I am wondering if any of the 4,000 (almost) for the 40th, WOW's are here at Greasespot... I was one of those...
Officially, the final count going WOW that year came closer to 2,750....
Amazing....the 4,000 number still sticks today, because that was what vpw waa "believing" for the 40th anniversary wave. When twi can boast numbers, they boast....when numbers are pathetic, twi hides them.
Imagine the headlines of The Way Magazine: 7 CORPS GRADUATE FROM THE WAY INTERNATIONAL'S CORPS PROGRAM. See how ridiculous that sounds when honesty prevails?
Imagine the headlines of The Way Magazine: 7 CORPS GRADUATE FROM THE WAY INTERNATIONAL'S CORPS PROGRAM. See how ridiculous that sounds when honesty prevails?
. . . the standards are much higher than they used to be . . . the quality of each individual is much much greater than back in the day . . .
Somehow I ended up walking behind VP as he was going to the big tent to begin the WOW training. He asked someone how many there were and he was told the real number. He was very po'ed that they didn't have 4,000. I forget exactly what he said, but I remember thinking, shouldn't you be grateful for the ones you have?
I went to Tucson. It was a tough year, but I'm glad I went. I'm not glad I went for the sake of TWI, but for the sake of some wonderful friends I made. That was back before I became conditioned to making the shallow, conditional friendships of a Way leader.
I remember the old sob droning on about how the Mormons were able to get all their thousands, and "gawd's people" somehow wouldn't step up to da "challenge" or something..
the mormons weren't exactly "sent forth" in wowmobiles and barely with the clothes on their backs either, were they?
That was a crazy year for me, everything went wrong, it seemed Yahweh did not want me to finish that wow year, so I left and went home, glad I did, got to learn about that life, that Yeshua got within himself, and about that spirit teaching that the way was teaching, was of not Yahweh.
I wonder if the person that got VeePee's watch, when we were getting our group shot photo, is a GeaseSpot.
Somehow I ended up walking behind VP as he was going to the big tent to begin the WOW training. He asked someone how many there were and he was told the real number. He was very po'ed that they didn't have 4,000. I forget exactly what he said, but I remember thinking, shouldn't you be grateful for the ones you have?
And no doubt he blamed it on everyone else's unbelief canceling his stellar believing. He was the master teacher after all.
And no doubt he blamed it on everyone else's unbelief canceling his stellar believing. He was the master teacher after all.
Yup! Wasn't that the year where he got up in front of the Rock and said, "My heart just aches!"? He was referring to the low number of W.O.W. sign-ups. Then he mentioned 900 people reneged on their commitment.
That' makes me special. That I was able to out unbelieve his believing.
I know! It's truly remarkable...but...according to Craig - weakness always brings down strength....now sure quite how....really if that were the case...the weakness of the world would have brought down Jesus Christ... ...I digress...
If memory serves me correctly, the W.O.W. program as it later became known, was actually the brainchild of a young Donnie Fugit. He had the idea to travel to different cities in an RV and run classes.
The folks that went out were small in number, and I guess they had some level of success. It was definitely a hippie kind of thing. I'm pretty sure there was no attritition in that initial wave. V.P. liked it and decided to make a program of it and like everything he made a program of, killed the heart of it. When the number of ambassadors increased, so did the attritition rate.
Then V.P. would get to cry in front of everybody at the Rock because his "heart would just ache" for those poor "keeds".
all these numbers and all this hype seem so silly now
also sad
It is sad.it is retail and the products were US,it is a buisness and inventory on the Wows ,sure there were a few thousand people,but many people went more than twice on the field,I think that the Rock of Ages every year was the "Black Friday"for The Way Buisness and the 1 year vow was the 1 year guarantee the abs and class money would flow.
Every year it got bigger and bigger and bigger until people began to realize the "product "was not working and they wanted there SOUL back! The the plant of twi shut down the wow thing and called it something else, many times over however the product is still the same and does not work.
There is the one Heart's desire,I want to say,and there are MANY ways of desire,and MANY (((PATHS))) of the Labyrinth where the Hearts desire can be LOST.
