nowgrown

Hey gtana, As I've posted previously, I was in TWI During my early years. I don't have any particularly "bad" TWI memories. I was in the Family Corps and both my parents were TCs. I was indoctrinated with TWI teachings in my formative years. I think most of the stuff I learned are things I still believe. I remember being required to memorize alot of stuff in the Corps and afterward and, suprizingly, I have retained alot of it: Retemeries, the 16 keys to Walking By the Spirit, 9 manifestations of the spirit, keys to believing, and the fruits of the spirit. Looking back, I think that some of the teachings were probably wrong (like "devil spirits" and the majority of the advanced class, and the need for abundant sharing). However, I think the doctrine was on the right track even if it was plagerized. What drew my parents and so many into TWI was that the emphasis was strongly on the Word. I don't think VPW drew them in, it wasa the word that drew them in.

I understand the hurt that TWI caused several people, but it couldn't have been all bad since something kept us locked in for all those years. Since I was a young'n back in my TWI days, most of the memories I have of the various twigs, branch meetings, limb meetings, trunk meetings, ROAs, and even Family Corps were all good. Being a kid in Mini-Corps, I thought it was fun because of all the stuff there was to do on the grounds. The building itself had hidden passageways, each with its own gohst or conspiracy stories. My favorite game was playing hide-and-go-seek throughout the building. Every season, we would pick strawberries and corn. I sang on a childrens' "Household Holiday" album that was recorded at HQ but never got released because the lost the master tapes, but the experience was fun. I even got a solo. There was always things to do and since there was no TV, I played all day long every day. I remember riding skateboards down the hill by the townhouses, playing capture the flag on Uncle Harry Hill, snowball fights, checking out sleds from the children's fellowship hall, and having sleepovers with freinds every weekend. Of course, there was the children's fellowship thing you had to attend every night, but I didn't mind it. Besides, upon graduating from the Corps at age 11, I knew more about the Bible than any kid I knew and most adults. I still have my white and yellow retemeries which I committed to memory at such a young age. Of course, I was sheltered from the heavy stuff, but I really enjoyed the experience and I will always remember my time in the Corps fondly.

It never ceases to amaze me when I think of how many times my entire family traveled from California to Ohio and back and Iniana to Cailifornia and back and California to North Carolina and back in our tiny 1980 Honda hatchback.

Thank you to all that responded. As I have been "out" now most of my life and have not been subject to the rebuke of TWI leaders as many of you were, I feel that I don't have much to contribute to most of the conversations on this site. I feel like much of the doctrine I was drilled with in TWI was wrong and manipulative. But, I still feel as though the majority of the people I met there were genuinely caring people who followed their hearts and believed in God. I get the since that the same is true for the majority of posters on this site. I miss those people and those relationships greatly.

TBL, I sent you a private message so check you personal box.

Thank you all.

One of the lessons my parents said they learned in the Corps was never to trust in men/women. Men might say they have authority over you, but they are not endowed with that authority no matter how high up the twi foodchain they were. They are as flawed and as natural as you. Thats one of the things that I believe destroyed TWI. Men thinking they were the head of the body of Christ and not Christ himself.

hey oldies and shortfuse, I was 9 and 10 in residency. We were some of the few that stayed around in '86.

Thanks Sudo and Galen. I've got two kids now.

Hello everyone! I've been lurking on this forum for weeks now. I've read threads going back pretty farI'm glad a forum like this exists where ex-wafers can vent their frustrations about the collapse of a once-so-promising organization. I'm not quite as bitter as some people on here (who seemto be bitter for a good reason), because my family and I got out when I was 13. I was never so vested in the Way that I blame it for anything. I was born into the Way. I was in the Family Corps, Family 12. I grew up with all the same songs andattended all the same Childrens Fellowships many of you seem to have. Reading this board, I'm glad we got out when we did. But, when we left I must admit that it seemed like a huge void was cut from our lives. I've had trouble embracing any other religion or fellowshiping with any people who are not "believers". I tried going to churches but it seems like I know more about the Bible than some of the preachers do. I probably don't, but thats the mindset you have when you are from the Way: that everyone else is sooooo misled because they don't know how to "rightly divide" the word. This saddens me because now, I have kids of my own and I want them to learn about God, but I still fear that they won't get adequate instruction in churches. I could try to teach them on my own, but I feel like I'm inadequate in that department too. One good thing about the Way is that it taught us to put God first. Sure, the leaders seem to not embrace this principle, but when my family and I were putting God first, when we were doing our four fifteens everyday (remember those?) everything seemed so much easier and simpler. Maybe its because then, I was in my youth and everything was more simple anyway, but I long for the days that I really believed that God could meet all my sufficiencies if I just went to Him. Anyway, I just wanted to finally introduce myself and tell you a l ittle about me.