quote: I think it's rather sad that this thread didn't get as much attention as the worst things about the ROA thread.
That's just it. I posted positive things on that thread; didn't want to repeat myself. BUT dear friends...
quote: I remember the 1980 ROA. I didn't get there until Wed by which time the rain stopped ha ha. I always appreciated that the rest areas on hwy 75 had people there all night with coffee when folks were traveling. I remember one year as I was driving into the parking lot there was a state police car across Wierwille Rd from the entrance and the cop was astounded; I could see it in his face that he couldn't believe how orderly and uncomplicated people were being processed, and those flat bed tractor things that got you from the parking lot to tent city, wow.
One year I was in tent city and one morning I woke up to that Spyro Gyra tape 'Morning Dance' playing in a tent a few yards away. I was so blessed: no mandated SIT, believer's meeting study the word do a lift list etc. That atmosphere was what I loved about ROAs. In '83 a friend arrived mid week so we had a group of about 8 of us sitting outside a tent at 1AM singing every song we knew with couple guitars and finally bless patrol very politely asked us to stop so people could sleep but nobody complained.
Loved those bands in the west woods, loved going to the house of his healing presence, loved wow burgers, chicken, etc.
Getting to reunite with people I hadn't seen all year was such a thrill.
Thinking I was in the most spiritually important place on earth was an even bigger thrill.
I've since learned that the people were the real deal, but the hype about us wayfers being more special and beloved-of-God than other believers was a lie.
looking back, there really wasn't anything I liked. I thought I was doing God's will by being there, but I didn't hear, see, or experience anything that would make me want to go back... except that I was miraculously healed there once, but I think that had more to do with the simple fact that being there caused me so much physical pain that I went to God for an answer. it had nothing to do with the roa itself.
I started going in 1990. as long as I went, my experience pretty much sucked. human contact was filtered and controlled by my ex, so I didn't make any real friends there, and I had no friends to reunite with by the time the roa tradition ended. its demise was a relief to me.
looking back, there really wasn't anything I liked. I thought I was doing God's will by being there, but I didn't hear, see, or experience anything that would make me want to go back... except that I was miraculously healed there once, but I think that had more to do with the simple fact that being there caused me so much physical pain that I went to God for an answer. it had nothing to do with the roa itself.
I started going in 1990. as long as I went, my experience pretty much sucked. human contact was filtered and controlled by my ex, so I didn't make any real friends there, and I had no friends to reunite with by the time the roa tradition ended. its demise was a relief to me.
potato,
I consider the last "real" ROA to be 1988, since the 1989 one was so heavily-monitored,
and 80% of the people- including most of the ones that made it worthwhile-
were gone.
Of the ones that attended the 89 ROA, many of them attended it as their LAST ROA,
as they came off the WOW field, hit the bookstore one last time, said their goodbyes,
and so on.
So, from 1990 on, you had brand-new people, establishment goons, good-hearted
Kool-Aid Drinkers, and the stars on the mainstage.
The new people and Kool-Aid Drinkers together weren't enough to float it as a
worthwhile event any longer- especially with numbers down as much as they
collapsed after lcm's "line in the sand."
========
And from what I've heard, 86-88 weren't as good as the ones that came before....
Breakfast, in New Bremen, forget the name of the cafe, but it was on the main drag, went there a lot for breakfast and lunch over the years.
All the nice people. Meeting new people from all over the country, and some other countries too. Finding times here and there to help people.
Playing music. The Way Orchestra.
Staying up late, drinking java and talking, jamming, visiting.
Family Tables. The coffeehouses.
The last year we went we took an RV, and that was nice. Our kids were little, we really enjoyed the trip there and back that year.
(it was 86, and due to Extreme Weird Conditions we pulled off grounds for the actual ROAges, and plugged in at friends in New Knoxville, and that was fun too)
Different jobs that I did - B.P., Meal Tent, Way Prod.
The year locals tried to chase my car one night, late. I swung around on Shelby Auglaize road, about half way down to New Bremen and blocked the road and chased them away. It was fun.
The very first ROA was at a Winter Youth Advance - 70, 71? That was a lot of fun, as I recall.
Every Year I went to the Rock, I stayed in tent city. Stupid me, when I left my tent, if it was nice, I opened it up to keep it cool, then went on my way to some teaching that would last forever. And of course, it would start to rain. Not a nice drizzle, but pour! After the teaching, I would go back to my tent expecting everything to be flooded. But while I was in the teaching, someone went through tent city and closed all the flaps on the tents that were opened.
I really appreciated the people who did that. They saved my belongings many times. If there is anyone on here who did that or knows someone who did, thank you so very much.
