xjwsforChrist

GRAMMAVELTA SAID

Hi Everyone,

I am a member of JWN and have been for several years. I have not posted recently because I had nothing to say to most of the posts. I haven't even been there for several months.

My husband and I and our family had been JWs for over 45 years, my husband almost 50. Our parents were JWs and we were raised in the WT.
We left in 1983 and were disfellowshipped for apostasy because we questioned some of the doctrines of the WT. We attended our Judicial Committee and appealed it because we just felt they could not dismiss us without us telling them how we felt and what we believed. We were finally disfellowshipped on the night before Christmas 1983. Wonderful Christmas present as it turned out!

Our two younger daughters left with us and our oldest daughter had already left. Our son and his family remained JWs and after a few years of wavering back and forth, as to whether or not to talk to us, they finally really started shunning us 16 years ago. We did not hear from them except for a week after our son died of a heart attack in 2007, our granddaughter informed us. She said it would have put too much pressure on our d-i-l to have us there for his memorial service.

This summer our granddaughters Karey and Katey (our son's daughters) got in touch with me on Facebook and we began to have a relationship with them again. Both of them do not attend meetings anymore. In May we took a trip to Oregon to visit our daughter and her son's family and Karey flew in from Las Vegas and we spent 4 days with them. Katey was supposed to come too, but she got pneumonia, so on Saturday, we drove 2 1/2 hours to visit her at her home in Washington. She has two children. We had only seen the oldest, Dalton when he was 6 weeks old, sixteen years ago. Hannah we had never met, she is 8. It was so wonderful to be able to visit with them and to get to know them and to be able to hug them for the first time in so many years. Our daughter-in-law came to Katey's house while we were there. She is still a JW, but she hugged us and talked to us as if nothing had ever happened. Who knows what God is doing in her heart! Joe and I are in our 80s and we wondered if we would ever see them again in this life. God is so good!

Here is our website: www.imdoingeverything.com/maes At the end there is a link to our JC appeal.

Looking forward to many interesting discussions. We are all at different places and we are all learning, but it is wonderful to see how each one progresses.

Love you all,
Hugs,
Velta

SAB SAID

Hi Velta, your story is remarkable. I am very sorry to hear about your son's heart attack. JW deaths are always a hardship on the family members both inside and out of the organization. I look forward to the discussions too!

-Sab

ANNEB SAID

Velta, I remember you from JWD long ago! So happy that you are here!!!

MEDEWTYSENU SAID

I read your post with great interest Velta and especially the transcripts of your Judicial Committee meeting. I have to agree with you and your husband that there is a distinct lack of love in the organization. They have become so preoccupied with WT rules that love simply has no place to grow anymore.

The WTS and the Elders in particular seem to be just like the Pharisees of Jesus' day (not all the Elders but a great majority). Towing the party line seems more important than showing kindness to others. I do find it ironic that when the Society tries to cover up their own sins they use lawyers and every means available to them to defend themselves, yet rank and file members are not allowed this option. More often than not if a charge has been made it's a guilty verdict no matter the evidence presented. The insistence of the BoE that no scriptures could be cited made it pretty clear to me that it's their way or the highway. They're not looking to be taught by anyone as they figure they have all the answers already.

Since I have been out I have learned more about love and forgiveness than I ever did while inside the organization. I have also learned more Bible truth which is different than organizational truth.

Glad to have you here and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
_________________
"Those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter"--Dr. Seuss

FERNANDO SAID

Dear Velta

Thank you for being willing to connect with exjws after all these years.

And thank you for sharing your story and website.

Greetings and blessings to you and yours

Fernando
_________________
A simple non-religious follower of Yeshua/Jesus/Isa who desires to continue growing and developing spiritually in the "one faith" of Abraham (and the Judeo-Christian-Muslim foundational texts - http://www.injil.org/Kalimatullah/revelations.html).

JUSTMOM SAID

Hello Velta

Your story was profound and brought back so many familar memories.
I am so sorry for the loss of your son and the way our poor jw families handle so unlovingly these kinds of situations.

My husbands and my story are so very similar. He was a born-in i was since 7. He did partake for 7 years inside before holy spirit led us out. he was of the younger generation of partakers.

We began reading the bible without the watchtower also. It opened up so many answer from spirit. we realized it was NOT our food at the proper time and it definelty was not feeding us truth. And that we, especially me who had professed to be of the great crowd could ask for holy spirit and RECEIVE it. And it was FREE!!!!

My husband mentioned some things that we were learning to his father and his dad went straight to the elders who were our best friends at the time. They too wanted to meet with us as there had been some accusations of apostacy. ( reading the bible by itself is a sin)

We met and met and then appealed also and said some of the exact things you both did. We knew they couldn't wait to throw us out when they asked if we would ever share any of these things we were learning with members of the congregation.

I said, "Absolutely" I will not lie!!

So in May 1998 we were disfellowshipped for apostacizing against our baptismal questions. (We said yes we believe the WTBS is jehovahs visible organization and that the FDS dispenses our food at the proper time)

We stopped in December 1997 2 weeks after holy spirit opened our eyes so quickly, showed us soooo many things that the organization is and is not according to the NWT and told us to "Get out of her my people" Rev 18:4

And we have never been happier and have never had any desire to EVER return. Our families are also still inside and yes we do miss them. We continue our prayers for them. We are so happy that our 3 sons now 27, 23, and 21 are free also and totally support us.

Thank you so much for sharing.
with love your sister in Christ
justmom

JUSTMOM SAID

Dearest Velta

I have a question??
you mentioned children. Your name is familar. Maes.....
You say you live in North highlands.

Until 1980 when I was married, we lived in Rancho Cordova.
For a time I remember a couple, I was a teenager then. His name was Mike Maes and I cant remember his wife. (maybe Candy?)

Is this your family member?

Just thought about it
justmom

TEC SAID

Welcome Velta!

I am so sorry about your son.

I am glad you have your daughters, and now your grandchildren from your son though. So much there for you and them to find in one another.

Peace to you and to your loved ones,

tammy

WATERSPROUT SAID

Wow your story is remarkable... I'm soo sorry about the losss of your Son, your pain must be indescribable. ((hugs))

Fantastic news on developing a relationship with your grandchildren and the fact that your DIL is talking to you must be overwhelming!

Peace

AGUEST SAID

Greetings, dear, dear Velta (peace to you, dear one!) and SO glad you could make it! I hope this place proves to be a bit of a refuge for you... and perhaps some of your loved ones... to talk about things dear to you, including God, Christ, and faith, if those things are on your mind/heart. If not, there's plenty of other things to talk about and such are welcome, as well!

So pull up a chair - tea and cake are on the way!

Peace to you!

Your servant, sister, and fellow slave of Christ,

SA

AGUEST SAID



Amen to that dear Fernando (peace to you!). Sad that it's the truth, but... AMEN!!

Peace!

Your servant and a slave of Christ,

SA

GRAMMAVELTA SAID

Hi Justmom,

Yes, we were in the Rancho congregation.

I have sent you a PM.

Hugs,
Velta

AGUEST SAID

Omigosh - folks are PMing one another! LOLOL! I LOVE it! Thank you, both, for your support and participation... and peace to you and your households!

Your servant, sister, and fellow slave of Christ,

SA

COCO SAID

I'm so sorry about your son and the manner in which you received the sad news. May you have peace and healing.

We're neighbors, btw!

Love,

CoCo

WILLIAM SAID

Hi Velta! I do remember you from years ago when I was posting at the old JWD. So nice to "see" you again.

I sent you a PM, too.