Former JW Seeking to Convert

[new illumined]

Yeah, I have many issues.

 The first is I am not sure how to work a forum that well.
I am an ex Jehovah's Witness and have been listening to ancient faith radio for about three months now. I am a former JW that has faded from that religion for about 4 years now. I hate that faith. It is false and evil. I could write a book about it but it will be brief for now. Again this post is really short but I want to say that I believe that the orthodox faith is the best and most correct in the world.

I have two problems.

1. If I leave the JW's then all family support will be terminated and I will be considered dead (matyred), forever and never to return. I need support from people and I love people. I need love. How do i replace this.

2. Unfortunetaly, there is no Orthodox church in my area. I would need to drive about an hour and 45 minutes just to attend a church!! How horrible. The closest church is Las Vegas. How in the world do I start to be a catechemen and be baptized.

I am baptized in my heart. And I long for the time when I can associate with other Orthodox.

About a month ago I went on vacation to Costa Rica. I am going to move there in two years. There is a mission there but no church. I longed to attend a real church and so I went to a Catholic church in Grecia. I committed some sins and I wanted to confess but instead I just cried and told Jesus in my heart and prayed and made the sign of the cross in the orthodox way then I left.

I feel all alone and nowhere to go.

I went home to care for my parents because they are old and then I found out that my dad in a drug addict. He is abusive to my mom and is severely addicted to narcotics!!!

I still take care of my aging mother and father and in fac I live with them but it is difficult. They are Jehovah's Witnesses and they are in my opinion godless!! I pray everyday every day for me and for them but I feel I am Orthodox.

I think somtimes just to end it all!!!

But I can't because life is sacred!!

I need Help!!

I just want to die!!

God have mercy on me

[Tzimis]

You sound as if you are in a panic. Take some deep breaths and relax/calm down. Sometimes we feel very overwhelmed. Don't let your emotion control you. Welcome and lord have mercy!

[SolEX01]

BTW, the Mods are likely going to move these 3 (or more) replies from the sticky thread to another thread.

Welcome to the forum, trappedandconfused.  Do not panic and have faith in God that He will keep you on the path which you have embarked.  Amen!

[Thomas]

Dear trapped and confused,

Welcome to the Forum. Please contact the closest Orthodox Priest to you even if it is 1:45 minutes away in Las vegas.

I live 55 miles from my closest Orthodox Church and believe me it is worth the travel to get there. Here are the parishes in that area:

Antiochian: St Michaels  OrthodoxChurch  5719 E. Judson Ave.Las Vegas Nevada 89156-5737 United States Diocese of Los Angeles and the West  Phone Number: 702-454-1299 Fax Number: 702-452-2173

Greek Orthodox: St. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church 5300 S. El Camino Road  Las Vegas, NV 89118
Rev. Fr. John Hondros - Presiding Priest   Phone: (702) 221-8245  Fax: (702) 221-9167
http://www.vegasgreekorthodox.com

OCA : St Paul the Apostle Church Address: 5400 Annie Oakley Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89120 Phone Office: 702-898-4800

Please contact one of these pastors to help you with your issues. You are not alone.

Thomas

Changed to correct  travel time.

[Elisha]

Thomas,

trappedandconfused said 1:45 away.  Not :45.

Still, in your situation, I would probably start making the journey anyways - even if it was only 2x per month.

[Amdetsion]

trappedandconfused

Hello trapped and confused!

I am glad you found us!

Rest assured that you have been guided by the God to reach this point.

I am your friend!

WE are all your friends here at OC.net.

Always know that.

You are still on the right path now so gain strenght from these small successes.

There is good advise posted already; please heed it.

I shall pray for you.

Warmest welcome!

Dc. Amdetsion

[ICXC_NIKA]

Former JW, now seeking to be Orthodox here, too.
God Bless.
"Holy God, Holy Might, Holy Immortal, Have mercy on us."

[Hadel]

Lord Have Mercy.

God is with you; don't give up. Pray from your heart and believe truly that God will find you an "open door." Reach out to your local pastor no matter how far it is. He will help you and your family, especially your father.

