Retrofit
My name is Gloria Muscarella. I live in a suberb of Los Angeles. I own 3 small
apartment buildings in Van Nuys, CA
Two years ago, the city of Los Angeles made a new law stating
that it is mandatory that all Apartment buildings in Southern CA with car ports
garages must retro-fit them by a certain date or the govt will confiscate your
proptery. The mayor put on big meetings at the Los Angeles Convention Center
where they many of the Retro Fit companies to get bids. They said if we did not comply
we would go to jail and have our property taken.
The Retro-fit companies charge about $10,000 per garage. I have 4 car port
garages. So its about $35,000.00 to $40,000.00. The city requires you to hire a
licensed retro-fit contractor. They cut and dig out the ground in your garages,
and the sides of your garages, along with the top section and then place giant
steel gerders in place with rebar and then pour cement.
The process takes several months. My dead line is April of 2021. The plans have already
been drawn up and aproved by the city Planning Board. I am ready except I do not have the funds
for the project. With the Pandemic we are having, almost half my tenants are out of work and not
paying rent for several months now. By the time I pay the mortgage, taxes, insurance,
DWP there is nothing left for a bigger project.
The Back Story:
In 1952 my family moved to VanNuys CA from Oklahoma, and bought a 1.75
acre estate with a Spanish style Ranch home built in 1935. I had a wonderful
family. My grandparents gave property to my mom and dad and aunt and uncle
and they built homes there. Plus my grandparents built 3 apartment buildings.
14 units total. Years later when I was 20, I designed and built a house there also
with my father.
For 30 years now I have been a born again Christian believer. However before
that, I was born into a family of 5 generations of Jehovah Witness. My great
grandmother knew the founder personally and was supposed to pick him up off
the train the night he died. My family had in their possesion, every book, booklet
and magazine ever printed by the Jehovah Witness Watchtower
Organization all the way back to 1876.
In 1965 the Jehovah Witness Headquarters printed in their books and magazines that in 1975
Armagedon would happen and it would be the end of the world.
They told people to sell their homes, and give the money to the Watchtower as
time was short. Many did. They encouraged us a young people to quit school and go
into mission work. It was a crazy time, with people making rash decisions
based on this information.
As you know, the world did not end. We are still here. What really bothered
me, was that after 1975, the Watchtower headquarters had big conventions
where they then said, Oh we never said Armagedon was coming, over zealous
members just took it that way. WHAT? They are now lieing and said they never
said that.
I was very disollusioned and did not trust them anymore. Millions of JW people
were disollusioned and left the organization at that time, but millions of new ones
came in that never heard of the 1975 hysteria. One of the persons who left, was
Ray Franz who just happened to be on the Governing Body of the JW
headquarters who wrote all their books and Watchtowers.
He had aha moment and said "We are not teaching the truth to the people". So
they disfellowshiped him in one day and told everyone he was apostate to the
orgazination and no one was ever to talk to him again. He too found Jesus and
wrote a book called "Crisis of Conscience" "Loyality to ones God, or Loyality to
ones Religion."
In 1983 both my grandmother and great grandmother passed away just a few
weeks apart. My main family memebers who I was closest too were gone.
I had been working in flower shops for a while, but never thought about owning my own business.
After the funeral, I went for a walk and all of a sudden I decided
to pray. As a JW you were never allowed to pray to Jesus, becuase they say he is
Michael the Arch angel and why would you pray to an angel???
However I said, "Jehovah, excuse me I dont want to be rude, but I dont want to
talk to you. I want to talk to Jesus. "Jesus did you die for me, are you real? "
If you are real I want you to change my life right now, and I want to make wedding
flowers out of my home and work in the movie industry, and if you are real make it
happen". I dont know why I said it, as I never thought of this before.
Within 10 minutes of being back home the phone rang, and someone I knew
offered me a job at CBS MTM studios watering the plants in the offices of the
writers and producers. I thought "its not exactly what I had in mind, but I just
prayed it so I better walk through that door. I did and become studio florist for
them for 17 years. I also did flowers for about 40 weddings and never advertised
once.
