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Open letter from The Way


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No research dept? That doesn't surprise me. They got their copyrighted products, why mess that up with a discovery? Something interesting I learned recently is that there are other books mentioned in ancient manuscripts that could have been included in the new testament but weren't for whatever reasons the council of Nicea deemed appropriate. There are true researchers right now trying to find these books or references to these books. What a farce for TWI to claim we have everything, and need no more research.

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They really do not have a Research Dept. I asked once. I think Insurgent was being sarcastic in his guess at why they don't have one any more. He doesn't say that they've made any announcement or claim and I haven't heard one.

They don't tell you that they don't have a Research Dept. unless you ask and then they seem to get mad at you for asking.

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  • 2 years later...
  • 3 years later...

I am with Ham I can't find the letter, can some one more skilled pull it up from the depths with a link Please?

I can't find it here at the cafe either. Here are the first three pages of the letter. Note that the all cap, bold, centered sections are as they appear in the posted letter:

Open Letter from Harve Platig to J. P. Wierwille

Mr. John Paul Wierwille

c/o jpwierwille.com

Dear John Paul:

This letter is in response to your open letter published on your website with multiple links to GreaseSpotCafe.com. Because you have chosen to communicate with The Board of Directors of The Way International through a public forum, it is appropriate for us to respond in the same forum.

As you know, it is unprecedented for the Board of Directors to respond to attacks posted on the internet. However, because of the subject of the attack (i.e., the health and well being of Mrs. Wierwille, the wife of our Founding President and your mother) and the nature of the inaccuracies in your letter, the Board of Directors has determined that this public response is necessary.

Let me begin by acknowledging our common ground, specifically the importance of Mrs. Wierwille to The Way International. For the same reason that you did not provide a detailed explanation of her many contributions, I will not. Her importance and contributions are so obvious and universally known among those who know her that any attempt to describe them in a letter would prove inadequate.

It is Mrs. Wierwille’s historical position within our ministry that obligates us to refute your allegations and challenge your motives. We find it highly regrettable that you have converted what should have been a private family matter into a public attack against The Way International. Even more regrettable, it appears that you would put your mother’s health and well-being at risk in order to advance some personal agenda. We too are glad that Dr. Wierwille “did not see this day.”

As you know, Mrs. Wierwille has been in a nursing home since September. May I remind you, that while your mother was in the hospital, the medical staff informed Wanda that your mother requires twenty-four hour professional supervision. They recommended having Mrs. Wierwille transferred to a nursing home for professional supervision and further evaluation. That evening Wanda communicated this recommendation to your sister. The next morning your sister informed Wanda that all the children were in agreement. Wanda had no reason to believe you did not approve, and since your sister is the one with the power of attorney, Wanda was obligated to follow her instructions anyway. Because it was a private family matter, The Way International did not report this event to either The Way Corps or its Household Fellowship Coordinators. Only after it was widely reported on the internet did Wanda send a letter to the Household Fellowship Coordinators. The Board sent a similar letter to The Way Corps.

Without listing all of your direct and indirect attacks on The Way International and Wanda Wierwille, I will respond to the following claims that you have made:

1. You claim that you and other members of the Wierwille family opposed Mrs. Wierwille’s admission into an Alzheimer’s unit of a nearby nursing home and would prefer that she obtain 24-hour care in a home setting.

2. You claim that The Way International has breached its ethical obligation to care for the needs of Mrs. Wierwille.

3. You claim that Mrs. Wierwille’s care prior to her admission into the nursing home was substandard.

4. You claim that the Board of Directors has erroneously represented Wanda Wierwille as the spokesperson for the Wierwille family.

THE ADMISSION OF MRS. WIERWILLE INTO THE NURSING HOME WAS A FAMILY DECISION.

Our Letter to The Way Corps stated “Mrs. Wierwille’s children and Wanda Wierwille are in full agreement with the doctors’ recommendations that this is the best way to care for Mrs. Wierwille. After considering the advice and counsel for medical professionals, this decision was made by her family.” You disagree “with no equivocation” with this portion of our letter. We are puzzled to say the least.

It is your position that the doctors’ did not recommend that the best way to care for Mrs. Wierwille was for her to receive 24-hour care at a nursing home’s Alzheimer’s Care Unit, or is it that you simply disagree with the advice of medical professionals? You make several pointed references in your letter that your mother is receiving better care at the nursing home than was available at The Way International. It was our understanding from our conversation with Wanda that your siblings and Wanda agreed with the doctors’ recommendation.

