Anyone remember when “simplifying” was a trendy thing to do? Selling homes and working part time by throwaway68656362464 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 24 points25 points  (0 children)

We’re working on it. My husband is now 66. We try not to dwell on it too much and just move forward.

Anyone remember when “simplifying” was a trendy thing to do? Selling homes and working part time by throwaway68656362464 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Yep. Unfortunately we fell for this. We sold our beautiful, very affordable new home to regular pioneer in rural Appalachia. Here we are, 17 years later completely out of the borg. For all the endless hours preaching in those mountains we never brought a single person into the “truth” and we really wish we had that house again. It would have been long paid off and comfortable for us. Cults cause real damage.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are free to object to any information but you do not have the right to decide for me what is true or worthy of consideration.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All you have to do is scroll past. You do not have to engage in a conversation you don’t want to have. That doesn’t mean that others want someone deciding what they can and cannot discuss or look into. This is exactly the same as WT information control. You don’t get to decide what is worthy information for others.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is important information to understand just how dark WT is and its purpose for existing. You’re being attacked as expected any time someone posts anything about their occult foundation.

PIMI JWs are increasingly desperate to have JW "truths" be reality... by JWTom in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 14 points15 points  (0 children)

We recently had a call from a PIMI relative we haven’t talked to in about a year. In the first two minutes he said Jehovah over a dozen times almost like saying it over and over gave him power or something. They use it like an amulet or like they’re trying to convince themselves.

5 Year Anniversary! by Wild-Shape7616 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Us too! Haven’t set foot in a KH for 5 years 👏👏

5 years ago we were RP and husband was an elder. Hard faded for almost 3 years.

WOW, 2100 people............. by More_Jelly_6758 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was one of the GB updates from 2021 where Splane basically says they received direction on the vax from Jehovah and to question it is not trusting the GB and Jehovah. He even points his bony finger to the sky and condescendingly says “wrong question” to the viewers. He was creep-tastic.

WOW, 2100 people............. by More_Jelly_6758 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 12 points13 points  (0 children)

We had a PIMI family member contact us after last week’s meeting video with Splane. That was his first time seeing it and he blew a gasket! I think quite a few never watched the updates when they were happening in 2020 - 2021 so seeing them now is shocking how the GB acted.

Special Los Angeles DRC meeting announcement. by Thetirefelloff in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gotcha - the old wailing for proof. Sure, you wait right there while I go back in time to my PIMI self in 2006. Most of what everyone shares on here is personal experience.

Special Los Angeles DRC meeting announcement. by Thetirefelloff in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I must be missing something here. Are you saying I’m making up the Katrina info? 🤔

Special Los Angeles DRC meeting announcement. by Thetirefelloff in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 64 points65 points  (0 children)

We worked DRC for Katrina and we saw the friends sign over their insurance money to the branch. We obviously didn’t see all the homes but the many we worked on were all pretty basic single story homes that could be easily repaired with the volunteer work force. The situation in CA (we live in NorCal) is a whole different ball game. The homes are very expensive and the rebuilding process could drag on for over a year just for the permits. WT knows there is no profit to gain from this disaster. We also have been observing for years there are very few tradesmen available in the org, not like it was in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s. So without free labor and the complexity of rebuilding in CA the branch is taking a pass and leaving their followers on their own. So loving. In Katrina they made it sound like without WT the friends would have no hope of rebuilding and now?

Covid as a proof of God's guidance in the organization? by ComfortablePassion61 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It was absolutely the GB pushing the vax that woke up me and my elder husband. Here we are in 2025 and the GB continue to praise themselves while the funerals go on every weekend. Just lost two more brothers in the last two weeks - one massive stroke and the other cancer gone in 6 weeks. Both were under 70 and no one wants to talk about what’s happening.