After 3 years of being very successful, one day I said to Jesus, "Jesus I love the
fame and fortune but I want to find you, if the JW are right I need to know, and if
not, then I need to know so I can find you!" Well in 10 days I came down with
Chronic Fatigue and could not get out of bed for a year. During that time I read 5
different versions of the bible, including the JW Greek Interlinier bible, from
Matthew to Revelation.
I was able to find where the JWs actually change the bible to uphold their false
docterines. The Holy Spirit really opened my eyes to who the real Jesus and the
Holy Spirit were. I also read Ray Franz book and went through many of the old
JW books and found out they had fortold the Armagedon and set many dates in
the past that did not come true either.
I needed that year of down time to cry and grieve the loss of my family, because
if anyone ever leaves the JW organization, their family and everyone they ever
knew, has to cut them off.
After a year, I said to Jesus, I know I need to ask you in my heart to be saved, and
when I do, you have to make me well again, and help me deal with my mother.
So I did, and He did made me well.
I secretly went to bible college and studied religious cults. I put together 140
page disertation of all the lies and false prophecies that were in all the old books
and WT magazines and wrote a 4 page disassociation letter with about a 100
bible scrirtures in it to give the WT bible and track Society.
My mother turned me into the JW Elders and they began to hunt me down. I put
them off for over a year, but finally I had to face a Judicial Commettee meeting
with the Elders that lasted 5 hours. I showed them all the lies in the old
books and then read my disassociation letter to them. Then it was over and
everyone I knew cut me off. (my uncle next door was one of my Elders)
Even if you know Jesus, its hard to lose your family. I grieved for a long time.
Over time my parents did start to speak to me again, but we had to do it secretly,
as my uncle next door, would call Elders meetings on my parents and threaten to
disfellowship them, if they did not stay away from me. My uncle made them cut
me out of all inheritance of the family property. Mostly this was so my two
cousins, their sons could inherit the family property. Originally my grandparents
set up the inheritance to be spit between me, my 2 cousins and the JW WT
Organization.
Fortunately, the Lord opened up opportunities with my careers in the floral
business. For many years I would decorate huge events and weddings with
flowers. I also became the custom Christmas decorator for Paramount Studios.
I decorate a 50 ft live tree every year now for 28 years.
For 5 years, I became the florist on the TV show Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
1994-1998. While on set, I started to see the horses as photography art and
started taking pictures of them.
Next thing I knew, I was in the show ring as a proffesional horse photographer
for some of the most beautiful horses in the world. I have magazine articles written about my work.
I even had the opportuity to attend the Windsor Castle Horse for the Queen in
England and go to Netherlands to Queen Betrix
stable to watch the horse be trained for carriage work.
However this year due to the Pandemic all my horse shows, events and work is cancelled.
So that would have been my retro fit money.
My father passed away in 2001, I made all the flowers for him, and was able to
go to the grave site for the burial, but not allowed to go to the JW ceromony after.
In 2010 my mother fell and broke her shoulder. No one in the family was there
to help her, so I went to live with her for 8 weeks while she mended. Shortly after this,
she developed a condition where her throat muscles stopped working and
she had to go in the hospital for a permanant feeding tube to be put in her
stomach.
After this she needed round the clock care givers. I became one of them 2 days a week.
Little did my mother know, but her favorite care giver Helen, who grew up as a Jehovah
Witness, had left and also become a Christain, but she never told my mom that.
cfHelen and my mom loved each other so much! It was really sweet.
In 2012 my mom said, I have decided to give all the inheritance to the JW
Watchtower and cut everyone else out, as my cousins had not been trustworthy
and she had to call senior abuse on them and well, I was a Christain. This was
normal behavior for her and so I said Ok mom, what ever you want.
I have used my home for Pastors and Evangelists to have church and prayer
meetings for 16 years now. Every Friday night, Every other Monday and one
Saturday a month for prayer meetings for Child Evangelism Fellowship, Which
are bible clubs in the public schools. So everyone in these groups started praying
my mother would have a change of heart.
