I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonders. (Psalm 9:1)

With Thanksgiving behind us and the Christmas season upon us, it is a good time to reflect on the many blessings we’ve received in this year of our Lord, 2013. What would December be without an end of the year praise report?

Praise goes, of course, first and foremost to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who makes all things possible. I thank Him for raising up the founder of Witnesses for Jesus, Inc., Christy Darlington, and putting it in her heart to be compassionate toward Mormons and Jehovah’s’ Witnesses and providing resources to those called to help them. I am thankful to former Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who have offered to share their stories for the public to read on the websites and for those who volunteer their time as part of the ministry team. And I am thankful for the people supporting us with prayers, encouragement, suggestions and donations. It’s to you I dedicate this article. As you read the expressions of real people who have been set free from the chains of oppression in the cults, know that your support was part of that. For those of you who are weary waiting for answers to your prayers, let these expressions of faith encourage you to know that in God’s time He will bring forth praise from those currently trapped.

As co-leader of our three Meetup groups, I have the privilege of welcoming each new member who joins. At the start of this year, I began to keep a record of new members each month and post their names on our Prayer Meetup to make it more convenient for those who attend our monthly on line prayer meetings to pray through a list. It also aided me in being able to tally up how many joined during the year. At the time of this writing, I will not have the numbers yet for December, but I am happy to report that nearly 200 new members were prayed for from January to November.

New members who joined our Meetups in 2013:

Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses 120 new members we prayed for

Ex-Mormons 22 new members we prayed for

Christian Prayer Support 40 new members we prayed for

Praying for each of these new members is one of the blessings I enjoy as part of this ministry. But to read the expressions from those who’ve grown through their interaction with others on our forums is what our Meetups are all about. As a host, my goal is to encourage participation because I believe that “breathing out our stories” is part of the healing process. I encourage venting as well as praising. In my own journey, much of my venting came out in private journal entries, but I remember how strengthening it was when someone gave me the space to relate how much I appreciated God’s creation and they didn’t try to correct, stop, or funnel that praise into a particular religion. I didn’t realize how necessary such public praise was before that and I discovered that I actually felt stronger after expressing it. And so, I encourage the freedom of expression of doubt and faith on our Meetups and hope that it will continue to bring forth more comments like these:

We can talk about anything here and not have the fear of being disfellowshipped. I have learned a lot from this site. I thought, for a long time that I was the only one that thought the wtbts were a sinister bunch. Now, I find that we all have had the same experiences with them. I would have never known that, if not for this site.

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You guys are wonderful family for me! I feel so accepted here, I don’t have to put in so many hours to prove I’m good. It’s because we have all been there, we know what it feels like to be isolated for so long. Coming here to this forum has been like a breath of fresh air for me. I would like to give you all my heartfelt thanks, and love…Thank you!

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WOW, it is amazing to hear stories from others who experienced the same deal. I went to treatment for alcoholism in 2008 and I was sitting in group one day and we were discussing our foundations in spirituality. It was the first time I allowed myself to feel the “pain”. I broke down and cried so violently that I had to be sedated. It was horrible and other people do not understand……..to be told your education, friends, life is so unimportant because we must go out and preach the “word”. Being told it was a matter of life and death. I did finish high school after being disfellowshipped. The only person in my family to get through high school, I was the youngest. I have struggled in my life financially and emotionally as a direct result of the teachings of the JWs. I have had some great success in business, but I ended up losing it all due to the emotional problems. I am grateful today to be in recovery and able to have a relationship with God that no one else can judge. Thank you God!

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You are so right with the depression bit. We were’nt allowed to think for ourselves. My old Friends thought that I was boring because we weren’t allowed to go out only to meetings and in field service. The mini skirts were in when I was growing up and our dresses had to be down past the knee. We stood out like sore thumbs. I didn’t know how to raise my Children and I was very naive. I wish that I knew what I know now then. I was a lost soul and when my old Friends reminice about their younger days, it makes me sad to think what might have been. But we have to look to the brighter side and I am so glad that I am God’s child today.