My first ROA was '72, and I was struck by how people helped each other and shared food and music and dry socks (no, not you, Socksness), sleeping space, a kind word.... Whatever was needed, it was taken care of. There were no suits. If there was bless patrol, I wasn't aware of it. The food (prepared by the lovely blue-haired ladies at the Shelby Co. [sidney] Fairgrounds) wasn't great, but back then, we brought and cooked our own in Tent City, so we weren't dependent on their food.
After the ROA moved back to HQ, the food was great. Loved the WOW burgers and the granola and the fresh fruit.
In early years, the teachings were hot and inspiring, and much shorter and less academic than in later years. Nothing was mandatory, for God's sake. I loved the music, the dances, and just sitting around talking and laughing.
I never minded working during the ROA after I went into the Corps. The grubbier the work, the better. One of the most fun days I ever had (in terms of ROA work assignments) was doing ROA clean-up in tent city one year with a bunch of other women. We pretended that the flatbed trailer we were using to pick up junk was a parade float. We were filthy, sweaty, and laughing all the way. Sweet camaraderie.
My last ROA was 1988. I knew it would be my last and mainly went to say goodbye to old friends and, in my own mind, make my break. Suits abounded. Rules did too.
To me, seeing where the ROA started out and where it ended up, I think it served as sort of a metaphor for twi in general.
quote: To me, seeing where the ROA started out and where it ended up, I think it served as sort of a metaphor for twi in general.
One of the last big meetings I went to in the 90s Larry P was one of the speakers and he was going on and on about how mature the believers were now (90s) compared to the 70s. If that was maturity, I'd rather be, like, sooooo immaCHURRR.
Linda, that would be an allegory, not a metaphor. An allegory is an EXTENDED metaphor. Aw man, I'm just MESSIN' with you.
I loved going 'home' and meeting up with all my old friends from around the country. I used to think that I could go anywhere in the country and have friends, and the ROA was our homecoming, our reunion, where we'd all get together once a year.
I loved hearing, "It's good to be home again!" announced over the loudspeaker because I truly felt like I was home. I loved seeing the fly-over and seeing VPW & MRS. waving at us from the gazebo.
I loved the way I could just wander around and run into the people I wanted to see. I never used that little tented area where people left messages for each other....I'd just say, "God, I need to see ______" and they'd appear...usually on my way to the farmer's market or the main tent.
I loved the early morning frost in tent city. I grew up in Florida, so it was the coldest I'd ever been but it was cool!
I loved getting a shower early & going to the farmers market for the wonderful fruit and cinnamon yogurt! Then I'd find a place to sit and run into someone cool to talk to and we'd have the best time chatting!
I loved how we could shut out the entire world and pretend they didn't exist. There were no cell phones and only, maybe, 2 pay phones. You had to be very serious if you wanted to call anyone from grounds. You had to stand in line for a while. There was no one I wanted to talk to bad enough!
I loved the single guys! I was a single girl for my first couple of rocks and it was cool seeing who you could meet! The guys were always so respectful....
I loved Way Productions! Since I lived with one of them for a while, I got to know some of them and I thought it was so COOL since they were ROCK STARS! LOL!
I loved the Way Woods when it got so hot in the afternoon. It was great going over there just to lay down on a blanket and rest a while in the shade....that was before the Auditorium and all that stuff....back when they were just woods, with the House Of His Healing Presence there....and the log cabin, before it was commandeered by stupid old craig...
I loved tent city...even when it rained because then I could see how God worked in people to help others out. Once I got totally flooded out and a guy let me sleep in the back of his pickup with him. Of course, I knew him from my city, but he was a complete gentleman. I think he even slept up front in the truck cab.
I loved when the had the Arts tents....where people could display their arts and crafts. And the International tents....where we could see people from so many other countries.
All these things were in the late 70's, early 80's......I missed going from 1983 to 1993. When I went back in 1994.. OMIGOD were things different!!
Not much to love at the rock after that....I never went back after the rock in 1994. It was too controlled. Although I wanted to believe it was the 'same old way' it just wasn't. Things were not the same. My 'old friends' who were still around were wearing suits and acting suspicious...like, "Where've you been?" I missed the big exodus because I was busy having kids and going to nursing school. I'd never taken sides, or crossed the 'line in the sand' but I got treated with suspicion that was palpable!!
Still, I was sad to hear that the Rock was cancelled. VPW promised us that it would always be home. Then LCM took it all away from us....like he took the Corps Chalet away from the corps!
Hearing the reference to "going home" triggered a memory for me.
I always had a fond spot in my memory for the music.
