Old, yet faithful
by this older sister in my hall was out in service (she's ALWAYS out in service-she's auxiliary pioneering AGAIN this month).
Now, she has her problems...legs and arms that don't work too great, but she's also awfully stubborn. She doesn't want to be catered to AT ALL. She won't tell you when she needs help, or feels uncomfortable/in pain, but...she will get mad.
I've known her basically my whole life. There are other people in this world that I'm closer to, but we(she and I) have our own brand of closeness with each other. She's been a real friend to my grandmother, too. We also have the bookstudy at her house. She's great!
Anyway, I was working with her the other day, and we went to this house with stairs. The arm that doesn't work so good is on the left. The good arm is on the right, and so was the railing, so she made it up just fine. But on the way down, I knew there'd be trouble for her. So...without insulting her (sometimes you insult her, when you try to help her, or cater to her), I offered her my hand and helped her down the stairs. We got down safe.
She said, "thank you, todd."
So I said to her, "are you kidding me? It's my pleasure." And to further shmooze her, and keep me on her good side, I said, "I get to go brag to so-and-so that I held hands with a girl!"
Then we both started cracking up. It worked. It was nice. You really gotta love the gifts in fellow worshipers Jehovah provides for us. Someone like her who is always out, despite all her hardships-she's not perfect, but she's doing her best (which is better than us, sometimes). Anyway. I just wanted to take this moment to give her props, even though she'll never see this.
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aww...i used to hold hands with my pioneer partner (shes 85+). She cried when she was placed on the infirm list, but she still usually makes her goal. i love her. she told me i was "very good with babies and old ladies".
lol, very good with "babies and old ladies". I don't know why that sounds so funny...
it was funny. i laughed. then she laughed. i miss her.
this was so cute! def did remind me of justine. except for the fact that she couldn't be grumpy even if she tried. everytime i see her and take her hand she just holds on so tight. i love her!
WOW thats awesome todd AND very encouraging!!!
These elderly ones are perfect examples & of great encouragement for us. Shows us that the love for Jehovah should continue to motivates us to keep on in the org. without let up and know that Jehovah gives us the necessary strength!
thanks G, I'm just trying to be like you.
heehee, how so?
By being encouraging, of course!
aw, thank you! you are VERY encouraging too!!!
*warm fuzzies* You basically described an older sister in my old hall, that I too have known all my life. She's one of the first JW's in our area. She's extremely hard of hearing, borderline deaf but she's out there in service, loves to sit squeezed in the middle of the back seat! So cute! She would give her presentation and the householder would respond and then she'd tell me to take over.
Funny story..
She wears a hair net and one time we were walking down the side walk out in the ministry and we walked underneath this tree. All of the sudden she stopped and said, "Hey, my hair net! Where'd it go?" So we turned around and it was hanging from a branch in the tree. :)
aw, yeah. she's great. i remember one time we loaded a buncha bros and sisters into a van to go to the assembly. we were dropping her at home and i put a stool out so she could exit the van more safely. i have her hand as she steps out and the stool tips for forward and she kinda steps down hard and she yells "whoaaa nelllyyy!" everyone was totally silent, VERY concerned. then she turned around and laughed and gave us confirmation she was fine and we all erupted. good times, great oldies.
I think I know the sister you mean - I love her too. She was one of the first sisters I ever went out in service with and I think one of the main reasons I developed such a love for service and eventually pioneered. Good times. She taught me how to place the "Live Forever" tract. Yeah, the tract. I must have been like 10 or 11.
Wow Todd, that's so sweet!!
And it's true....you never know what you can learn from the older ones in the truth. I remember that when I was auxiliary pioneering, I was SO tired by the end of the first month (I did 2 in a row) that I was worried I wouldn't make it through month #2. But I kept thinking about a MUCH older couple in our hall who have been pioneers for AGES. He has health problems, and she does too, and she has a lot of trouble walking, so they both move very slowly. But they are always out, and I can't remember a time that I ever heard them complain about being tired, or anything else.
So that stopped my whining, hahaha.
It's so encouraging to hear stories about ones that have been faithful for so many years, and are still going strong. I'm glad you shared this, Todd. It made my heart smile. :)
I hope it didn't smile and show teeth...
Hahahaha....wait, what if it did. Hahaha.
No, I just meant that the story made me really happy. Yay for happy stories. :)
thanks!
If you're heart smiled with teeth--then I think you have a tumor...
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a981002a.html
sorry for that ^ being gross
Hahaha...it's not a tumah!!!!
slick my man, good experience. keep practicing lines on her then you'll be ready for the real deal
If only I were that smooth with the ladies my age...
That's why you're right, I do need to keep practicing!
This is so awesome!
We really are blessed by having these older faithful servants of Jehovah among us.
It's great how in each congregation there's always that one sister or brother that brings a little something extra to the table.