Apparently, you dispute that you supported the family’s decision to obtain the best medical care for your mother, or claim that Wanda misunderstood your position. Do you really believe that it would be in your mother’s best interest to have her cared for at home? Your letter makes it clear that your mother’s condition has improved under the care of the Alzheimer’s Unit and that she is happy there. What then, is your point of claiming that you are in disagreement regarding the care of your mother?

At the beginning of this letter, I noted that it appears that you would put your mother’s health and well-being at risk for some personal agenda. Let me explain the basis for my comment if it is not already obvious. Without a doubt, your mother’s health has improved since being admitted to the nursing home. Wanda Wierwille (even with professional assistance) could not duplicate the services provided at the nursing home.

Edited by Belle
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I found the rest of it:

Nevertheless, you now strenuously object to this decision and claim that you would prefer that your mother return to a home setting. If your primary concern is truly your mother’s health and well-being, your position makes no sense.

Despite your protestations to the contrary, it was a family decision to admit Mrs. Wierwille to the nursing home. The Way International had no input in the decision because it was (as it should be) a family matter. You know full well that your sister, and not Wanda, has the legal power to make the final decision affecting your mother’s health and financial matters. Without your sister’s authorization, your mother would not have been admitted to the Alzheimer’s care facility. For you to claim that your family never consented to what has happened is simply not true.

Because your family has the ability to make decisions for Mrs. Wierwille, there is nothing to preclude you from having your mother discharged from the nursing home and brought into your own home. With the income provided by Social Security and The Way International’s pension plan together with Mrs. Wierwille’s assets, you could purchase 24-hour care for the foreseeable future. Of course it would be impossible to replicate all the services available in the Alzheimer’s Unit in a home setting. If you want to make some kind of point against The Way International and/or Wanda Wierwille regardless of the best interests of your mother’s quality of life and well-being, you have the ability to do so. You just need to convince your sister. The Way International cannot prevent you.

THE WAY INTERNATIONAL HAS (AND WILL) FULFILL ITS “ETHICAL” OBLIGATION TO CARE FOR THE NEEDS OF MRS. WIERWILLE.

Your letter criticizes The Way International’s contributions to your mother’s medical expenses and is intentionally written so as to mislead people into believing that your mother been abandoned by The Way International.

I respectfully request that you consider the following facts. Dr. Wierwille fell asleep in 1985. Since that time, Don and Wanda Wierwille have taken care of all the needs of your mother with the assistance of many volunteers from The Way International. After consultation with medical experts, your family (apparently over your objection) has concluded that it is in the best interests of Mrs. Wierwille to be cared for in the Alzheimer’s Unit of the nursing home. Accordingly, Mrs. Wierwille’s needs have been and are continuing to be met.

The Board of Directors’ memo to The Way Corps states that “it will not be necessary for The Way International or any member of Mrs. Wierwille’s family to use any of their assets to pay for her care.” Based on our understanding of the facts, we stand by this statement.

It is interesting that your open letter does not dispute this fact. Nowhere in your letter do you state that it will be necessary for either you or other family members to contribute financial resources to cover your mother’s medical expenses. As indicated in our memo, the nursing home has confirmed that in the unlikely event a shortfall were to occur, Mrs. Wierwille will qualify for health care benefits offered by the government that will cover any shortfall. Using your words, your mother will be “seen to” for life.

Your letter intentionally attempts to portray The Way International as having abandoned your mother. That is simply false and you know it.

We are also shocked that you have allowed (and perhaps encouraged) friends of your mother to request contributions to a fund to defray your mother’s medical expenses. This is truly outrageous because it will be unnecessary for you or any other member of the Wierwille family to contribute to this expense. We can only speculate as to what your motivation could be for requesting money from people to defray expenses that are already covered.

You also challenged the legal advice provided by our attorneys about what a charitable corporation’s obligations are under federal and Ohio law. In my letter to you of February 14, 2003 , we described that advice, encouraged you to discuss it and gave you the opportunity to discuss these legal issues directly with our attorney. Our attorney has informed us that no member of your family has ever contacted him. The Way International is an Ohio non-profit corporation, and a Section 501©(3) church under the Internal Revenue Code. Federal and Ohio laws limit the use of The Way organization’s assets. If you are unfamiliar with these laws, you should engage a competent tax lawyer to advise you on these issues. You or your attorney should feel free to consult with our attorney.