One of my favorite musical memories is hearing Barry McCoy sing "Happy To Be Home Again".
Soooo--- I did a little googling and found a mention of a Barry McCoy at williamsondailynews.com.
Before I found his name , I also found the name Teresa Yates (another name I recognized from many moons ago.) I suppose they could simply be two completely different people with the same names, but both ended their posts with"God Bless."
Plus, Barry has a link to Jesusarose.com.
Yeah. I know. That has nothing to do with the Rock,but maybe it will help someone as they head for the "Friend Tracker" thread.
Linda Z.-----Were you with the bunch of us that camped at Lake Laramie on the way to ROA'72?
It rained like crazy that night but no one seemed to mind.
Waysider, I sure was. Were you there, too? I was such a newbie, I didn't know everyone yet. I hadn't taken PFAL and had only been going to fellowship for a couple months. (I took that big film class at that place on Linda St. in Rocky River that started right after the Rock.)
I was the one who totaled my little blue VW bug by rear-ending Dan D***o's big muscle car on the way from the campground to the ROA. I got a ride to the front gate in a state trooper's cruiser because I told the troopers there would be a "doctor" there so they didn't have to take me to the hospital.
I told the troopers there would be a "doctor" there so they didn't have to take me to the hospital.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaahhhh...this is so funny! But I'm not laughing at you Linda, I'm laughing with you because I can imagine myself saying the same thing!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaahhhh...this is so funny! But I'm not laughing at you Linda, I'm laughing with you because I can imagine myself saying the same thing!
Heh heh, it's funny to me as I look back now, too. I just know I sure as heck didn't want to spend a chunk of my ROA time in a hospital emergency room. I wasn't lying...exactly. They didn't ask what kind, and I didn't tell them. (And before anyone says it, if they'd asked me if his PhD was legit, I wouldn't have had a clue anyway.)
I loved, and still do, love the concept of the thing. The idea of the thing, "if a city were built & run and fully populated by believers, this is what it would be like."
I think that's cool.
Every year at HQ we lived for the Rock. It was our focus. In my dept. we looked to the Rock all year long. I designed promo ads, fought in meetings to "brand" it simply as "Good Food, Good Fun, Good Fellowship." I just couldn't wait every year to see the believers come home for the rock.
I think the most fun I had was the year we 11th Corps/ Family 7th did ROA setup. We were the largest WC group ever and were arguably the rowdiest. After surviving our first year in residence and earning the respect of the family 7th, we hit ROA setup like a group of locusts. Especially after they told us the goal (in terms of time frame) for the setup and if we got done early we'd get a vacation & just report to our work assignments on opening day.
One little story that kinda sums it up for me was the first day on the tent set-up crew. They had told us to bring heavy work gloves to deal with the bull ropes that secured the tent posts. These Haitian (I think, if memory serves) guys who came w/ the tents and ran the crew would do amazing stuff manipulating those heavy ropes w/ NO gloves!!!
Wow.
Being on big top set-up was a macho, manly type, lift the big poles - pull the heavy rope, grunt it up kinda thing.
Somebody asked, "Hey! How do you guys do that without getting your hands all torn up, like what's your secret?"
We all waited anxiously for the response....
"Pee."
What???
We figured it must be some word from a language we didn't understand, some magical ointment or something.
Just pee on your hands every day before you come to work.
We all looked down in unison, then looked at our hands, shrugged our shoulders & somebody said.
Many commercial skin products contain a substance called urea. This substance is also present in, well, "pee". Does that mean that "pee " on hands is equivalent to hand cream? I don't know the answer. When I was a kid people used to say that since penicillan is derived from mold, maybe a piece of moldy bread could be beneficial. I think they were speaking tongue-in -cheek. Or maybe they were just trying to get us to eat what otherwise would be thrown away. Either way, I think it is probably not advisable to pee on your GLOVES before work.
Many commercial skin products contain a substance called urea. This substance is also present in, well, "pee". Does that mean that "pee " on hands is equivalent to hand cream? I don't know the answer. When I was a kid people used to say that since penicillan is derived from mold, maybe a piece of moldy bread could be beneficial. I think they were speaking tongue-in -cheek. Or maybe they were just trying to get us to eat what otherwise would be thrown away. Either way, I think it is probably not advisable to pee on your GLOVES before work.
Actually, urine is sterile when it comes from the bladder. Uh, I guess that is if the person is not infected with HIV or some other disease that is transmitted by body fluids. Ick.
I'll take my chances and rely on hand cream and gloves if it ever comes up...
