I was very ill at ROA 1994. I hadn't felt well all summer, and now I was almost blind, had to get up several times each night to empty my bladder, was almost too weak to walk. I had attempted to find out about going to a doctor from our TC's wife, Ms. Perfect Health Through Organic Eating, who simply complimented me on my very successful weight loss program and cut off my question before I could ask it. (I went from 140 to 111 in 5 1/2 weeks).
We stayed in one room of a two room tent with some friends from NC. The first night I had to get up to use the bathroom about 4 times. By Tuesday, I was staggering around, unable to eat, see or stand up, but drinking all the water I could find. Our TC suggested 3rd aid, where, to my surprise, they recommended a trip to the ER. So my husband walked me the mile or so to the car (no cars on grounds, no picking people up at the curb, and no people movers in sight.)
At the hospital in St. Mary's the harassed ER doc drew a blood sample and sent it off to the lab STAT (that means right now!). He checked me over and told me he thought I had diabetes. My blood glucose came back 702 (normal is 70-120). I was in very bad shape. I spent the rest of ROA in the hospital, so I missed the great announcement about WOW being cancelled. My husbnad brought me the tape and I was just amazed.
Then, when we finally get home to Washington, our wonderful TC comes over, not to thank God I'm alive and on medication, but to scream at me "You could have died in that tent, and that would have made the Ministry look bad!" Not a word about how was I feeling, had I found a doctor in Everett, nothing.
The last ROA, 1995, we stayed with my husband's family and spent very little time at the ROA. By now, we had not only been dismissed from WFC 20 but also I had diabetes. Old friends gazed aside and didn't want anything to do with us. That was the part that really hurt.
thanks, and if I ever go back there, I'm going to take a cudgel to that little egotiscal SOB. I wonder how he'd like to check his blood glucose 6 times a day, give himself shots 4-6 times a day, and wonder when his kidneys will give out or he'll go blind? I was visited in that hospital by about 12 so-called believers, many of whom I'd know for years and years, and do you know how many of them offered to pray with me or minister to me? Guess?
12?
10?
5?
The answer is none, zip, zilch, zero! Whether one considers ministering to some one for healing authentic or not, when I first got involved in 1973, if you sneezed in twig, half the people there jumped on you and starting praying! By 1994, one was REPROVED for being sick. "Well!" the tc's perfect little wife would say to some hapless soul, "Where's YOUR believing?"
Yes, I remember, especially as Apprentice Corps, assigned to all the work details. At the ROA, though I did only get a six hour shift on one day there. Flipping Wow burgers and laying cheese on them. I was fortunate. They hit the Corps GRADS with the dirty work, and I had NO idea they were hit so hard.
Every ROA I ever attended I had the great jobs of either cleaning crew (Which meant toilet patrol) or Bless patrol. One year each 8 hour bowl patrol shift meant staying by your porta john of assignment and every 20 minutes or so going in and cleaning something. We weree also toldto be on the lookout because sick people hung out in the tiolets and it would be a great opportunity to find someone to minister to.
By around day three there were plenty of sick people to minister to. - Dehydration, diahrea, vomitting, heat stroke, sun stroke, you name it it came out.
Bless patrol meant if you were on the cool list you got a good location. Me, lacking in the overall pizazz to claim master sainthood had to settle for some obscure outpost in the back of the OSC or watching a cornfield so no undesirables could sneak in through the miles of corn. If only I knew then what I know today.
Every ROA I ever attended I had the great jobs of either cleaning crew (Which meant toilet patrol) or Bless patrol. One year each 8 hour bowl patrol shift meant staying by your porta john of assignment and every 20 minutes or so going in and cleaning something. We weree also toldto be on the lookout because sick people hung out in the tiolets and it would be a great opportunity to find someone to minister to.
By around day three there were plenty of sick people to minister to. - Dehydration, diahrea, vomitting, heat stroke, sun stroke, you name it it came out.
