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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2011 17:12:18 GMT -5
I'll throw this ball up into the air and step back.
Last month I've been curious about worker productivity and the concept came up again on the main board.
A recent seven day observation had the pair of workers out of the house doing "worker work" for around 4-6 hours for the week. The rest of the time was in bedrooms or around the dinner table....no faith-oriented activities observed in the house although bedroom time was not observed.
Is this normal?
Is it considered generally accepted amongst the workers?
What do workers "book" in as worktime? Does it include bible reading time? Does it include dinnertime with the hosts as pastor-time? What activities are considered worker work?
At the end of a week, what does a worker look back at for the week which would give him/her a sense of accomplishment?
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Post by quizzer on Mar 3, 2011 18:28:22 GMT -5
clearday, About 10 years ago, I noticed a variety of brother workers having lots of letters to write. These letters seemed to fill their suitcases. I don't notice the same amount of letter-writing these days, but maybe a portion of it is email.
For the few weeks around convention time, all workers put in plenty of manual labor.
With you on your general thought, quizzer
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 3, 2011 19:31:53 GMT -5
Last month I've been curious about worker productivity and the concept came up again on the main board. A recent seven day observation had the pair of workers out of the house doing "worker work" for around 4-6 hours for the week. The rest of the time was in bedrooms or around the dinner table....no faith-oriented activities observed in the house although bedroom time was not observed. Is this normal?Is it considered generally accepted amongst the workers? It's probably fair to say that there are many "normals" and thus avoid over-generalizing workers, but I think patterns like this are commonly accepted. I'm afraid I was in this trap much of the time while in the States, but it was the islands that helped me to become more involved. And even here in the U.S., I often spent time doing the dishes (which admittedly doesn't take a lot of time), and I loved doing yard work, occasionally quite extensive weeding. I do know of others who do some kind of a project - chopping wood or something - for the friends, but this still doesn't include that many hours, and it frequently is looked on as health/exercise time too. I generally saw visiting time as productive "worker time," and I think that is fair, assuming that the visit is spiritual, or at least oriented to forming connections, building trust, etc. I actually worked on this kind of stuff a lot. And workers do this to varying degrees, and in varying manners. I can think of one who visits nearly constantly, but it is primarily one-way, and I know that many of his companions (including me, though I was with him only for brief periods) found this very annoying. There was no listening, no opportunity for anyone else to contribute. I can think of another companion who spent a lot of time visiting in certain homes, while others have told me that he would spend his entire time at their home on his computer. But I can think of some whom I truly admire and respect in their interest in people and the time they took to visit with them. Two of my companions that were outstanding in this way are Steve Pierson and Larry Taylor. I was with Steve in Chico, CA, and he would often be visiting late into the night, and it wasn't just "talk." It showed in his awareness of "where people were at" - and not just in regard to professing. He seemed to be tuned in to their struggles and joys. I spent a couple of years with Larry out here in the Pacific, and he's the one who taught me biking and walking and endlessly trying to meet people. We laughed about the time - on Saipan - when we ended up eating three suppers one evening! The first was (very unthinkingly) in our apartment, the next two were also simple meals, served to us by islanders we "dropped in on." To refuse the food would have been offensive. Time spent reading and praying - which can be quite heavily focused on an upcoming meeting for some workers - also counts, but as I look back, I feel a greater focus was placed on "having something for the meeting" than on actually living things. Yes, I'm speaking from my own conscience, and I'm not excusing myself, but I will also point out that our consciences are formed within a community - they don't just kind of "appear" out of nowhere. This tells me others - family and friends - were living in a similar consciousness. I now find it much easier to talk about what I believe, as I no longer feel like I'm trying to "explain" things in a way that will meet someone else's approval. Letter-writing can be viewed as a large part of "shepherding" - I use the term "letter-writing" loosely, as a large part of it has been replaced by email now, which seems to amplify the time spent, rather than reduce it - this also occurs in greater society too, with the computers that were promoted as saving time actually consuming more time, as we try to accomplish more and more. Correspondence does have its place, but it can also become a matter of "hoarding information." This was another realm in which I consistently felt like I wasn't "up to par," and I believe this is because of societally-related demands that I imposed on myself. I sometimes said, and heard other workers say, "Well, I got [x] letters written today!" But this also brings to mind statements I have heard as being uttered by elderly workers that the work was not intended to give a person a feeling of accomplishment. I suppose this is related to our "works" not earning us salvation, but for me it also helped to cover a general feeling of guilt and inadequacy. I think it's also important to consider that while the friends were often expected to get up early and prepare a meal, and then commute to work in heavy traffic, we could get a nap after breakfast, do our studying or writing, exercise, wash the car and/or our laundry, and then travel when traffic is lighter - an option many people don't have. I think there is such common talk about the workers' "sacrifice" (and one is definitely well aware of giving up on the possibility of marriage) that they are generally assumed to be "doing much" for the Kingdom, without any real analysis of what they're actually doing. And I believe too there is a huge energy drain just in trying to "be" what you think a worker should "be" - coping with a companion's expectations, trying to have something "spiritual" to say when you have a lot of decidedly non-spiritual expectations to conform to - it creates a huge amount of tension in a person! But it is probably also fair to say that, within the system in which they are living, the workers are living up to what is expected of them. This leads me back to an oft-repeated focus of mine: It is systemic changes that are needed, not simply ridding the system of a few "problem people." The system is of course comprised of individuals, and it is individual words and actions that must be addressed. But I feel it is vitally important to consider the relationship of these individual words and actions to the whole - the system - they they all contribute to producing.