I graduated from PFAL in 1973 and went to teh ROA the next weekend with my friend's borrowed sleeping bag, a Bible, a change or two or clothes and a few dollars. Everyone was wonderful and kind and helpful; one guy from Minnesota even proposed to me!
There was a subtle change that happened over time, with more emphasis on teachings, attending twigs at 11 am without fail. Regimentation and legalism crept in and by the late 80's it wasn't as much fun. In 1993 we went into the FWC and were dismissed after three months. In 1994 I spent the ROA in the hospital in St. Mary's being diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes. Several people came to see me; no one offered to pray. This pains me, remembering the healing nights the early Rocks would have.
In 1995, we flew back but stayed with relatives in Van Wert. We didn't attend but about on session of the socalled class LCM was ranting about every night. The old friends from South Carolina I had so looked forward to seeing were always looking around me, to see if anyone saw them speaking to an almost pariah. Between the dismissal from FWC and being diabetic, I was pretty much an outcast I guess, but too dumb to know it. Also I think they had decided by then my son was possessed and needed to be stoned. I would arrange to meet someone for lunch, someone I loved and trusted and respected, and she would never show up, and her friends would laugh at me about it.
I thought 1995 was pretty sad anyway. No spontaneity. I really don't remember much except the fear and sadness.
As many others have pointed out, ROA was a wonderful time to reconnect with old friends, even during the more regimented ones. (There was also a bit of morbid curiosity to see who "was still here.")
The babes. I was single; and there was a plethora of beautiful women who, thanks to August in Ohio, wore short-shorts, tank tops, etc. Of course, when I moved to Texas, it was like that all the time!
I usually enjoyed the teachings, except for LCMS later rantings and the time I was in the "Way Chorale Internationale" sitting on bleachers while VP taught essentially the whole story of Joseph!
I enjoyed singing in the Way Chorale Internationale (but see above).
I made my first marriage proposal at a ROA. (She said no, but that didn't dampen the experience -- much.)
HCW - pee cures a lot of ailments. If you ever get athletes foot put pee soaked socks on your feet and wrap platic bags around that. It will disappear. How do I know? An old hunter guy I knew when I was a young girl in the way told me this. I never forgot. My oldest somehow got athletes foot when she was 4 so I would have her pee in a cup and I treated her feet and in 24hours it was gone. No lie. it works.
quote: one guy from Minnesota even proposed to me!
Was it dmiller?
quote: My oldest somehow got athletes foot when she was 4 so I would have her pee in a cup and I treated her feet and in 24hours it was gone. No lie. it works.
Gross! Actually, I suppose it may work, but I'll never do it; too weird. Reminds me of a joke...
A Harvard man and a Yale man were both urinating in the men's room at the same time. The Harvard man finished first and proceeded to wash his hands. The Yale man finished and just walked out of the men's room. Later, the Harvard man walked up to the Yale man and said, "At Hahvard, we wash our hahnds after we urinate"! The Yale man replied, "At Yale, we don't urinate on our hahnds".
Speaking of the ROA, in 1985, the year VP died, on Wed. of the ROA there was a memorial service all morning. I slept in and didn't even go. Some here at GSC have labelled me a "Wierwille worshipper" because I still have positive things to say about TWI. Not only did I sleep in, I got up while the thing was still going on and walked to the parking lot and back. Bless patrol didn't even "arrest" me or anything. Never heard a thing about it. I must be going to hell for sure, huh?
ROA was unique. Nothing like it. As most have said, it was great to see old friends, the list of which grew each year. It was before the Internet. I wish we would have had cell phones and texting and websites, etc. Probably would have been banned. I think I had the first cell phone at the ROA, one of those $3,000 transportable ones you had to carry around. It was 50 cents a minute and terrible reception. I had to use it privately because it was frowned upon when I went to the top of the Gazebo for best reception (and to show off), ha, ha.
But back to this topic, if you were a people person it was awesome. It may have been our own little imaginary Jonestown-like safe place in the cornfields but no question, parts of it were cool beyond words.
In my opinion TWI has this amazing ability to screw up almost anything that was successful and good, ROA included. In their defense, it was very difficult to pull off behind the scenes.
Nice while it lasted. I went from 1974 through the last one. Earliest ones were best.
Here is my wife being a hippie and singing onstage at ROA 1972. Ha, ha. Socks and others from here were at that one.
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johniam
quote: I think it's rather sad that this thread didn't get as much attention as the worst things about the ROA thread.