Bless patrol meant if you were on the cool list you got a good location. Me, lacking in the overall pizazz to claim master sainthood had to settle for some obscure outpost in the back of the OSC or watching a cornfield so no undesirables could sneak in through the miles of corn. If only I knew then what I know today.
bowl patrol....................
and, "bless patrol"......... should be renamed control patrol
When some post about those warm, fuzzy feelings from the rock of ages.........I've got to admit, I had some of those experiences too. But after about my 4th roa....and being corps....those 6 hr - 12 hr work shifts, coupled with mandatory meetings and teachings in 98 degree weather for the next 18 years was enough to douse any fire of excitement.
What is the backside of roa?
I suppose it could be called by many names.....but, to me, its the out-of-sight areas that any state fair or rodeo or event tries to hide from view. You know.......the smelly trash compactors, the honey wagon (sewer wastage) detail for rv areas, the port-a-pottie cleanup, etc. Also, the food warehousing area..... the staging and prep areas..... are massive undertakings for 18,000 people eating day after day.
Like most people.......I never minded working 4 to 6 hour shifts. That was no big deal......but when the shift was under-staffed or the workload kept growing......the corps were first in line to do the extra work. Not just one shift or one day, but throughout the TWO WEEKS (corps week & roa). And, the intense heat added to the challenge.....along with drenching downpours at night to soak everything in your tent.
Add, a sour throat and dehydration......and it made for a very tough time in O-Hell-NO.
And to top it off.....some of us corps had hq staff work coordinators. These were the ones who:
...1) Did NOT travel for two days and 800 miles to even get to Ohio.
...2) Slept in a dry, air-conditioned trailer unit (or founders' hall) and got good sleep.
...3) Drove around cushmans and hob-nobbed with their staff buddies.
...4) Had their suit and tie hanging in a closet and ready for every corps meeting.
...5) Sat around and delegated the workload.
...6) The field corps provided a major portion of the worker bees for roa.
...7) Etc. etc......I think you get my drift. :)
Corps were separated from their children during corps week. Not a bad thing......unless health issues surfaced or someone was dishing out unreasonable confrontation to your kid.
Yeah, the backside of roa was alot of hard, gruelling work. And, to top it off..........very little thanks. The guys on main stage, the teachers and smooshers basked in the spotlight.
So.....no, forgive me if I don't quite remember those "warm, fuzzy feelings" from roa.
I remember the WOW training in 1979 (that was the year i was sent to Wyoming as WOW) and all the water and rain.
TWI having the guys in one area in the BIG top tent and the gals in another section. And when the water still wasn't under controll they moved us over to one of the storage areas that they used for materials and stuff with the landing on the top of the stairs that led down where all of us poor little WOW's were sitting where Dr. VPW used it as a podium.
I also remember going to the training for 3 or 4 hours in the morning taking a break just long enough for us to wolf down 1 or was it 2 WOW burgers and then having to go back for a few more hours in the afternoon for more training.
From what i remember it was pretty much repetitive stuff.
Dan, I thought WOW training was a waste of time. We heard a lot of Bible, but very little practical information on having successful WOW years. My WOW sucked; I couldn't wait for it to end.
The drinking and pot smoking hasn't really been talked about very much here (except for VPW's boozing, not a lot of pot talk)
But when TWI was hopping in the 70's (at least in my experience in The Bronx) there was a lot of pot smoking, some of it went on after twig!
There was, as has been discussed, a big Jesus element to the hippie movement in the 70's. Seems weird to today's "hippies". Even Bob Dylan went thru a Jesus phase. It was something to try along with Buddha, pot, yoga and anything else that promised to bring "enlightenment".
A lot of that pot smoking made it to TWI in the 80's and not just with "the kids". Since it's a crime (???) I won't name names but there were plenty of "leaders" smoking weed. And the booze was not unique to VPW.
The two drink limit is one of the biggest TWI hoaxes of them all.
And I agree with Igotout:
"My theory is the more legalism and incorrect doctrine you are placed under the more self medication is needed to "escape" the bonds of religiosity."
There's a reason "the preacher's daughter" stereotype exists. Kids rebel, that's a fact. The more taboo you place on them, the more they NEED to find out for themselves. We Junior Corps compensated for the abuse and lies and pain with sex, drugs and rock n roll. We were BAD, worse than your average teen.