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 3, 2011 19:33:58 GMT -5
clearday, About 10 years ago, I noticed a variety of brother workers having lots of letters to write. These letters seemed to fill their suitcases. I don't notice the same amount of letter-writing these days, but maybe a portion of it is email. For the few weeks around convention time, all workers put in plenty of manual labor. With you on your general thought, quizzer This is true about prep time, which is valued within the F&W community as part of convention. And yes, I believe e-mail replaces a significant part of the letter-writing.
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 3, 2011 20:26:14 GMT -5
I might add that another island companion - Eldon Huff - is one whom I highly respect for the way in which he gave himself to people. This was often in matters we wouldn't necessarily call "spiritual," but simply helping out in every day life. And he spent a lot of time on language study! I did too, but I enjoy foreign languages, and can't really claim it as "work." It was definitely work for Eldon.
One thing that comes to mind occurred during the two years Eldon and I spent on Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands. We continued making periodic visits out to Likiep Atoll during this time, and Eldon took note of their chronic shortage of nails and screws. We walked (occasionally using the inexpensive taxis) everywhere up and down the three miles of Majuro's heavily-populated area. Eldon noticed that there were lots of nails - many in good shape - scattered in Majuro's roadside dust/mud, and he began collecting them. I was embarrassed and irritated at first, but soon joined in, with it eventually becoming a competition. We took several pounds of used and new nails with us the next time we returned to Likiep - a much-welcomed gift! This isn't really a matter of time consumed, but it was something done by a very thoughtful person.
Eldon also learned to produce jekaro - similar to the Filipino tuba, though not necessarily fermented, it is the sap of the coconut tree, collected through cutting the ends of the blossoms, which would eventually produce coconuts if not cut. This involved raising clean bottles up with a heavy string, then climbing the tree with a razor-sharp machete, cutting the ends of the blossoms and tying the bottle under the dripping ends. This was done twice daily. It also involved initially hanging weights on the blossoms to make them bend downward.
This might be viewed as simply "cultural," but it is a part of their lives, and it is food production - the sap can be fermented, used as a fresh drink, boiled down for pancake syrup, or boiled down more for candy. People there appreciated his efforts to learn from them and to help out. This was on Majuro, which is a town area, and if I remember correctly he was able to share a bit of the jekaro with neighbors and acquaintances.
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Post by quizzer on Mar 4, 2011 12:05:17 GMT -5
Al, Out of sheer curiousity, do you think the workers would enjoy some actual volunteer work - helping out in soup kitchens, caring for elderly in a rest home, being candy stripers in hospitals? I understand that this is not valued in the 2x2 way, but would the workers find it worthwhile to spend time connecting with human needs in a meaningful way? Just wondering, quizzer
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 4, 2011 13:23:30 GMT -5
Al, Out of sheer curiousity, do you think the workers would enjoy some actual volunteer work - helping out in soup kitchens, caring for elderly in a rest home, being candy stripers in hospitals? I understand that this is not valued in the 2x2 way, but would the workers find it worthwhile to spend time connecting with human needs in a meaningful way? Just wondering, quizzer I would guess that some would, and, to be fair, some may do it. Eldon and I did occasional volunteering on "island clean-up days" on Majuro. Of course, in places where life is not so highly institutionalized, "volunteer" work is just part of what families do every day anyway - there is no such thing as care homes or homeless people, a family member will remain at a hospital bed side . . . but I think it's a great suggestion for workers in city areas, where there's not much opportunity to "pitch in" with "making a living." I have thought - and talked with others - along this line, in regard to the area where the Hawai`i cọnvention is. It's a low-income area, and I have heard some very derogatory comments made about it by the workers and friends (the non-Hawaiian friends anyway). It seems strange to me to be sitting there on a few acres that obviously have a lot of money invested in them, afraid to leave the grounds with no one on them (they take turns going to meetings), fearful of swimming at the beautiful beaches up there . . . I do know of at least one worker (Joe Layman) who took time to walk around (while staying at a professing Hawaiian family's home), and even ended up playing football with a bunch of Samoan guys, who supposedly want to beat up every Haole they see. It seems to me the workers should rent a place in the community, live there, and get to know people. And then yes, volunteering in various ways would be a great way to get to know people. Again, my feelings are heavily influenced by working in lands outside of the US, where circumstances forced us to get out of our little routines - there were no professing people in many parts, and if we had just sat in our "bach" and written letters, we would have gone nuts!