That's just it. I posted positive things on that thread; didn't want to repeat myself. BUT dear friends...
quote: I remember the 1980 ROA. I didn't get there until Wed by which time the rain stopped ha ha. I always appreciated that the rest areas on hwy 75 had people there all night with coffee when folks were traveling. I remember one year as I was driving into the parking lot there was a state police car across Wierwille Rd from the entrance and the cop was astounded; I could see it in his face that he couldn't believe how orderly and uncomplicated people were being processed, and those flat bed tractor things that got you from the parking lot to tent city, wow.
One year I was in tent city and one morning I woke up to that Spyro Gyra tape 'Morning Dance' playing in a tent a few yards away. I was so blessed: no mandated SIT, believer's meeting study the word do a lift list etc. That atmosphere was what I loved about ROAs. In '83 a friend arrived mid week so we had a group of about 8 of us sitting outside a tent at 1AM singing every song we knew with couple guitars and finally bless patrol very politely asked us to stop so people could sleep but nobody complained.
Loved those bands in the west woods, loved going to the house of his healing presence, loved wow burgers, chicken, etc.
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tonto
Getting to reunite with people I hadn't seen all year was such a thrill.
Thinking I was in the most spiritually important place on earth was an even bigger thrill.
I've since learned that the people were the real deal, but the hype about us wayfers being more special and beloved-of-God than other believers was a lie.
Hey, better late than never.
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potato
looking back, there really wasn't anything I liked. I thought I was doing God's will by being there, but I didn't hear, see, or experience anything that would make me want to go back... except that I was miraculously healed there once, but I think that had more to do with the simple fact that being there caused me so much physical pain that I went to God for an answer. it had nothing to do with the roa itself.
I started going in 1990. as long as I went, my experience pretty much sucked. human contact was filtered and controlled by my ex, so I didn't make any real friends there, and I had no friends to reunite with by the time the roa tradition ended. its demise was a relief to me.
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dmiller
I generally had a good time at the rock.
My time's there were from '75 to '85.
I liked the spontenaity, seeing old friends,
late night jam sessions in the campground,
things like that. (I think I lived only on WOW-burgers, the entire time).
From '78 to '81 -- the entire branch from up here in Minney-soda did the road trip together.
A long line of wow-mobiles headed south, belching blue exhaust the entire way!
Whole families with kids, singles, married couples, returning WOW's --
so we made the trip a two day affair and stopped early on (suppertime),
making sure to be at a campground that had a "play park" for the kids,
while the adults set up camp, got supper, etc.
I only remember once that one of those cars actually broke down on our 1800 mile trek there and back,
and that was fixed by the caravan members within an hour, so we didn't really lose much time.
Never having worked at the rock, I wandered around taking in whatever I felt like,
and when I felt like it. Hey -- that was my VACATION for the year.
I wanted to enjoy it! And I did. ;)
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WordWolf
potato,
I consider the last "real" ROA to be 1988, since the 1989 one was so heavily-monitored,
and 80% of the people- including most of the ones that made it worthwhile-
were gone.
Of the ones that attended the 89 ROA, many of them attended it as their LAST ROA,
as they came off the WOW field, hit the bookstore one last time, said their goodbyes,
and so on.
So, from 1990 on, you had brand-new people, establishment goons, good-hearted
Kool-Aid Drinkers, and the stars on the mainstage.
The new people and Kool-Aid Drinkers together weren't enough to float it as a
worthwhile event any longer- especially with numbers down as much as they
collapsed after lcm's "line in the sand."
========
And from what I've heard, 86-88 weren't as good as the ones that came before....
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socks
WOW burgers, nothing like a good burger.
Breakfast, in New Bremen, forget the name of the cafe, but it was on the main drag, went there a lot for breakfast and lunch over the years.
All the nice people. Meeting new people from all over the country, and some other countries too. Finding times here and there to help people.
Playing music. The Way Orchestra.
Staying up late, drinking java and talking, jamming, visiting.
Family Tables. The coffeehouses.
The last year we went we took an RV, and that was nice. Our kids were little, we really enjoyed the trip there and back that year.
(it was 86, and due to Extreme Weird Conditions we pulled off grounds for the actual ROAges, and plugged in at friends in New Knoxville, and that was fun too)
Different jobs that I did - B.P., Meal Tent, Way Prod.
The year locals tried to chase my car one night, late. I swung around on Shelby Auglaize road, about half way down to New Bremen and blocked the road and chased them away. It was fun.
The very first ROA was at a Winter Youth Advance - 70, 71? That was a lot of fun, as I recall.
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def59
I miss the Mountain Dew parties.
I miss wow burgers.
I miss staying up all night
I miss the reunions
I miss the Frisbee football games
I miss learning how to eat yogurt for the first time
I miss going to Ohio every August.
I miss the fellowship.
