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Advanced Class Grads: Before moving on, I would like to give a shoutout to advanced class grads. I know that this timeline is focused on my limb coordinator experience and the full-time corps aspects......but really, I could give dozens and dozens of accounts of the many wonderful advanced class grads near and far. When we ran classes, none of it would have been possible, in depth and heart, without the support and giving of your talents and time. Branch meetings, special seminars, Pentecost weekends, limb events, weddings, etc..........advanced class grads provided the backbone of support. Thank you for all of it. You, too, gave time away from your families and kids to help serve. You, too, got less sleep or carried burdens that you probably got very little thanks in return. Some of my fondest memories were with you. Heck, there was a time when things were less crazy that we went snow skiing together (Whistler, British Columbia, Canada) or those times of basketball, waterskiing, golf outings, movies, barbeques, etc. Many of you advanced class grads sponsored us thru the corps program.....even when we didn't write letters of thanks all that often. Some of you had businesses and offered employment to us wandering corps. I am indebted to so many advanced class grads who helped carry me when I was weary of heart. Thanks....you helped me in so many ways and changed my life and my family. .

<takes a seat and pulls out a menu> Hello All- There's quite a bit to unpack from 30 years. Bare with my rambling thoughts as they all get down. A third-generation "legacy", I only knew TWI as truth absolute. A child of the 80's, I remember growing up and having The Way being the only way. I took each class in the entire class series the exact week I was eligible, and repeated every chance I could. I only knew LCM as the fount-head of all things godly, and worshipped with (at) him through the birth of the new class. I soldiered on through his fall and stood behind my identity as a chosen part of the faithful remnant throughout the early 2000's. I pursued a degree and lead fellowships, certain I held forth what I knew to be the epicenter of the spiritual world. Once I got close to graduation, the promise of getting a job became VERY real. In a market the began to shrivel, I went from interview to interview, each time putting in hours of deliberate, thoughtful prayer and reflection, certain that the God I knew dwelt in my fellowships and that I was told would never let any wrong befall would come through in the clutch. Each time, nothing. Each time, disappointment. Each time, words came from those more seasoned as "Renew Your Mind", "It's not the spiritually best for YOU!", "God's got something bigger for YOU!". This was the first time I needed to prove God had my back. Long story short, I cobbled together enough to get by, but nothing close to the Eph 3:20 I was told time and time again. I got married, to an amazing and supportive spouse, who left her church to join up. She realized if she wanted tot be with me, she had to drink the Koolaid, and drink she did. She practically did a keg stand with that Hawaiian punch. Together, we weathered many situations that were far from the rosy scenes painted on STS tapes (or CDs or VHSs). Real life was hard as hell, and the God of the lectern and the magazine was not as quick to come through. There was always an explanation, mind you, but should not have to be this hard. "Maybe we're not studying enough. Maybe and hour daily is just a start.". "Are we giving enough? We're at 20%, but could we do more to prove our commitment to God and not our paycheck". We ABSed our meager earnings, lived in apartments, drove our terrible, leaky, beaten cars, and gladly taught others on how much God loved us and would provide. Any positive event in life was championed as proof of TWI's system. It began to seem like a lens that made all the bad not their fault and any positive thing their cause. Perspective. Fast forward to a fourth generation being born. Numerous requests from insiders to go on Staff and change from within. By this time, my life had changed. The grind of finally getting (and keeping) a real job meant hard work. I began to feel like everything in the ministry was a motion. Same old collaterals. The articles in the magazine were SOOOO predictable, as were the overly scripted services. Title, personal anecdote, verses, three main points, conclusion, blanket "Let's continue to..." statement... repeat. I felt as if I wasn't learning anything. To challenge myself and scratch my own spiritual and intellectual itch, I started my own studies and digging. ANy time I would bring these up, I was chastised for going solo and delving into what was already researched. I should re-search what is already available. By this time, I could hear an introduction and immediately know which verses would come up. One STS, I wrote on my wife's notes five verses. Sure as dang, each one was ticked in the course of that scripted speech teaching. I stopped taking notes. I stopped putting time into my teachings at fellowships. I started coasting. I could see others going through the same motions. I used to talk about all of the interesting connections and parallels the moment a great teaching was done. Now I saw how quickly others began talking about their week, their boring lives, their.... anything but the bible. Truth was, it was the collaterals being taught again and again and again. LCM was disavowed, never to be mentioned. All that was safe was the collaterals. So that's were everything went, and still are. Last flash is to the moment I realized how crumby the long-term TWI plan is for those out in the field. Find a menial job, work hard and don't rock the boat. Try to witness but we only need seats for the class- if it's just a connection, move it along. SELL SELL!!!! Find an apartment, move every few years, drive a 5 year+ model car (and keep that cardboard so you don't mess up the driveway). Long-term planning? You don't need that. God's got you. I woke up one day to realize my parents have no retirement and no equity of ANY kind. I didn't want that. I began looking at houses and tried every way to get one without getting a loan. Couldn't do it, so I tried to ask permission. Another post needs to explain this hot mess, but needless to say it was not on the menu. I forged ahead to the disapproval of many. Kid number two arrives- I stop going to STS. Our last trip, I don't even open my bible. I hear and scrutinize the entire presentation better than I had every encapsulated with my notes. (Oh the notes, but I digress...). On our way home, my wife says "What an electrifying teaching!". I let the air clear for about 5 seconds and say "Was it?". Her face was as white as the audience at any given STS. We then discuss very openly our current role in the ministry and where we saw our spiritual lives. Needless to say, it was the beginning of the end. We limped along for a few more years, mainly because of the sweet people that genuinely did care about others and the large family/friend connections. This is certainly a fact that cannot be overlooked, but we were killed with kindness and not won by spiritual truth. We eventually decide to skip fellowship for any convenient reason, attend other church services on Sunday mornings, and try on many religions/denominations. It came to a road that lead to us moving and telling our new coordinators we were out. I felt it necessary to go out on my terms, not middle-fingers a-blazing, but with a truthful talk. We left about two years ago. There were some rough times, including much anger that has not fully gone away. I still struggle with what could have been or should have been, a fact that I can't completely let go of, but am getting closer. I burned my syllabi and collaterals, but still have their haunting memory (and .pdfs! that's a fun post as well!) in my mind. Religion is no longer something I value, and, current spiritual beliefs aside, I was able to emerge with clear and cogent truths I hold to, truthfulness and integrity being paramount. I have spiritually sherpa'd a few others out of TWI, and gotten immense satisfaction for helping them think and process, not just bad-mouthing their religion. It's rewarding to truly help people, not blanket their needs in retemories or promises of a brighter day that never comes. It's rewarding to see them break the chain of mediocrity and a quiet life of apartments and ABSing to pay for staff cars (another post). I loved helping them and reassuring them the devil will not take them should they decide to take off the name tag. My bourbon is getting low, as is my battery. Time to refill both. I have lots to say, and not sure how much/when to do it. I have many damning things, but not sure how it could help me or others. I don;t want to go back to the post-exit anger and rage that consumed my evenings (too late for that today! Oh well...), but I think a healthy processing and sharing for those who discover this site (like I did) will help clearer thoughts and heads prevail. I know TWI is not the epicenter of the spiritual world. I know TWI is pyramid of those working the ladder upward. I know TWI is a shell built on a few books and lock-step loyalty. I know that 30 years is far too much CollateralDamage.