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Post by sofastarch on Mar 4, 2011 22:33:03 GMT -5
Al, Out of sheer curiousity, do you think the workers would enjoy some actual volunteer work - helping out in soup kitchens, caring for elderly in a rest home, being candy stripers in hospitals? I understand that this is not valued in the 2x2 way, but would the workers find it worthwhile to spend time connecting with human needs in a meaningful way? Just wondering, quizzer I don't know if it's not valued, but most people don't talk about it when they do it. Last year, our workers volunteered a couple hours each week in a local hospital. I think they went around and collected up all of the office recycling stuff and delivered it where it was supposed to go or something. I don't think they told it far and wide. They did it with one of the friends. Also, the brothers in our field have been having 4 gospel meetings each week, a couple in home studies or visits as well, wally ball with the professing teenagers, college kid coming to gospel meetings, and people who have left the meetings when it works, visits to hospitals & nursing homes, and when they were in our home, they helped with the cooking, clean up, did their own laundry, maintained their car, and did major remodeling to the convention buildings that had major problems, and send frequent e-mails and phone calls to the locals about what they're doing. I don't imagine every pair of workers, especially those in their 70s+ who are not retiring, would be able to keep this kind of schedule, but often those who are able do, at least where I come from. As out reach, one of our workers was part of a weekly community volleyball group one year.
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 4, 2011 23:28:30 GMT -5
Al, Out of sheer curiousity, do you think the workers would enjoy some actual volunteer work - helping out in soup kitchens, caring for elderly in a rest home, being candy stripers in hospitals? I understand that this is not valued in the 2x2 way, but would the workers find it worthwhile to spend time connecting with human needs in a meaningful way? Just wondering, quizzer I don't know if it's not valued, but most people don't talk about it when they do it. Last year, our workers volunteered a couple hours each week in a local hospital. I think they went around and collected up all of the office recycling stuff and delivered it where it was supposed to go or something. I don't think they told it far and wide. They did it with one of the friends. Also, the brothers in our field have been having 4 gospel meetings each week, a couple in home studies or visits as well, wally ball with the professing teenagers, college kid coming to gospel meetings, and people who have left the meetings when it works, visits to hospitals & nursing homes, and when they were in our home, they helped with the cooking, clean up, did their own laundry, maintained their car, and did major remodeling to the convention buildings that had major problems, and send frequent e-mails and phone calls to the locals about what they're doing. I don't imagine every pair of workers, especially those in their 70s+ who are not retiring, would be able to keep this kind of schedule, but often those who are able do, at least where I come from. As out reach, one of our workers was part of a weekly community volleyball group one year. I appreciate hearing that, SS - there are some very dedicated workers. In my own experience, I know that at times I have heard implications that money or time spent on other charitable activities was "wasted," as it could have been given to workers, but that obviously isn't every worker's feeling. I do remember a visiting brother I was driving around Los Angeles (he was working on foreign visas) commenting that he would at times give money to homeless people. This kind of surprised me, as I had been basically taught not to do that. It all shows again that we can't generalize, as things differ in both time and location.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2011 23:52:06 GMT -5
Al, I know of at least one CA sister worker who gives money to homeless folks who ask because she believes it is scriptural.
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Post by Alan Vandermyden on Mar 5, 2011 12:20:04 GMT -5
I'm learning a lot reading the varying comments on this thread!
You know, as I rethink things, I would have to concur that - though exceptional cases do exist - many workers do spend their time productively. We may view some things as "non-productive" if we're viewing from a different position, and have a different set of "values." But, within their community - the F&W fellowship - they are busy, helping to maintain what is important to them. All communities/societies do this.
We speak of productivity and a "real job" in terms of our modern society, but consider how a CEO shuffling papers and making phone calls at a desk would have appeared to a Hawaiian or Native American several hundred years ago - nothing they valued was being produced! A Marshallese friend here in Honolulu is amused at us Americans for our obsession with accumulating "stuff." His community is much more concerned with family and human connections.
Letter-writing is a common way for workers to spend time - and I would say that for some, it is an obligation, and I found some letters to be very wearisome to read, in their length and repetitiveness. But I have found other letters to be very meaningful, and not necessarily the most fluently-written ones either. With some, I knew the person and knew the care that went into that letter, and I appreciated it. Some were able to "get at the heart of things" and leave one feeling they had "connected" with them. Some were quite well-written, but because of knowing that particular person, didn't mean much to me. I find it more meaningful to look at these particular qualities and meanings, rather than just summing up "[x] hours spent writing letters." I use letter-writing as a salient example of worker "activity," but I think what I'm saying can be applied to other areas of activity too.
I often felt guilty, that I wasn't "doing" enough. And I was disorganized, and I still am, though I no longer guilt trip over it. But I think another part of it was because I had questions in the back of my mind, and there was always a tension between trying to do what I perceived others expected of me - like putting out a lot of letters - and what seemed "real" to me - like writing meaningful letters, which I couldn't seem to do too well at the time. This is partly just my own perception and struggle to do what I saw as "right,' but this was also formed within the community - companions and other workers stating how many letters they had written, establishing that as a measure of worth and productivity.
I still feel there are issues to be addressed, but I feel even more strongly that it's important to refrain from placing a value on generalized activities.
Thanks for your comments on this topic, both here and on the main board!
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