But I don't miss the Way
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VeganXTC
Every Year I went to the Rock, I stayed in tent city. Stupid me, when I left my tent, if it was nice, I opened it up to keep it cool, then went on my way to some teaching that would last forever. And of course, it would start to rain. Not a nice drizzle, but pour! After the teaching, I would go back to my tent expecting everything to be flooded. But while I was in the teaching, someone went through tent city and closed all the flaps on the tents that were opened.
I really appreciated the people who did that. They saved my belongings many times. If there is anyone on here who did that or knows someone who did, thank you so very much.
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Linda Z
My first ROA was '72, and I was struck by how people helped each other and shared food and music and dry socks (no, not you, Socksness), sleeping space, a kind word.... Whatever was needed, it was taken care of. There were no suits. If there was bless patrol, I wasn't aware of it. The food (prepared by the lovely blue-haired ladies at the Shelby Co. [sidney] Fairgrounds) wasn't great, but back then, we brought and cooked our own in Tent City, so we weren't dependent on their food.
After the ROA moved back to HQ, the food was great. Loved the WOW burgers and the granola and the fresh fruit.
In early years, the teachings were hot and inspiring, and much shorter and less academic than in later years. Nothing was mandatory, for God's sake. I loved the music, the dances, and just sitting around talking and laughing.
I never minded working during the ROA after I went into the Corps. The grubbier the work, the better. One of the most fun days I ever had (in terms of ROA work assignments) was doing ROA clean-up in tent city one year with a bunch of other women. We pretended that the flatbed trailer we were using to pick up junk was a parade float. We were filthy, sweaty, and laughing all the way. Sweet camaraderie.
My last ROA was 1988. I knew it would be my last and mainly went to say goodbye to old friends and, in my own mind, make my break. Suits abounded. Rules did too.
To me, seeing where the ROA started out and where it ended up, I think it served as sort of a metaphor for twi in general.
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johniam
quote: To me, seeing where the ROA started out and where it ended up, I think it served as sort of a metaphor for twi in general.
One of the last big meetings I went to in the 90s Larry P was one of the speakers and he was going on and on about how mature the believers were now (90s) compared to the 70s. If that was maturity, I'd rather be, like, sooooo immaCHURRR.
Linda, that would be an allegory, not a metaphor. An allegory is an EXTENDED metaphor. Aw man, I'm just MESSIN' with you.
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Robes
I loved going 'home' and meeting up with all my old friends from around the country. I used to think that I could go anywhere in the country and have friends, and the ROA was our homecoming, our reunion, where we'd all get together once a year.
I loved hearing, "It's good to be home again!" announced over the loudspeaker because I truly felt like I was home. I loved seeing the fly-over and seeing VPW & MRS. waving at us from the gazebo.
I loved the way I could just wander around and run into the people I wanted to see. I never used that little tented area where people left messages for each other....I'd just say, "God, I need to see ______" and they'd appear...usually on my way to the farmer's market or the main tent.
I loved the early morning frost in tent city. I grew up in Florida, so it was the coldest I'd ever been but it was cool!
I loved getting a shower early & going to the farmers market for the wonderful fruit and cinnamon yogurt! Then I'd find a place to sit and run into someone cool to talk to and we'd have the best time chatting!
I loved how we could shut out the entire world and pretend they didn't exist. There were no cell phones and only, maybe, 2 pay phones. You had to be very serious if you wanted to call anyone from grounds. You had to stand in line for a while. There was no one I wanted to talk to bad enough!
I loved the single guys! I was a single girl for my first couple of rocks and it was cool seeing who you could meet! The guys were always so respectful....
I loved Way Productions! Since I lived with one of them for a while, I got to know some of them and I thought it was so COOL since they were ROCK STARS! LOL!
I loved the Way Woods when it got so hot in the afternoon. It was great going over there just to lay down on a blanket and rest a while in the shade....that was before the Auditorium and all that stuff....back when they were just woods, with the House Of His Healing Presence there....and the log cabin, before it was commandeered by stupid old craig...
I loved tent city...even when it rained because then I could see how God worked in people to help others out. Once I got totally flooded out and a guy let me sleep in the back of his pickup with him. Of course, I knew him from my city, but he was a complete gentleman. I think he even slept up front in the truck cab.
I loved when the had the Arts tents....where people could display their arts and crafts. And the International tents....where we could see people from so many other countries.
All these things were in the late 70's, early 80's......I missed going from 1983 to 1993. When I went back in 1994.. OMIGOD were things different!!