Parenting, Children and School: All those years in twi.....and, rarely, was parenting, children and/or school a priority. As limb coordinators, this work load was gaining on us and crowding out areas of main concern......namely, 1) our children and 2) school. It seemed like the months of November and December brought these issues forward, front and center. Things like those parent-teacher conferences and holiday activities at school. Both our sons were good students.....establishing strong study habits (thanks mainly to my wife) and confidence by achievements. Clearly, I could understand why the majority of region couples had no kids.....or one. The workload and travel responsibilities were immense. While in Canada, I had vast responsibilities and was challenged with the metric system, different currency, another language (whenever I traveled into Montreal or Quebec City or New Brunswick), flying to Vancouver and Calgary......but our first son was a baby, then. Fast-forward another eleven years and parenting was constant involvement and interaction. Anyways......I'm rambling. You get the point. Going to Dallas each year during Thanksgiving (for six days) was not helping matters. Why was twi encroaching on EVERY holiday out there? And, more.....why were they instilling a cult-tweaked version of every one of them? No boundaries. It. Was. A. Cult. Every doctrine espoused by them needed to be embraced by us?? Screw that. I have my own family traditions that I want to pass on to my children. And....education. Twi feigned to show support for higher education, but it was little more than lip-service. How about our young adults with masters and doctorate degrees advancing into circles of influence, wealth and prestige? Or, business and professionals, computer techs, and web designers, and communication specialists? Dream big...why not? Or.....maybe have your kid go into the corps program, like I did? ppfffffttt. You know why this stuff wasn't discussed or taught? Because it was.......wait for it..........."worldly." LOL .

Dallas, Again: When this letter arrived in the mail, I knew what it said....even before opening it. Once again, I was "invited" to attend the Advanced Class Special in Dallas, November 1996. And, again......be Mrs. Wierwille's escort. Well, I guess that I must have done a fair job, because no one else was assigned to it. That spoke volumes. My wife would, once again, be working in the green room. Another Thanksgiving weekend with the "cult family." It had been 20 years since I'd been home for Thanksgiving.....around my parents' table, eating a good home-cooked meal. Growing up in a hunting family......one year at Thanksgiving with aunts and uncles, we had turkey, duck, goose and quail. Now, THAT was a wild game meal to behold. Most always, we'd head out the door around 7am and hunt pheasant for about three hours Thanksgiving morning. Then, we'd field-dress the birds and enjoy the fresh pheasant. Those days were long gone.......now I spent Thanksgiving dressed in a suit and my butt in a chair. I must have been insane.......

Alert: My repressed memory is awakening. Damn scary, almost.

Welcome to GSC.....Collateral Damage Great post....I linked it to thread entitled Cliches, Collaterals, and Claptrap. "I have spiritually sherpa'd a few others out of TWI, and gotten immense satisfaction for helping them think and process, not just bad-mouthing their religion. It's rewarding to truly help people,"..... :eusa_clap:/> .