Finding the true way is a matter of discerning between hearts desire and "mimetic or competative " desire,between what we truely want and what we (((think)))we want.
The many passageways of the the labyrinth,the BLIND alleys,the DEAD ends,make it difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance to the center.
The center I will call"the end of desire"and the entrance the "beginning of desire"
IF all desire is mimetic,as then the center has to be a PEACE that comes from renunciation.
If there is heart's desire,as I am saying THEN it is a PEACE that comes of
fullfillment.
(from the book In HIs Image by Paul Brand and Phillip Yancy)
Sorry for the late response (I haven't been here at GS for awhile).
I was a wow that year in Bossier City, LA. That was one of the worst years of my life.
However, it did set the stage for decisions that I made which led me to where I am today. After my wow year, I had low self esteem, my career and job skills went backwards and I was broke. So, I went back into the Army and got everything back on track, left active duty back in 89 and got a job on Fort Devens (where I was stationed at one time) as a DA Civillian. I still work as a DA Civillian, and I retired from the Army Reserves back in 2000.
Currently, I have a girlfriend (Never been in the way) who I have been dating for a few yew years, I have a cat, I get along with my Family, My house should be paid for in 5 years, my 2007 car (that I bought new) is almost paid for and I can do what I want with my free time (If my girlfriend lets me )
In short, my wow year taught me how not to live my life.
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skyrider
Officially, the final count going WOW that year came closer to 2,750....
Amazing....the 4,000 number still sticks today, because that was what vpw waa "believing" for the 40th anniversary wave. When twi can boast numbers, they boast....when numbers are pathetic, twi hides them.
Imagine the headlines of The Way Magazine: 7 CORPS GRADUATE FROM THE WAY INTERNATIONAL'S CORPS PROGRAM. See how ridiculous that sounds when honesty prevails?
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mstar1
I wonder how many made it through the year. I was a WOW that year in one of the designated outreach cities they had that go round.
I was in Tampa/St.Pete. There were over 100 that started the yearthere --the attrition rate was pretty high by the end of the year
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Bolshevik
. . . the standards are much higher than they used to be . . . the quality of each individual is much much greater than back in the day . . .
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Sunesis
Somehow I ended up walking behind VP as he was going to the big tent to begin the WOW training. He asked someone how many there were and he was told the real number. He was very po'ed that they didn't have 4,000. I forget exactly what he said, but I remember thinking, shouldn't you be grateful for the ones you have?
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Steve Lortz
I went to Tucson. It was a tough year, but I'm glad I went. I'm not glad I went for the sake of TWI, but for the sake of some wonderful friends I made. That was back before I became conditioned to making the shallow, conditional friendships of a Way leader.
Love,
Steve
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Ham
I remember the old sob droning on about how the Mormons were able to get all their thousands, and "gawd's people" somehow wouldn't step up to da "challenge" or something..
the mormons weren't exactly "sent forth" in wowmobiles and barely with the clothes on their backs either, were they?
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teachmevp
That was a crazy year for me, everything went wrong, it seemed Yahweh did not want me to finish that wow year, so I left and went home, glad I did, got to learn about that life, that Yeshua got within himself, and about that spirit teaching that the way was teaching, was of not Yahweh.
I wonder if the person that got VeePee's watch, when we were getting our group shot photo, is a GeaseSpot.
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OldSkool
And no doubt he blamed it on everyone else's unbelief canceling his stellar believing. He was the master teacher after all.
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shortfuse
Yup, I was a mini wow that year. We were "believing" to go to California.
Naturally, we went to Wisconsin.
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Broken Arrow
Yup! Wasn't that the year where he got up in front of the Rock and said, "My heart just aches!"? He was referring to the low number of W.O.W. sign-ups. Then he mentioned 900 people reneged on their commitment.
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Tzaia
That' makes me special. That I was able to out unbelieve his believing.
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OldSkool
I know! It's truly remarkable...but...according to Craig - weakness always brings down strength....now sure quite how....really if that were the case...the weakness of the world would have brought down Jesus Christ...
