe was visiting.  I saw two male JW's in Saturday morning FS, without jackets!!!!  I told my friend, who I just had told I was no longer a JW the night before, "look!  There are two JW's!"  He said, "they could be Mormons."  I said, "no they have colored shirts and are too old.  Mormons only wear white shirt and only young men have the mission, as we see them go D2D here."

But it dawned on me after reading your post, no jackets.  Now it was a nice day, in a beach city, about 75 degrees, so no extreme heat.  So I'm wondering if it is a move to be less formal looking at the door. 

Just to clarify: The statement about '6 hours' meant the entire evening. Not just the prep for the meeting. SOrry for hte misunderstanding.

Jeff

No More Kool Aid:

Yes, that would have been the same one I believe.  I'm thinking 1969. I'm pretty sure.  It truly was a nightmare.  We had been to assemblies 3 times a year from the time I was born but that one was not like any we had been to before.  It was so huge and crowded and unbearably hot.  There were not enough bathrooms or enough to eat or drink.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were deaths due to the heat.

And, yes, I was one of the ones passing out in the aisles.  So was my sister.  We talked about it when we had our big discussion a year ago about our JW upbringing.

The rain finally cooled us of a little.  My mother was horrified that her bouffant hairdo was ruined.  My mother was always very vain about her hair.

When I look back, that assembly seemed to be a turning point for my father.  He was never the same about "the truth" after that.  I don't know if it was the horrible management of the convention or if it was one of the big talks that was given or maybe one of the book releases.  Maybe a combination of all.  But he was never a gung-ho JW again after that convention.

I was the the first member of my family that left.  It would have been about 3 1/2  years after this convention.  If I really look back in my memory that convention was a turning point for me also.

I remember there were people there that behaved in ways that I had never seen people behave.  There weren't enough women's bathrooms.  I remember one woman coming into the bathroom bypassing the line and she PEED IN THE SINK!  I thought my prim and proper mother was going to faint. HA!  It was a turning point for her too!

No, I can't imagine doing that AGAIN in my wildest dreams.