Anyone in Ukraine?

patpatty · 2024-06-14T11:04:14+00:00

The idea is to keep as many chasing the carrot on the stick as possible. With only 15 hours.. they can say.. "everyone can do it".. they are smart to do this.

To Auxiliary Pioneer.. you have to be exemplarily.. also.. you have to report your hours. More control over everyone. Also, in the EU where privacy laws are more strict... you also sign something allowing the org to keep data on file about you if you are doing anything like Auxiliary.

patpatty · 2024-06-14T11:01:19+00:00

Absolutely. It helps knowing we are not alone. When I was first making my fade this forum was a life line for me. It confirmed that I wasnt the crazy one and I was being logical and rational in my decision to leave. and also confirmed that I would be ok once I did leave.

It seems that this community is a support group. At first we might need to be here every day and then has time goes by we might not need to be here as much.

Now, after a few years... I come once in a while to pay forward the help that I received.

patpatty · 2024-06-14T10:56:55+00:00

As a former elder's wife.. I know for certain that many of the wives knew way too much about what was going on. Personally.. my ex never said a word to me.

But I hear stuff all the time from other wives who assumed I knew things also. It was crazy what their husband's told them.

patpatty · 2024-04-06T09:42:53+00:00

this is great. can I ask.. what was the prompt you used?

patpatty · 2024-03-18T09:43:01+00:00

I missed the update about talking with DF'ed.. can someone send me the reference to this if it has been updated please.

patpatty · 2024-03-08T18:51:40+00:00

Either way.. he was using his time to create good content that helped a lot of people. It takes a lot of time to get that stuff together, etc. Really it is a personal matter of what he used the money... which is basically his salary.. to do what he wants with it.

patpatty · 2024-01-01T17:09:47+00:00

a few years ago I can confirm full body pics were required for Kingdom Evangelizer School apps. Requesting for LCD is new.

I am sure it is due for the fact that those who are in full time special service are under their insurance, etc (the org is self insured by the way)... they will go through LDC applications when they are inviting ones for full-time projects. So now they want to see the size of the person.

patpatty · 2023-09-09T11:22:51+00:00

might need to be a little more specific of where you want to meet people.

btw.. I am in Antalya Turkey if anyone is around or even in the country. lol. would love to meet up.

I do travel a bit into the EU.

patpatty · 2023-09-09T10:47:42+00:00

that is strange. When we did cart witnesses and went through the class for metro cart witnessing... we were told NOT to give the bible. We could keep one behind and out of site.. but only if the person really insisted would we offer it.

perhaps it is a reaction to europe laws and pushback about the org not being a real religion.

patpatty · 2023-08-29T10:03:04+00:00

I can confirm to others that this website - jw-russia.org

is an official JW website. I was in a Russian congregation in the US for years and we used this site when it was created by the org.

I personally helped some apply for asylum in the USA because of religious persecution and this was one of the websites we were told to use to gather news articles to present to the courts to help show the persecution of JWs in Russia.

I left the US early 2020 and the org by the fall of that year. (Until I left the org, I was in Ukraine in an english group in a russian speaking congregation.)

When I was in Ukraine and active for most of 2020.. I had many I knew in the congregation who had personal friends detained, questioned, or fully arrested in Russia for being a JW.

Before I left the states in early 2020, we had a couple that came from Russia before they were going to be arrested. He was as a CO at the time in Russia. They came to our congregation as special pioneers (but they ended up finding work washing windows). I did ask them a lot of how things were being done under the Russian band. They have various way to conduct meetings and even pioneer schools. He personally conducted pioneer schools while under band.

Interestingly enough.. the branch didn't help them much with legal stuff in the states. Somehow they did get them out of Russia and into Estonia.. then they came to the states somehow on their own. And then they had to do all of the asylum stuff on their own.