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i want to say to im so glad and feel blessed that i found this site all you great people have sure helped me get over the fears of the end of the world all of you really. it was just a year or more ago i was terrified and crying all the time thinking that my life was over at the end and my kids would die. that religion really gave me a very negative out look on life. then with help from all you guys and julie too helping me with scriptures i have healed. also i was gonna say this elder who doesnt like the fact that i got baptized and doesnt talk to me on the street it made me think. they dont like it when you go to jesus and him only. thats where i can tell that religion is demonic, it makes me wonder cause if you go to christ like the bible says your doing the right thing. i know i did the right thing. and since ive been reading my bible on my own im seeing it in a different light and coming across scripture i didnt see before. i think my prayers have been answered all those times in my anguish when i cried and prayed to god to help me and guide me the right path. and id like to say this non denomination church i attend that i got baptized with i notice such a big difference compared to the kh. when i walk into this church you can feel jesus presant. its more cheery and positve. and i love the fact that i can now take the wine and bread. i read again romans 8 yesterday. i started reading romans and after i read romans 8 i realized wow this is the scripture where they think verses 14 -17 is for the 144 thousand and after reading it i thought how do they get that idea?? paul is talking to all who turn their lives to christ and put on the new self and get baptized. hes talking about not living by the flesh but by the spirit. so hes meaning all who come to know Christ.

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The truth is I am asking myself these questions. I just put down what is praying on my mind. Pardon the pun. I love it, that I can do that here. No getting disfellowshipped or reprimanded. No being called an Apostate. I can say or ask anything. This is such freedom! The society would not like me entertaining such thoughts, much less actually saying them. Can you imagine? If the elders knew about someone, in their congregation, talking of such things?

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What is Support? I don’t know if I needed support so much as affirmation. I thought that maybe I was wrong. That I judged the witnesses and the organization, too harshly. I needed to hear someone else’s story. Did I imagine it all? Did I take offense at something imagined? I needed to know that I was not the only one who seen what went on. I didn’t really know what a cult, even was. I didn’t know how subtle a cult could be. I am still amazed how I stumbled onto this site. Meeting Julie online, made my day. Someone else has seen it too! It wasn’t just me! The more people that I met here, the more I wanted to meet. The memories came flooding back. So many times, I would say, YES I REMEMBER THAT!!! They did say that! They did do that! I did read that! This site was a God Send. Hey, you know…… maybe that’s just what it is.

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I don’t get on this site a great deal but when I do I enjoy reading the comments and it encourages me in my walk. When you have all your relatives in the J.W.’s it’s great to be able to get on here and feel like part of a Family. I feel connected and can feel the love and we need this to heal. I know that Jesus loves me and is here for me but at times you need to be in touch with your feelings and with people who understand what you have been through. I admire the work and effort you put into this.. and I enjoy the comments from everyone. Keep up the good work and love to everyone.

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Dear Julie How many hours does Julie sleep I think she works up in the middle of the night to support another broken soul you are working hard indeed thanks to God for using you and thank you for giving your self to this work

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i know what it is they dont like. jesus authority , in the kh we re taught to put our full trust in the org and g body of men. they say they are followers of christ yet they seem to get upset or angrey if a person gets baptized out of their organization and put trust in christ alone. i notice it makes them run and be very standoffish. they back away . in a way isnt that like backing away from jesus. thats almost like they dont like jesus having authority , cause they d rather have the authority. so ive come to the conclusion jws are as bad as governments and others who deny christ his right. the bible says you will be persecuted and hated and given up to death on account of my name. i liken it to vampires. if you hold a cross up to a vampire theyll melt and disintigrate same as the demons. and i think anyone who doenst like jesus authority is just as bad. sorry to over post here but i had been contemplating and thinking on all of this for a while.

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Thank you so much. We have been officially out for almost 6 months yet if feels like years. I pray every day for my daughter and her husband to get out. Continue your fine ministry. Prayer does work! several people have said they were praying for us for a long time. Thanks again.