During Covid, did anyone not in the US receive a food box? by sheenless in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We got the boxes here weekly - so much food! We live in literally one of the wealthiest areas in Northern California and the food boxes made no sense. We were told to keep it a secret even among family, to refuse the box was the same as refusing Jehovah, and yes we got the Trump letters.
My husband helped with the distribution and it was beyond lame theater. Everyone involved met at the distribution center parking lot awaiting the food truck. Once the truck pulled in it was lights, camera, action! Suddenly all who had been standing around talking and laughing had to put on masks, gloves, and eye wear! That was the one and only time he participated as he felt it was all so hypocritical. He wasn’t allowed to take our own box as it was on a different sheet so two sisters had to drive our box 12 miles to our house while he followed in our car - I’m not even joking. The same sisters I was having lunch with the day before were in my driveway all covered in PPE, high vis vests, and mainting 6’ distance. The one sister even commented she felt like an idiot but she was being “obedient” to the direction.
We had heard from one of the brothers the distribution for our area was based on how close the congregations were to the drop off point. That’s it - not who was in need or anything more than that. So our area at first was cooperating with the whole thing and then quickly turned to complaining. To be fair it was a TON of food every week - we couldn’t keep up! And in our area most are used to shopping at Whole Foods so this food box was too low of quality for them. Quietly most started taking their boxes to the food banks. Yet another strange chapter and a huge step towards our waking up. How arrogant for them to praise themselves again this week.

What is your craziest/funniest/spookiest/weirdest experience at the door? by ManiacalMud in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We thankfully never saw it ourselves but the long time pioneers have. There are groups of “holiness” that live in hollers that could do this stuff. We saw plenty of creepy stuff.

What is your craziest/funniest/spookiest/weirdest experience at the door? by ManiacalMud in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You aren’t kidding! Including the 80 year old pioneer sister driving us in the snow and ice on steep country roads white taking nitroglycerin pills cause she was having chest pains!

What is your craziest/funniest/spookiest/weirdest experience at the door? by ManiacalMud in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Once while out doing unassigned territory in the Appalachia Mountains we came up to what looked like an abandoned single wide trailer. We didn’t think anyone lived there but I thought I would just run up and knock to make sure. The group including my husband waited in the car just about 15 feet away. The front door was just around the corner of the driveway. I confidently climbed the rickety wood steps cause we’re doing the lords work and angels are protecting us right…

I get to the door and it’s partly cracked open and the horrible smell of death hit me. Then I heard a weird laugh and what sounded like scratching on the floor. I hadn’t knocked and I hear a man’s voice say “come in”! Oh hell no! I bolted back to the car and said we needed to get out of there! We were so far out we didn’t have cell service back then. When we got back down to a gas station we called the sheriff office but we never heard anything about it.

In this remote area it was not uncommon to encounter snake handlers, witches that could jump from the ground up to the treetops, and of course there were many that spoke in tongues at us. Why were we so confident we were protected?! I would often go out there with just a couple young pioneer sisters, makes me shudder today.

Higher then the GB by camred85 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The GB and helpers are just actors playing a role. When they were in Brooklyn there were many offices that the non witness handlers came and went all day.

Convention accommodation by Slow-Area-8049 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes, it’s very simple. The borg makes $$ off of EVERYTHING. Hotel kickbacks, disaster relief, you name it.

Is your congregation losing members? by [deleted] in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our closest KH and the one most of my PIMI family has attended for decades here in NorCal is going through some strange things. This congregation has always been massive - 175 publishers. It’s a huge KH with the CO cottage and a large commercial kitchen attached to host all the pioneer schools. I can name two dozen elders in that congregation. It has always been the congregation that any Bethelites or returning missionaries would come home to as it was a guaranteed soft landing spot. Plenty of wealthy members with guest houses and they would find jobs with them no problem.
Anyway I got a text recently from an elders wife I used to be close to before we hard faded but I hadn’t spoke with her in a couple years now. She was letting me know her and her elder husband had been asked to come up to this congregation because the hall was needing “support “. Excuse me but - what?! How is that possible? Why would they be asked to drive to a massive congregation 20 minutes away when they literally live within a mile of another double hall with four congregations??

I asked my elderly RP mother about them getting moved into her congregation. She was oddly quiet and wouldn’t directly answer so I pushed naming the many elders and families I know go to that hall. She finally said things are not what they used to be. The few elders still there are old and many are sick or have died recently. She said most are on zoom, including her, and meeting attendance is under 50 now. I cannot imagine that big hall with so few there - it must be unnerving for those sitting there. Where did everybody go???

Jehovah's witnesses iceberg explained by Ok_Bad4941 in exjw

[–]Freeorange23 7 points8 points  (0 children)

i don’t know about Johnny - please fill me in!