ROA was a party to us. And we earned it!
Try being made to go to school where the kids make fun of you all day for being in a cult, witness to a group of uninterested KIDS, participate in extra curricular activities (sports), come home and work on a farm, do your home work, go to twig EVERY NIGHT, be ridiculed (reproved) all day long for every little thing, be beaten by whoever had the closest wooden spoon for any minor offense, take classes (PFAL, Intermediate and CF&X with a perverted teacher, dealing with the adversary and other HEAVY TOPICS), wake up at five to pray and read the bible, work out and repeat schedule.
It was way too much for any kid to have to go through. It's no wonder we drank, smoked and had sex.
ROA was our Mardi Gras. Unsupervised madness. Pure rebellion.
These days, when I tell my friends this stuff they think I'm making it up.
Also at ROA and Score Week there was some mixing of young "adults" with older teens: sex and booze.
It's just amazing.
OMG, I never knew this!! You poor kids! I am so happy that I didn't grow up in TWI.
First, foremost and always...........wierwille (twi) did not comprehend and accept THE DYNAMIC AND CHANGING RESPONSIBILITIES OF CORPS GRADS who were attempting to get established in a community (physically, financially, socially, etc.) and live a lifetime of Christian service.
Those who lived furthest from New Knoxville, Ohio.....like say California, Alaska, Hawaii (what about those international corps???) had to pony-up some serious cash for taking 16-18 days off work. And, as the years passed.....marriage, family, career advancement, growing responsibilities, etc confronted each corps grad who made the yearly trek to ohio.
And, let's not forget to mention......throughout the year, for these corps grads there were Limb mtgs, Branch mtgs, Corps mtgs, weekly Twig mtgs, and all the VOLUNTEER WORKLOAD of overseeing a good-sized Branch.
Pregnant corps wives were becoming a part of the equation. Guys left their pregnant wife back home....and prayed that she wouldn't go into labor until they got back. And, as the years passed....little babies were a disturbance at corps week. Now what??
THE DYNAMIC AND CHANGING RESPONSIBILITIES OF CORPS GRADS......and cultdom had no answer. Wierwille's only way of dealing with it was to confront the corps on their commitment to "a lifetime of Christian service." Yeah.........that worked.
Why not give profound public thanks at corps week for all corps grad participation?? Why not take a day at the roa and credit the way corps for their on-going faithfulness and countless hours of giving to twi?? Rather than just having corps promos.......why no have a few select corps give testimonials of their lives and growing responsibilities as a result of their corps training? Why not??.........because wierwille was so ego-driven that he couldn't see beyond his nose and the scriptures on the podium.
From one corps grad to many............THANK YOU CORPS for your amazing labor of love.
Sky, your post is so good, I have nothing to add, except "thanks!"
I HATED how they tried to shove us in and out of the shower tent like a bunch of cattle. How in the heck were you supposed to get your legs and arm pits shaved in a 3 minute shower? We were walking around in shorts for crying out loud! We couldn't have stubble on our legs. I HATED that they tried to tell me I couldn't take my towel with me to cover up. I did it anyway. I HATED that people were so darn anal about small things. But that was/is the way of The Way.
I was very ill at ROA 1994. I hadn't felt well all summer, and now I was almost blind, had to get up several times each night to empty my bladder, was almost too weak to walk. I had attempted to find out about going to a doctor from our TC's wife, Ms. Perfect Health Through Organic Eating, who simply complimented me on my very successful weight loss program and cut off my question before I could ask it. (I went from 140 to 111 in 5 1/2 weeks).
We stayed in one room of a two room tent with some friends from NC. The first night I had to get up to use the bathroom about 4 times. By Tuesday, I was staggering around, unable to eat, see or stand up, but drinking all the water I could find. Our TC suggested 3rd aid, where, to my surprise, they recommended a trip to the ER. So my husband walked me the mile or so to the car (no cars on grounds, no picking people up at the curb, and no people movers in sight.)