Reaching out on the internet is a start for you and a sign, I believe you will find your way.

God Bless You and Your Family.

You will always have true love even at your loneliest times.

In Christ,
Hadel

[Heorhij]

Dear Trappedandconfused,

I am sorry for replying so late. My heart goes out to you. It's a hard situation. I happen to know one person who was "disfellowshipped" by Jehovah's Witnesses some time ago, and it was very tough because the family severed all communications. May God give you strength to persevere.

As for driving to church, yes, I know it's inconvenient, but I still think you should do it - maybe once a month or even once in a couple of months. My wife and I live in about 1 hr. and ~10-15 minutes from the place where our mission parish rents a chapel. A bit shorter than your trip, but still long, and we, too, wish it wasn't that long.

Get an Orthodox prayer book and just pray at home. On Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings, lit a few candles in front of icons, and say the litanies from the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. It's OK for a layman to do so - we cannot pray the prayers that priests pray "mystically" in the altar area, but general supplications are OK for lay people to read aloud. Standing in front of the icons with burning candles next to you, and praying the litanies aloud will give you at least a bit of the atmosphere of the Vespers and Divine Liturgy. In addition, you can listen to Orthodox liturgical chants on your computer, because quite a lot of audiofiles are available online. Also, ask your priest to give you a book called "Hours," which contains many prayers that you can pray by yourself at home on various times of the day.

Welcome to the forum, and may God bless your journey to the Orthodox Church!

George

[sedan]

Hello trappedandconfused, I too am an exJW, when I left, about 12yrs ago, I walked out into the wilderness. I came across so many different "christian" faiths that it seemed insane trying to find out who was right. After 12 years I have studyed and prayed and prayed and prayed, and the one true faith out there, at least what I can see, is Orthodoxy. Although at this time I'm not even a catachuemen, I know what I'm saying. The feeling of total aloneness that comes from leaving the JW's can be overwhelming to most, if not all. And they make you think that since you left the "truth" that there is nothing left. Orthodoxy is the answer. Pray. Pray and Pray. Read the Fathers, and Pray some more. Remember that God is the One who brought you out of the WatchTower Society, and He is the One Who brought you to Orthodoxy. God will guide you.
Blessings.
Sedan.

[new illumined]

Thank you everyone,

First off, I was in a particular bad state of mind when I wrote the topic, but I am feeling better now.

Thank you for your advice.

Since finding the Orthodox faith, I have always believed that it was the right path to God. I want to become Orthodox but I have to understand that maybe God has a time table for me that I am not aware of. I must be patient and calm.

I have not posted here in awhile but I will return much sooner.

I have been visiting the forums of the JW's and I have found that they are full of hatred and animosity toward their former religion. Most of the ex JW's also are atheists or agnostics not being able to move on. They don't seek another church or God in general. It's horrible.

Can I say that God seeks me or that my heart is right in faith?

I understand that others may find a different religion to their suiting but somehow deep down inside the Orthodox faith seems so right (no pun intended) to me.

This religion has answered questions that the JW's can't begin to explain.

Thank you everyone for answering my post. You have been encouraging to me.

Sedan:

I too am not even a catechumen, but I would die for this faith! It is absolutely incredible! I have read the Fathers and what they say really is as eye opener.

I guess what I want to say is that I am starving here and the Orthodox faith, thru my exposure, by way of Ancient Faith Radio and Our Life in Christ  and My OCN, has brought untold, enormous blessings to my spiritual life.

Sedan, it sounds like you want to join the church. Tell me what prevents you?

To all that can read this.

My goal is to become a baptized member of the church. I plan to move to Costa Rica and take the rest of my secular life there.

There is a new mission forming there but it only offers services during special holy days. It is from ROCOR. They plan on building a church there soon.

I have very little information on this.

I will move from the US to Costa Rica in two years. Maybe then it will be completed.

Hopefully I will be following the path that God wants for me.

I want to start a new life away from the apostasy of the Watchtower.

I guess I will be a martyr to my family.

I will be dead in their eyes.

God bless everyone

trappedandconfused

[new illumined]

I almost forgot to say that I will pray more often and that some of those prayers will go out to the people that posted here.