After about 6 months my mother decided to put me back in the will. So we went
to the Lawyer. Then a month later she said, I want to go back, so we did
and she started giving me more of the property than my cousins. Then a month
later we went back and she removed the WT from the will. She passed away in
January of 2013. She had given me half of everything, and my 2 cousins to split
the other half between them.
However when she passed we found out, that my father still had a active trust
that left 25% of everything to the JW WT organization. Which then started a 2
year legal battle with them and my 2 cousins. Of course the Watchtower had to
have their share of the $$$.
I did not qualify for a loan, as at this time, banks and mortgage companies were
not giving loans to anyone. I had stopped a lot of my work to be there for my
mom, so my taxes did not refect enough income for a $1,100,000.00 loan. You
would think the income off the apartments would have been enough, but they
did not view it that way. The apartments are under rent control.
My Lawyer found someone who heard my story and packaged me differently to
the bank and got me the loan. The WT forced us into a 9 hour mediation with a
judge, and the loan came through that day.
One week after my mother passed my uncle who was the elder next door also
passed away from Alzheimer's. I did not know this at first, I found out later, but
my cousin David who was also a JW elder left his wife, was disfellowshipped from
the JW's and everyone cut him off, and he attemped suicide 2 times, and almost
succeeded.
The day of the mediation everyone was fighting me for an extra $200,000
investment my mom had given me. They were not entitled to it, but refused to
sell the property to me unless I gave it too them. To end the battle I gave it to
them. The paperwork was signed and I bought them all out. That was in 2015.
So for 5 years now I have owned the property. I call it Beulahland, as my great
grandmothers name was Beulah and in the Bible at Isaiah 62 it says " no longer
will you be called desolate, but your land will be called Beulah, for the Lord will
take delight in you." (NIV or KJV verse 4)
However I had no idea how much repairs and work would have to go back into
the houses and apartments, to even make them rentable. 2 of the homes were
built in 1935 and needed all new plumbing, electrical, all new ducting, heating, air,
landscape etc.. This might not be a big deal for some, but after I pay the loan
payment each month, taxes, insurance, DWP, there is not much left to go back
remodeling and repairs. So I might own a lot of land houses and apartments on
paper, but I am casah poor and run out of money each month and then have to
start over.
I got 0% interest credit cards and have used them to catch up, but then
I have to pay them off after a year, then repeat the process.
After 5 years I am tired and want it all to be done, so I can devote my time to
bigger things of the Lord. All the property is in perfect order and rented except
my grandmothers Spanish style estate house. It still needs about $40.000 in
remodeling repairs, and the retrofit which is another $40,000 ...and now with
Covid-19 half of my tenants are out of work and have not paid rent in several
months. So I am reaching out for help, to at least get the retrofit done before I
am in crunch time with it.
Here is a link to see the property...
http://beulahlandproperties.neotimes.org/
Here is a link to my Disasociation Letter https://www.4witness.org/
Click on Testomonies, then scroll to Ex Jehovah Witnesses, then scroll to Gloria's Articles,
and you will see everything I have written, my Dissassociation Letter and also a youtube video
of me speaking on the difference between JW verses
Christianity.
God Bless you all! I will be so greatful to anyone who feels lead to help me out. I
have felt as if I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders trying to keep up
with all the work load, repairs, remodeling, referbishing, ground maintainance,
and now the retrofit. I am exhausted. My hearts desire is to do more ministry for the Lord,
so extra finances would help immensely. There is such a great relief that comes when projects
are finished, and not hanging over our head for years.
Mark 10:29-30 says Jesus says... “Truly I tell you,” “No one who has left home or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for
the gospel will fail to receive a hundredfold in the present age—houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields, along with persecutions—
and in the age to come, eternal life.…
Thank you for reading my story, even if you dont feel lead to give finacially, I
hope my story brought you closer to the Lord and helps you understand more
regarding the inner workings of the Jehovah Witness and their false teaching.
Sincerely,
Gloria Muscarella