Not much to love at the rock after that....I never went back after the rock in 1994. It was too controlled. Although I wanted to believe it was the 'same old way' it just wasn't. Things were not the same. My 'old friends' who were still around were wearing suits and acting suspicious...like, "Where've you been?" I missed the big exodus because I was busy having kids and going to nursing school. I'd never taken sides, or crossed the 'line in the sand' but I got treated with suspicion that was palpable!!
Still, I was sad to hear that the Rock was cancelled. VPW promised us that it would always be home. Then LCM took it all away from us....like he took the Corps Chalet away from the corps!
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waysider
Hearing the reference to "going home" triggered a memory for me.
I always had a fond spot in my memory for the music.
One of my favorite musical memories is hearing Barry McCoy sing "Happy To Be Home Again".
Soooo--- I did a little googling and found a mention of a Barry McCoy at williamsondailynews.com.
Before I found his name , I also found the name Teresa Yates (another name I recognized from many moons ago.) I suppose they could simply be two completely different people with the same names, but both ended their posts with"God Bless."
Plus, Barry has a link to Jesusarose.com.
Yeah. I know. That has nothing to do with the Rock,but maybe it will help someone as they head for the "Friend Tracker" thread.
Linda Z.-----Were you with the bunch of us that camped at Lake Laramie on the way to ROA'72?
It rained like crazy that night but no one seemed to mind.
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Linda Z
Waysider, I sure was. Were you there, too? I was such a newbie, I didn't know everyone yet. I hadn't taken PFAL and had only been going to fellowship for a couple months. (I took that big film class at that place on Linda St. in Rocky River that started right after the Rock.)
I was the one who totaled my little blue VW bug by rear-ending Dan D***o's big muscle car on the way from the campground to the ROA. I got a ride to the front gate in a state trooper's cruiser because I told the troopers there would be a "doctor" there so they didn't have to take me to the hospital.
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tonto
Ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaahhhh...this is so funny! But I'm not laughing at you Linda, I'm laughing with you because I can imagine myself saying the same thing!
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Linda Z
Heh heh, it's funny to me as I look back now, too. I just know I sure as heck didn't want to spend a chunk of my ROA time in a hospital emergency room. I wasn't lying...exactly.
They didn't ask what kind, and I didn't tell them. (And before anyone says it, if they'd asked me if his PhD was legit, I wouldn't have had a clue anyway.)
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HCW
The people.
I loved the believers coming "home" every year.
I loved, and still do, love the concept of the thing. The idea of the thing, "if a city were built & run and fully populated by believers, this is what it would be like."
I think that's cool.
Every year at HQ we lived for the Rock. It was our focus. In my dept. we looked to the Rock all year long. I designed promo ads, fought in meetings to "brand" it simply as "Good Food, Good Fun, Good Fellowship." I just couldn't wait every year to see the believers come home for the rock.
I think the most fun I had was the year we 11th Corps/ Family 7th did ROA setup. We were the largest WC group ever and were arguably the rowdiest. After surviving our first year in residence and earning the respect of the family 7th, we hit ROA setup like a group of locusts. Especially after they told us the goal (in terms of time frame) for the setup and if we got done early we'd get a vacation & just report to our work assignments on opening day.
One little story that kinda sums it up for me was the first day on the tent set-up crew. They had told us to bring heavy work gloves to deal with the bull ropes that secured the tent posts. These Haitian (I think, if memory serves) guys who came w/ the tents and ran the crew would do amazing stuff manipulating those heavy ropes w/ NO gloves!!!
Wow.
Being on big top set-up was a macho, manly type, lift the big poles - pull the heavy rope, grunt it up kinda thing.
Somebody asked, "Hey! How do you guys do that without getting your hands all torn up, like what's your secret?"
We all waited anxiously for the response....
"Pee."
What???
We figured it must be some word from a language we didn't understand, some magical ointment or something.
Just pee on your hands every day before you come to work.
We all looked down in unison, then looked at our hands, shrugged our shoulders & somebody said.
"No thanks man, we'll stick to the gloves."
It was hilarious.
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waysider
Re: "Pee on your hands before work."
Many commercial skin products contain a substance called urea. This substance is also present in, well, "pee". Does that mean that "pee " on hands is equivalent to hand cream? I don't know the answer. When I was a kid people used to say that since penicillan is derived from mold, maybe a piece of moldy bread could be beneficial. I think they were speaking tongue-in -cheek. Or maybe they were just trying to get us to eat what otherwise would be thrown away. Either way, I think it is probably not advisable to pee on your GLOVES before work.
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Robes
Actually, urine is sterile when it comes from the bladder. Uh, I guess that is if the person is not infected with HIV or some other disease that is transmitted by body fluids. Ick.