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I really like this web site I can read the experiences of others who were in that religion and what happened to them and the effect, I know I am not alone in all that I went through and I know I was right to leave wish I would have left sooner I got baptized in 1970 I stopped going in 1998….much to long to suffer and so much was Fear. I was told if I went to my relatives funeral and Armageddon came I would be destroyed so I did not go , every thing you wanted to do their was something wrong with it, my brother and sister did not talk to me for many years because I left that organization but my brother now calls me me now because they were given “New Light ” on talking and associating with relatives, I could go on and on but its really said for me in the stories and experiences I have seen on this site ,Thank you

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To understand what some of our members are going through, here are some comments from the Meetup topic:

TALKING TO JW PARENTS AND FAMILY

I tried to tell my Mum when she was alive that it was a false religion and tried to give her some literature but she refused to accept it saying that it was from Satan. As I have no contact with my Family the only thing left for me to do is to pray that their eyes will be opened. Jesus certainly wouldn’t treat us the way that they do, you wouldn’t treat anybody that way. I reached that point with my parents after going for years trying to tip toe around the subject. One day, when they used the phrase “the truth” with me, I finally had it. I explained to my parents that it wasn’t that I hoped, wished or prayed that the JW’s were a false religion. I told them with all the research I’d done, I knew, without any doubt, that the JW’s were a false religion, one guided not by God but by man. I told them, if they truly looked at the material the JW’s produced, they would also leave, if they had any respect for God and His Word. Ever since then, they choose not to discuss religion anymore, simply because they know I have far more knowledge about their religion than they themselves do. One time, I took my dads purple interlinear and showed him how the JW’s added several words to the text, and took out other words. His solution? Throw the interlinear as hard as he could on the ground, get in his car and burn rubber down the road. Then he said “we shouldn’t talk religion anymore”. I said, “that’s fine with me, just don’t bring it up because I will finish it”. He knew I was right, and rarely asks me anything about religion anymore. Simply put, they are blind and not willing to look at anything that might implicate them. It’s so sad. My dad and mom will pass away still drinking the KoolAid. At least I know I gave it my best shot.

No matter what we do or say or prove they are still under the power of the wicked one. It’s hard to accept that my family is demonic…but I know they are. Their past record proves THEY are not of God. They may be doing their best as far as being a jw is, but if only they listen to me and learn what they are worshipping. This is the part I think satan is having the most fun with, our frustration that we recognize him and our loved ones won’t believe us. I shudder to think when they die, what will they say to the Creator and His Son and the Holy Spirit who pleads on our behalf. Why didn’t they listen to His word first of all, and then us, the messengers of His word. Why didn’t they at least give us a chance to explain what we found out about this satanic cult. They say they are lovers of truth, but they refuse to see and hear. I’m torn, in a way I feel like since they don’t listen, they deserve whatever comes their way. But then again, I see them as Jesus did, like sheep without a shepherd. I’m so confused on the proper way to feel. It’s almost a hate I feel for my family for not reading a real bible, yet I love them and are scared for them on Judgement Day. I am just so confused.

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When my mother asked me “When are you coming back?” I told her “Never!” I did not want to hurt her but she and my father left the Catholic Church and my husband’s parents left the Baptist Church so I felt that I had the same freedom that they had in their lives. To me it is not a matter of hurting their feelings, which I never wanted to do, but making my own decisions about my life just as they did. My decision to leave was at a great cost but a person has to be true to themselves. Our lives are just as important as theirs. If they cannot respect our feeling as we respect theirs then that’s just the way it is.

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Just yesterday, I was talking to my friend about how frustrating it is to get through to them. I’ve been in and out of the meetup because I’ve been studying Mormonism. In doing so, I’ve learned a lot about mind control and propaganda. Sounds soooo simple, but when you get their trust, you get their mind. Read only what we show you! Approved material! No free thinking! Act and look a certain way! And most of all NEVER QUESTION. If you do, you’re damned! They don’t get all the info because of information control.

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It’s frustrating trying to talk to lds and jw’s, but thats why prayer is so important for me.

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Though our Meetups recognize the importance of venting, in the interest of other members I had to make the tough, but long-overdue decision to ban a member from our discussions. He habitually made rude, insulting comments to other members who disagreed with his Bible interpretations. After much prayer and several warnings to this individual both through private emails and on the Meetup message board, in May we blocked him. I appreciated the supportive comments from members who agreed with that decision, and also how one put into words so well how much we each depend on one another in our Meetup family.