I will make a great effort to attend one of the Las Vegas parishes and talk to a priest.

God bless you all,

trappedandconfused

P.S

Sedan, it's nice to know that others have made it out of the Watchtower's lies. I am really suprised that another former JW is here! Out of all my encounters I have only found 2 other JW's that have become Orthodox. This is another encouragement.

Thank you Sedan.

[SolEX01]

I hope when you come into the fullness of the Orthodox Christian faith, you can change your username to something which reflects your conversion.   

Good luck in your search.

[new illumined]

I am thinking of changing my name now. I will need to re-register.

I need some ideas.


Thanks

[Fr. George]

I am thinking of changing my name now. 

Ok... Others have done this. Just PM FrChris or Fr. Anastasios.

I will need to re-register. 

(screams in horror)

NO!!!

All joking aside... Don't re-register, it's against forum rules.  We can change your display name, but don't sign up for a new account.  Just PM FrChris or Fr. Anastasios.

I need some ideas.


Thanks

I'd like to hear other people's suggestions for this.

[ozgeorge]

^ Beat me to it!
But my "no!" was even bigger and red!

[Fr. George]

(screams in horror)

NO!!! 

^ Beat me to it!
But my "no!" was even bigger and red!

Better?

[ozgeorge]

Little bigger and centred.
                           ^(This is correct Aussie spelling)

[ozgeorge]

I need some ideas.


Thanks

I'd like to hear other people's suggestions for this.

How about the opposite: "n-trappedandfocused".
"Entrapped" in the Fishers Net, "Focused" is the opposite of "confused";
And if you squint your eyes, "n-trappedandfocused" is an anagram of "trappedandconfused"

[GabrieltheCelt]

Hey trappedandconfused,

 I'm sorry I'm only now seeing your introduction.  First, welcome aboard!  By now you've probably already guessed this is one happnin' place.  We don't always hold hands and sing kumbaya, but everyone generally gets along.  I hope your stay here will be fruitful, educational, and fun.

 I don't know too much about the JW's, but I'll be praying for you.  And regarding your name; I bet you're more than a little confused about a lot of things now.  I went through many of those same feelings when I left Islam.  One thing I discovered though- we're rarely trapped as there's almost always several choices.

In Christ,

Gabriel

[new illumined]

Ok Ok

I did not know this

Sorry

I won't re register

[ozgeorge]

Ok Ok

I did not know this

Sorry

I won't re register

Don't worry about it.
In the top menu of the screen, you'll find a link to the forum rules,
or you can click on this link to them:
http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?action=rules 

[Thomas]

If you want to change your name just send a private message (PM) to Father Anastasios or Father Chris.  They will be happy to arrange the change.

In Christ,
Thomas
Convert Issues Forum Moderator

[Asteriktos]

And here are the profiles of these two, in case you want to message them:

Fr. Chris
Fr. Anastasios

[Didymus]

I am thinking of changing my name now. I will need to re-register.

I need some ideas.


Thanks

Peace be with you and glad to see ex-JWs on here. I'm an ex-SDB however know some ex-JW Protestants whom it would be nice to see come to The Church.

In regards to changing your screen name, just send Fr Chris a Personal Message. To do this, click "My Messages" up the top then "New Message" on the left.

My original screen name was different and I still have to use it to log in however it appears as the name in which I was baptised.

Pray for me please.

[PeterTheAleut]

I am thinking of changing my name now. I will need to re-register.

I need some ideas.


Thanks

Peace be with you and glad to see ex-JWs on here. I'm an ex-SDB however know some ex-JW Protestants whom it would be nice to see come to The Church.

In regards to changing your screen name, just send Fr Chris a Personal Message. To do this, click "My Messages" up the top then "New Message" on the left.

My original screen name was different and I still have to use it to log in however it appears as the name in which I was baptised.

Pray for me please.

You do realize that you replied to a post that's now a couple of months old and that the user has since succeeded at changing his username?

[Tags:]

OrthodoxChristianity.net > Moderated Forums > Convert Issues (Moderator: Thomas) > Topic: Former JW Seeking to Convert