A close friend told me how he dedicated an entire year to helping prepare for the international convention. He was stressed out all year like I’ve never seen. He has a full time job three young children and Cong responsibilities. He also said that the GB told them they should anticipate at least two people in their group of overseers to die either from the stress or natural causes. Unfortunately two in his group did die. Did anyone else experience a similar experience or was anyone else informed the anticipate death within there group? This seems very odd to me.
Edit- I said GB, this is incorrect. The GB representative from bethel overseeing the convention
Next year, we will have an international convention here in Germany. Fifteen thousand witnesses from the congregations are invited, along with several thousand delegates. We need 10,000 volunteers, which means that two out of three must volunteer for orchestrated love. At EVERY meeting, it is now announced that volunteers are still needed and that they should please register at jw.(p*)hub. Even short videos of how well you can play a musical instrument should be uploaded.
This whole issue just makes me sick. But many people don't seem willing to devote so much time and energy to it. The problem is that they beg for it in speech after speech until most people feel so guilty that they end up volunteering after all.
These conventions are pure propaganda shows for the governing body. Disgusting.
Every person that refuses to volunteer is one more crack that prevents these events from being done.
Every person that reads this post can do less for the organization.
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1ldu1vn/you_can_stop_volunteering_for_jehovahs_witnesses/
How would ANY current JW play an instrument?
All of those "hobbies" were completely discouraged (especially in school) in favour of constant door-to-door work.
In JW-Land, if you buck the system and do what you want (music, legal degree, law degree, engineering degree, medical degree, real estate experience) why WT HQ can surely "use" you! The hypocrisy is astounding!
I once helped as an elder in preparing for an international convention. It was the most stressful time of my life. There was a lot of work to do months in advance. The most stressful time was right before the convention, when some delegates had already arrived. I worked constantly for three days and nights and didn't sleep at all. My heart was racing. Other elders from my group withdrew during the preparations. Other helpers had nervous breakdowns. It was a disaster and completely disorganized.
I attended one in the US in 2019. It was a complete and total shit show. Every element of it was a wreck from beginning to end.
The one in Detroit about ten years ago was also a disaster.
Most people couldn't get there before noon because the traffic was so bad. Cars were being towed everywhere because so many just gave up and parked on the street.
We had our newborn with us, and had to hike carrying her in her car seat for like 10 blocks.
We ended up leaving early anyway when I went outside to change her diaper and they wouldnt let me back in because we had the carseat. Even though they had just allowed us inside clearly carrying the carseat ten minutes prior.
They made my husband hop the fence and carry it around the building. They wouldnt even let him walk through the building holding the carseat to leave.
We were furious. That was the last convention we ever attended.
Wow!!!😮
Warm gooey "Christian Love", JW-style!
In reality, they don't care about the individual, the person, but rather the benefit that person can bring them, even if it comes at any cost!
So very true.
Why the hell would that say this to someone? Why even put that much on someone to cause that?
Really doubt this actually happened.
There'll be one here in Portugal next year, and most elders I know have been working on it for a few months now.
One thing I wasn't expecting was the amount of people asking me if I had alread signed the petition to be a volunteer
How are they doing on getting volunteers?
I’d say they’re doing well, based on my friends, although that’s a small sample size. We only had one special convention in 2019 in Lisbon, and now it’s near us, so they’re all very excited
It's a shame it doesn't work the other way around! If you truly love someone, you reward them for the work they do, even more than a stranger. I wonder how much the organization will pay them for each hour they put in.
Zero
People that volunteer for this crap have a name:
SUCKERS
This is shocking news to me. But at the same time Watchtowerland does love sacrifices!
This is bizarre!
My PIMO wife has been griping after every announcement. And after every bit of "encouragement" she hears to volunteer. "Hsve you signed up yet?"
The elders didn't think she was pristine enough to auxiliary pioneer but they think she's good enough to scrub toilets and make trinkets.
AKA: unpaid, voluntary, slave labour to the Gluttonous Nobodies pedo defense fund and international real estate scam.
I can’t help but think these international conventions must be far more profitable and or marketable. Nothing they do is quote for the “love” follow the money 💰 seems to me there’s always a money trail.
For a religion that claims they are "God's People", they care so LITTLE about Human LIFE. `
One is scheduled in 2026 in a US city about 70 miles from us. The venue hasn't even been announced. At least weekly, there have been volunteer request notices at the meetings. I'm thinking of the logistics of all the driving, traffic, parking and walking on top of the volunteer/voluntold labor effort and time. My partner is disabled as well. We'll pass.
More Likely:
1.) Joke
2,) Unreliable 2nd Hand Information
3.) It Never happened
No it was a candid conversation. and he claimed there were told this is just math. It was just the number average that they have experienced. He saw at least two deaths in his group. I am not giving the Exact number because it would be easily researched. But yes this was told to him pre convention and that he should be prepared to speak with family members about the great opportunity they had in there last days to encourage soo many…. ( not about leaving there death affecting there family) !!
My father cashed in his pension for us to attend the international convention in Hawaii in 1969. What did he get for it? His kids (my brother and I) stuck inside a convention center all day listening to mind numbing bullshit while paradise awaited outside which we couldn’t enjoy. Then borderline poverty during his retirement because he had almost nothing left to live on because of this decision. He saw no paradise, no Armageddon, no resurrection, no great tribulation. NOTHING.
This religion is a complete scam. Only naive fools believe in it. I used to feel sorry for them but I don’t anymore.
This is funny