I'll take my chances and rely on hand cream and gloves if it ever comes up...
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Watered Garden
I graduated from PFAL in 1973 and went to teh ROA the next weekend with my friend's borrowed sleeping bag, a Bible, a change or two or clothes and a few dollars. Everyone was wonderful and kind and helpful; one guy from Minnesota even proposed to me!
There was a subtle change that happened over time, with more emphasis on teachings, attending twigs at 11 am without fail. Regimentation and legalism crept in and by the late 80's it wasn't as much fun. In 1993 we went into the FWC and were dismissed after three months. In 1994 I spent the ROA in the hospital in St. Mary's being diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes. Several people came to see me; no one offered to pray. This pains me, remembering the healing nights the early Rocks would have.
In 1995, we flew back but stayed with relatives in Van Wert. We didn't attend but about on session of the socalled class LCM was ranting about every night. The old friends from South Carolina I had so looked forward to seeing were always looking around me, to see if anyone saw them speaking to an almost pariah. Between the dismissal from FWC and being diabetic, I was pretty much an outcast I guess, but too dumb to know it. Also I think they had decided by then my son was possessed and needed to be stoned. I would arrange to meet someone for lunch, someone I loved and trusted and respected, and she would never show up, and her friends would laugh at me about it.
I thought 1995 was pretty sad anyway. No spontaneity. I really don't remember much except the fear and sadness.
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GeorgeStGeorge
As many others have pointed out, ROA was a wonderful time to reconnect with old friends, even during the more regimented ones. (There was also a bit of morbid curiosity to see who "was still here.")
The babes. I was single; and there was a plethora of beautiful women who, thanks to August in Ohio, wore short-shorts, tank tops, etc. Of course, when I moved to Texas, it was like that all the time!
I usually enjoyed the teachings, except for LCMS later rantings and the time I was in the "Way Chorale Internationale" sitting on bleachers while VP taught essentially the whole story of Joseph!
I enjoyed singing in the Way Chorale Internationale (but see above).
I made my first marriage proposal at a ROA. (She said no, but that didn't dampen the experience -- much.)
George
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FreeAtLast
HCW - pee cures a lot of ailments. If you ever get athletes foot put pee soaked socks on your feet and wrap platic bags around that. It will disappear. How do I know? An old hunter guy I knew when I was a young girl in the way told me this. I never forgot. My oldest somehow got athletes foot when she was 4 so I would have her pee in a cup and I treated her feet and in 24hours it was gone. No lie. it works.
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johniam
quote: one guy from Minnesota even proposed to me!
Was it dmiller?
quote: My oldest somehow got athletes foot when she was 4 so I would have her pee in a cup and I treated her feet and in 24hours it was gone. No lie. it works.
Gross! Actually, I suppose it may work, but I'll never do it; too weird. Reminds me of a joke...
A Harvard man and a Yale man were both urinating in the men's room at the same time. The Harvard man finished first and proceeded to wash his hands. The Yale man finished and just walked out of the men's room. Later, the Harvard man walked up to the Yale man and said, "At Hahvard, we wash our hahnds after we urinate"! The Yale man replied, "At Yale, we don't urinate on our hahnds".
Speaking of the ROA, in 1985, the year VP died, on Wed. of the ROA there was a memorial service all morning. I slept in and didn't even go. Some here at GSC have labelled me a "Wierwille worshipper" because I still have positive things to say about TWI. Not only did I sleep in, I got up while the thing was still going on and walked to the parking lot and back. Bless patrol didn't even "arrest" me or anything. Never heard a thing about it. I must be going to hell for sure, huh?
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krys
The best part was the trip home.
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igotout
ROA was unique. Nothing like it. As most have said, it was great to see old friends, the list of which grew each year. It was before the Internet. I wish we would have had cell phones and texting and websites, etc. Probably would have been banned. I think I had the first cell phone at the ROA, one of those $3,000 transportable ones you had to carry around. It was 50 cents a minute and terrible reception. I had to use it privately because it was frowned upon when I went to the top of the Gazebo for best reception (and to show off), ha, ha.
But back to this topic, if you were a people person it was awesome. It may have been our own little imaginary Jonestown-like safe place in the cornfields but no question, parts of it were cool beyond words.
In my opinion TWI has this amazing ability to screw up almost anything that was successful and good, ROA included. In their defense, it was very difficult to pull off behind the scenes.
Nice while it lasted. I went from 1974 through the last one. Earliest ones were best.
Here is my wife being a hippie and singing onstage at ROA 1972. Ha, ha. Socks and others from here were at that one.
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