If it were ever to become necessary for either you or any of your siblings to contribute to expenses attributable to your mother’s care, we would appreciate advance notice. Your mother’s care and well-being is of the utmost importance to The Way International. While we cannot (and will not) use ministry assets for such personal expenses, we will find a legal and viable solution to ensure that your mother’s needs are satisfied. However, our concern is limited to your mother’s needs, not your potential inheritance.

MRS. WIERWILLE’S CARE PRIOR TO HER ADMISSION INTO THE NURSING HOME WAS THE BEST THAT COULD BE PROVIDED IN A HOME SETTING.

You also insinuate that the care provided by Wanda Wierwille and her family was substandard. Needless to say, we are extremely disappointed that you would make such an attack on Wanda Wierwille, who together with your brother Don cared for your mother for the last 18 years. If you were dissatisfied with the care provided to your mother, there was nothing that would have precluded you from bringing her into your home for care. Your sister had the power of attorney to make these decisions. I assume you and she must have spent some time discussing your mother’s well-being.

Because you have decided to publish our February correspondence, please review my letter which discusses the possibility of having your mother hire a nurse’s care service to provide the very assistance that you now claim she was lacking. You neither responded to my letter nor requested Wanda to engage this assistance.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DID NOT PORTRAY WANDA WIERWILLE AS THE SPOKESPERSON OF THE WIERWILLE FAMILY.

As you noted in your open letter, there are many who love Dorothea Wierwille, including those who continue to fellowship with The Way International. Since Dr. Wierwille fell asleep in 1985, Don and Wanda Wierwille have lived with and/or cared for your mother. Based on this relationship and Wanda’s continuing fellowship with The Way International, it was entirely appropriate for her to send a letter to the Household Fellowship Coordinators advising them of Mrs. Wierwille’s condition. Nowhere in her letter (or in our letter to The Way Corps) was Wanda represented as the “spokesperson” of your family.

In conclusion, we stand by our original correspondence to The Way Corps. No retraction or apology is warranted, and none will be forthcoming. However, you may wish to seriously consider both.

Harve J. Platig

Vice President

The Way International

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Thanks, Belle

With the income provided by Social Security and The Way International's pension plan together with Mrs. Wierwille's assets, you could purchase 24-hour care for the foreseeable future.

Three income streams:

(1) Social Security - so someone must have paid sufficient contributions;

(b) TWI pension plan - woah, a pension plan is available, huh?

(3) Mrs Wierwille's assets - uh, what assets? The family farm had been given over to TWI. Are we talking about the mothballed motorcycles, or what? How come she had any assets to speak of? Inherited from VPW, who cajoled them as free-will gifts out of "his keeds"?

The letter presents a good argument. And Alzheimers sufferers are very hard work.

However, as Mrs W had been "public property" for many years, it's a bit disingenuous to now call this "a family matter" - after all, aren't we all family, LOL? A magnifying glass is needed to be able to read between the lines and see what they are really saying.

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Looking back.. In my opinion.. both sides (da way and jp) both were absolutely INSANE.

The way's "trustees" swore they would take care of the mrs to her dying day.. and then loy was absolutely merciless in regards to the family.. drove them to the four winds..

jp played "old believers" conscience on this to unheard heights (or depths if you will)..

rosie the usurper set a WOMAN as representative, over the family..

I think jr's attitude toward women wasn't much different than pops was..

da way actually had a few good points.. if you think you can provide proper care for an Alzheimer's patient in your home, by all means, go right ahead..

I think their observations as to jp's motives have born themselves out..

not that I agree with their motives either..

what I DON'T understand.. is why they haven't gone after jp, mac, the un-named "board" along with vic's namesake, for copyright infringement.

Maybe the new corps deal doesn't have enough money worth going after, yet..

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Interesting... Thanks Bell for finding it and posting the letter.

If I had never been involved in TWI I would have read that and thought that TWI was in the right but knowing how they operate I suspect that JP was completely cut out of the loop... and I find it disturbing that they hold onto their government status as dictating their behavior and yet they completely ignore the morally appropriate way to deal with this... I find it intriguing that they chose their own behavior according to what financially benefits them the most!

And JP too does the normal complain but no I am not taking this issue into my own home to deal with it stance.

In fact he is using the situation to further himself rather than relieve Mrs VP's suffering.

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