At the hospital in St. Mary's the harassed ER doc drew a blood sample and sent it off to the lab STAT (that means right now!). He checked me over and told me he thought I had diabetes. My blood glucose came back 702 (normal is 70-120). I was in very bad shape. I spent the rest of ROA in the hospital, so I missed the great announcement about WOW being cancelled. My husbnad brought me the tape and I was just amazed.
Then, when we finally get home to Washington, our wonderful TC comes over, not to thank God I'm alive and on medication, but to scream at me "You could have died in that tent, and that would have made the Ministry look bad!" Not a word about how was I feeling, had I found a doctor in Everett, nothing.
The last ROA, 1995, we stayed with my husband's family and spent very little time at the ROA. By now, we had not only been dismissed from WFC 20 but also I had diabetes. Old friends gazed aside and didn't want anything to do with us. That was the part that really hurt.
WG
WG, I would have told several people to go F-themselves! Why the H--l didn't someone take you to a doctor sooner??!!
The drinking and pot smoking hasn't really been talked about very much here (except for VPW's boozing, not a lot of pot talk)
Welcome to Pot Talk. I'm your host Linda Richman and I'm feeling a little verklempt right now since I can't find my rolling papers....so talk amongst yourselves.
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skyrider
When some post about those warm, fuzzy feelings from the rock of ages.........I've got to admit, I had some of those experiences too. But after about my 4th roa....and being corps....those 6 hr - 12
rascal
Skyrider...first off though too little too late.... THANKYOU! :) I always volunteered to work at each roa...but it was only one shift a day so had no idea what the rest of you guys endured to put o
skyrider
(((rascal))) Awww......another worker bee in our midst. Wowsers....you bring to mind the DANGEROUS SITUATIONS that we endured time and time again. Wasn't it 1985, at corps week, when that major
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Catcup
Yeah, Georgio, that about sums it up except for one more thing:
Add Connix Pannarxllo's comment to me:
"Your ankle has not healed because your husband doesn't love you enough!"
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rascal
pompous arrogant bi tch. Acting so judgemental, so accusative..... trying to act so all knowing....so freaking clueless.
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Georgio Jessio
No wonder these allergies aren't clearing up, my wife isn't loving me enough.
How freaking absurd.
My mom fell off a mountain on LEAD, broke her back and was told it was her fault because she didn't listen to God.
She should have sued.
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Watered Garden
I was very ill at ROA 1994. I hadn't felt well all summer, and now I was almost blind, had to get up several times each night to empty my bladder, was almost too weak to walk. I had attempted to find out about going to a doctor from our TC's wife, Ms. Perfect Health Through Organic Eating, who simply complimented me on my very successful weight loss program and cut off my question before I could ask it. (I went from 140 to 111 in 5 1/2 weeks).
We stayed in one room of a two room tent with some friends from NC. The first night I had to get up to use the bathroom about 4 times. By Tuesday, I was staggering around, unable to eat, see or stand up, but drinking all the water I could find. Our TC suggested 3rd aid, where, to my surprise, they recommended a trip to the ER. So my husband walked me the mile or so to the car (no cars on grounds, no picking people up at the curb, and no people movers in sight.)
At the hospital in St. Mary's the harassed ER doc drew a blood sample and sent it off to the lab STAT (that means right now!). He checked me over and told me he thought I had diabetes. My blood glucose came back 702 (normal is 70-120). I was in very bad shape. I spent the rest of ROA in the hospital, so I missed the great announcement about WOW being cancelled. My husbnad brought me the tape and I was just amazed.
Then, when we finally get home to Washington, our wonderful TC comes over, not to thank God I'm alive and on medication, but to scream at me "You could have died in that tent, and that would have made the Ministry look bad!" Not a word about how was I feeling, had I found a doctor in Everett, nothing.
The last ROA, 1995, we stayed with my husband's family and spent very little time at the ROA. By now, we had not only been dismissed from WFC 20 but also I had diabetes. Old friends gazed aside and didn't want anything to do with us. That was the part that really hurt.