I always thought that Julie was a referee at times. I know someone has got to do it. Things would get really heated. After reading some posts, I would think, OK. What is Julie going to think of this! I just want to say, I’m glad she is here. Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel, some people have left this site, because of some things that were said. They haven’t been back for a really long time and I miss their input. I think that our personalities come through with what we write. I do so wish, that some would just come back and say, I’m still here. See, I’m a worrier. When I didn’t hear from Dave for awhile, it really bothered me. Where is he? Did he get offended buy a certain….. someone? You get used to hearing from someone up beat and positive, and when they take a break for awhile, ya say, what the hell happened? There have been some others that I don’t miss at all. The vast majority of people on this site, I look forward to hearing from them. Sometimes I talk to this computer. Like, “come on Lissa talk to me”. “Say somethin Dave”. “Where are ya, Julie”. ( I really hope that I’m not the only one that does this)

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“Thanks Julie for the welcome. This site has been a blessing over the last year, not only for helping equip me to be able to talk to the jw’s but also in giving myself a better understanding of our own faith. Praise God and every blessing”

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Many of the members who join our Meetup groups discovered us through the Witnesses for Jesus, Inc. web sites first. We are happy to see so many Christians taking an interest in reaching out to the people who come to their door with Watchtower and Mormon literature. Here are some letters of thanksgiving for what they have learned through the 4witness.org network.

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Thank you! I just want to thank you for this amazing site. Since I’ve been born again I have had it on my heart to help those who are JW’s and ex-JW’s. It is difficult to get through to the ones who are still in and the ones who are “EX” are so shell shocked from what they have been through, they are afraid to get into anything. Your site has helped me communicate in a simple easy way the truths about Jesus Christ. Although I probably will not be the person to lead my parents to the LORD, I pray someone who is a strong Christian will be able. As Jesus said in (Matt 13) “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” I guess it’s sometimes difficult to teach those who raised you, it’s not the natural order of things. Hopefully they come to the Lord soon. Thanks again.

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HUGE FAN! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am to write to you. Your teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ has really comforted my soul and mind. I grew up at a christian home but I did not know much about the bible. Your sermons On youtube and CDs gave me hope and something to hold on to.. My ex bf is a JW and I am trying to plant that seed little by little.. Wish you lived a lot closer to where I am so that I can visit you and bring my friend with me… 🙁 Thank you or your kindness.

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Thank you so much for the email of welcome and support! I cannot tell you how much it means to me, and how helpful both you and Christy have been! Other than you two and God I feel very alone on this journey. As a Christian I never could have guessed how hard it would be to fall in love with someone who said to me, “I grew up as a JW but I no longer practice it and never will again”. If only it were that easy….. In my naivety I thought that meant we could practice Christian beliefs together, he told me JW are Christians….as I now know they believe they are. He is a wonderful, kind, hard working, loyal and honest man. He has better morals and beliefs than many people I have known in my life who call themselves Christians. However, little did I know the deep, deep roots of the JW religion and the extreme lengths to which they go to to keep their members believing the untruth. …I have listened to the dialogues on your website and read them too. I watched part of Christy’s video on youtube and will buy it to finish it. I am still learning how to navigate around the meet up site. Again, I am SO very grateful for this site and for all the wonderful support you all provide. It gives me so much encouragement and I can’t thank you enough!

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HI Christy, I was so impressed by all that this ministry is doing including the 4 Jehovah ministry and wanted to understand what the financial needs of the organization are. I believe this is such a critical ministry. I was led to site for my interest in supporting outreach to JW, but also glad there is support to Mormons outreach/ministry as well. For example, would more financial support mean that more resources and outreach could occur? Just trying to wrap my arms around the ministry.

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“Thank you, down here in México. I’ll pray for your success and wins. The WTO is very strong in latin america, never heard of the Conti case or the 30,000 cases of child abuse. It must cross the frontier news like this. Keep the good work.”

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You have inspired me. I got right on the band wagon and wrote my pastor. We live in a small town and in this area the JWs have started to write letters to the community offering free bible studies. Those who know me give me the letters to do their wtinessing for them. I will no longer do that… I have asked the pastor to let me advertise in the local papers about this class and sent him the link to your video which BTW is totally awesome! The article you wrote is really good and helped me a lot. What a living testimony you are! My pastor is really cool about us teaching classes so I’m almost sure I will be able to do it. … there are just a few of us who are on fire. I will need your prayers! Also, do you have an outline I can follow? That sure would help me out in the planning stages. Look how the Spirit of God works. Doing this class was in the back of my mind but you brought it forth. Thanks, love ya sis…

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The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God! (Psalm 50:23 ESV)

Merry Christmas and Many Blessings in 2014

Keep yourself in God’s love, Julie