...I digress... 
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Oakspear
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waysider
Based solely on the anecdotal evidence presented on GSC, it had to have been incredibly high.
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Broken Arrow
If memory serves me correctly, the W.O.W. program as it later became known, was actually the brainchild of a young Donnie Fugit. He had the idea to travel to different cities in an RV and run classes.
The folks that went out were small in number, and I guess they had some level of success. It was definitely a hippie kind of thing. I'm pretty sure there was no attritition in that initial wave. V.P. liked it and decided to make a program of it and like everything he made a program of, killed the heart of it. When the number of ambassadors increased, so did the attritition rate.
Then V.P. would get to cry in front of everybody at the Rock because his "heart would just ache" for those poor "keeds".
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teachmevp
Does anyone still have their film clip from the original pfal class that we got that year, I lost mine along time ago.
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dmiller
You know - - - Now that I think about it, I think I do. It's here somewhere around the house (no idea where though).
Back to topic - - - -
I'd already "done my year" when docvic wanted "4 Grand To Stand". Once was enough for me.
I've no clue how many went WOW in 78/ 79 , but we lost quite a few during that year here in Mn.
And no, we didn't lose them to the long/ cold winter here either. They left pretty quickly.
Perhaps it's to OUR credit, that weren't 4,000 of us willing to be a part of the "4,000" that year.
Maybe folks were "smartening up by then"? I don't know.
For those of you who DID go that year, it was most likely like my one and only year "on the field".
Interesting at best and dismal at worst, and glad to be "done with it" at the end of the year.
(edited for spelling)
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newlife
I went wow that year....To Colorado.
That year was the best year of my life in TWI......
The rest of the years are definitely in a race for the worst!
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Broken Arrow
Whoa...someone who actually had a good experience on the W.O.W. field...rare!
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cheranne
I went Wow 3 times. Do I count as 3 people?
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excathedra
all these numbers and all this hype seem so silly now
also sad
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cheranne
It is sad.it is retail and the products were US,it is a buisness and inventory on the Wows ,sure there were a few thousand people,but many people went more than twice on the field,I think that the Rock of Ages every year was the "Black Friday"for The Way Buisness and the 1 year vow was the 1 year guarantee the abs and class money would flow.
Every year it got bigger and bigger and bigger until people began to realize the "product "was not working and they wanted there SOUL back! The the plant of twi shut down the wow thing and called it something else, many times over however the product is still the same and does not work.
There is the one Heart's desire,I want to say,and there are MANY ways of desire,and MANY (((PATHS))) of the Labyrinth where the Hearts desire can be LOST.
Finding the true way is a matter of discerning between hearts desire and "mimetic or competative " desire,between what we truely want and what we (((think)))we want.
The many passageways of the the labyrinth,the BLIND alleys,the DEAD ends,make it difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance to the center.
The center I will call"the end of desire"and the entrance the "beginning of desire"
IF all desire is mimetic,as then the center has to be a PEACE that comes from renunciation.
If there is heart's desire,as I am saying THEN it is a PEACE that comes of
fullfillment.
(from the book In HIs Image by Paul Brand and Phillip Yancy)
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Seth R.
My Mom went that year, St. Mary's California I think.
Seth
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Zshot
Sorry for the late response (I haven't been here at GS for awhile).
I was a wow that year in Bossier City, LA. That was one of the worst years of my life.
However, it did set the stage for decisions that I made which led me to where I am today. After my wow year, I had low self esteem, my career and job skills went backwards and I was broke. So, I went back into the Army and got everything back on track, left active duty back in 89 and got a job on Fort Devens (where I was stationed at one time) as a DA Civillian. I still work as a DA Civillian, and I retired from the Army Reserves back in 2000.
Currently, I have a girlfriend (Never been in the way) who I have been dating for a few yew years, I have a cat, I get along with my Family, My house should be paid for in 5 years, my 2007 car (that I bought new) is almost paid for and I can do what I want with my free time (If my girlfriend lets me
)
In short, my wow year taught me how not to live my life.
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