WG
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Catcup
What compassion!
What concern for the welfare of the individual!
What servants of the Body of Christ!
What well-equipped first-aid center would NOT have a glucometer?!?!?!?!?!?!
Oh, yeah, I forgot-- it's THIRD aid.... should have given us a clue as to our priority in the eyes of TWI!
No $h!t you could have died in that tent! No $h!t the ministry would have looked bad--
THEY WERE BAD!
Just look at those ministers going forth as leaders and workers in areas of concern, interest, and need--
They were concerned purely about their OWN interests and needs, obviously not yours.
Ya know, I take heart in the fact that ONE day, they will be forced to answer for their attitudes and actions.
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Watered Garden
Catcup,
thanks, and if I ever go back there, I'm going to take a cudgel to that little egotiscal SOB. I wonder how he'd like to check his blood glucose 6 times a day, give himself shots 4-6 times a day, and wonder when his kidneys will give out or he'll go blind? I was visited in that hospital by about 12 so-called believers, many of whom I'd know for years and years, and do you know how many of them offered to pray with me or minister to me? Guess?
12?
10?
5?
The answer is none, zip, zilch, zero! Whether one considers ministering to some one for healing authentic or not, when I first got involved in 1973, if you sneezed in twig, half the people there jumped on you and starting praying! By 1994, one was REPROVED for being sick. "Well!" the tc's perfect little wife would say to some hapless soul, "Where's YOUR believing?"
But I digress..... don't want to go
WG
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Catcup
That's not a digression at all. Nope you're not
!
We are discussing the backside of the millstone of the millennium.
It just ain't so pretty when you really look at it, now, is it?
Once again, with feeling: What compassion!
Yeah. WHAT compassion?
Such a vast difference between the God we originally believed, and the one to whom we were misled.
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rascal
THAT oughtta be calligraphied, matted, framed and hung on the wall around here :(
Watered garden, I am so sorry that you were treated that way. I am so thankfull that you are alive, in spite of that arrogant idiot.
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Eagle
Yes, I remember, especially as Apprentice Corps, assigned to all the work details. At the ROA, though I did only get a six hour shift on one day there. Flipping Wow burgers and laying cheese on them. I was fortunate. They hit the Corps GRADS with the dirty work, and I had NO idea they were hit so hard.
God Bless you Corps for all you did...
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Out There
Every ROA I ever attended I had the great jobs of either cleaning crew (Which meant toilet patrol) or Bless patrol. One year each 8 hour bowl patrol shift meant staying by your porta john of assignment and every 20 minutes or so going in and cleaning something. We weree also toldto be on the lookout because sick people hung out in the tiolets and it would be a great opportunity to find someone to minister to.
By around day three there were plenty of sick people to minister to. - Dehydration, diahrea, vomitting, heat stroke, sun stroke, you name it it came out.
Bless patrol meant if you were on the cool list you got a good location. Me, lacking in the overall pizazz to claim master sainthood had to settle for some obscure outpost in the back of the OSC or watching a cornfield so no undesirables could sneak in through the miles of corn. If only I knew then what I know today.
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skyrider
bowl patrol....................
and, "bless patrol"......... should be renamed control patrol
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Grace Valerie Claire
Sky, and they did it for free!!
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Grace Valerie Claire
Dan, I thought WOW training was a waste of time. We heard a lot of Bible, but very little practical information on having successful WOW years. My WOW sucked; I couldn't wait for it to end.
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Grace Valerie Claire
OMG, I never knew this!! You poor kids! I am so happy that I didn't grow up in TWI.
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Grace Valerie Claire
Sky, your post is so good, I have nothing to add, except "thanks!"
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Grace Valerie Claire
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Grace Valerie Claire
WG, I would have told several people to go F-themselves! Why the H--l didn't someone take you to a doctor sooner??!!
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Grace Valerie Claire
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T-Bone
Welcome to Pot Talk. I'm your host Linda Richman and I'm feeling a little verklempt right now since I can't find my rolling papers....so talk amongst yourselves.
Edited by T-BoneBonus features
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