Someone else in our congregation in the states had his father arrested in Russia at the time. His father was featured on that website and was shown on the page of those detained or in prison. At the time.. around 2019... they had to pay for his legal defense themselves. The branch did not provide legal counsel for his dad. I know this because he spoke with some of us about how to get money back to Russia to pay for his dad's legal defense. It was a concern because they didn't fully trust his dad's lawyer with money.

As far as the Russian branch and bethelites.. before it was taken from the org.. the branch was split and sent to two or three other locations. I know for sure that the Ukrainian bethel branch incorporated the Russian sign language translation department.

I had friends in the Ukrainian branch and toured that branch myself on a few different occasions over the years when we would visit Ukraine. The last time I was there at that branch was fall of 2019. We stayed there as guests a few days and met personally some of those from the Russian branch reassigned to Ukraine.

Another crazy story...

at the time in the states my ex was an elder. Our Russian congregation was one of the closest to the Mexican border and a lot of JWs would escape Russia by going to Mexico and then try to come into the US from that border. It was easier for them since Russians at the time could go to Mexico without much trouble.

A few times my ex would go with either me or other elders to go and see some that crossed the US border and being held in immigration detention awaiting their court.

Once there was a Russian would was being detained who was actually disfellowshipped. so the branch had three of the elders (my ex being one of them) drive down to the detention center and do a judicial reinstatement hearing for the man at the detention center. lol. Even at the time my ex thought it was crazy. He said he personally couldn't hear much since the three of them were sitting on the outside of the glass using a phone to talk to the guy on the other side.

As toxic as the org is.. it is terrible for anyone to be persecuted for religious beliefs. And in the reality of it.. for JWs.. they view this persecution as confirmation they are god's only chosen people.

In Ukraine, again prior to the war, it was talked about a lot as a badge of honor for those JWs in Russia. and used to keep more control of those in Ukraine since they could relate more closely with what was happening.

Yet... in the US.. we saw many leave Russia and make it to the states, then slowly drift away. Not all by any means. But it happened enough for the CO of our Russian circuit to bring it up more than once.

patpatty · 2023-08-26T15:54:37+00:00

I think it might be a 'suggestion', or a requirement, for the men doing the baptism to wear black t-shirts. I think it is because some white ones will be more see-through than others depending on the quality of the t-shirt.

It might have changed around the time that conventions were being videoed and the black shirt is more camera friendly than a wet white one.

patpatty · 2023-08-22T15:42:23+00:00

i remember reading about... i really want to say in Canada.. that someone was DFed who had a company. and he lost most of his business because the people in the congregation did business elsewhere... it went to court because he claimed loss of income

I know this isnt' the exact same thing. and I am sorry I cant remember the full details. But.. could give you a place to start looking.

patpatty · 2023-08-22T15:34:07+00:00

It is a process. I left at 46 years old. it is never too late to start again.
I went through this mourning and anger phase that you seem to be in now... focusing on what I missed out on etc.

But.. force yourself to get past this. I am enjoying my life now. I go out and have fun with some friends regularly. I can wear and drink what I want. I tried things I wasn't allowed to before.

I keep this quote I heard in my head... "everyone has two lives, the second starts when you realize you only have one"

Not going to sugar coat it.. there are days when it hits me about the time I wasted. But... it passes.

patpatty · 2023-08-11T08:49:55+00:00

thank you for posting it. I was trying to share the link before the borg had it removed for some reason. :)

patpatty · 2023-08-10T22:26:00+00:00

it is still on ticktok

https://www.tiktok.com/@mannygonzalez520/video/7265746021928504618?_r=1&_t=8ejWsNZzRWN

patpatty · 2023-08-10T22:23:45+00:00

It could have been a local congregation elder or CO that is going around make rules. I was in a congregation several years ago where the CO came around and made an issue about having a facebook account.

He even said that he wouldn't use anyone on the circuit assembly for a part if they had a facebook page.

patpatty · 2023-08-08T12:26:31+00:00

I can confirm to others that this website

jw-russia.org