Do you speak Italian?

This afternoon I watched the kids while Nicole visited a friend who is convalescing this month due to some surgery. The interphone rang and I answered. Our interphone is very hard to hear in normal circumstances, let alone when 3 kids are making noise in the background. But I did catch a female voice saying something about Italian.

I ended up going downstairs to pick up our mail and see if it was important. There were 2 young women standing outside. I asked if it was them and they said it was yes. They thought from my name that I might be interested in Italian lessons.

After I explained that I wasn't Italian, nor interested in the lessons, they offered me a magazine in French. I recognized it as being the French equivalent of "The Watchtower," the journal of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

I definitely don't agree with some of the essentials of JW theology, particularly their view of who is Jesus. Nevertheless, what I read about Hybels book yesterday and today talked about trying to be as inclusive as possible when talking to people. This doesn't mean that we condone what they do or think. But we should treat them like fellow humans and look for points in common.

When I answered an a question that I was from the U.S., the trainer said that she had been riding on a Harley on the West Coast earlier this year. I asked if she made it to the Sturgis bike festival, an event I know through my S Dakotan wife.

In the past, I might have tried to quickly close the conversation. I didn't get into a long discussion, although I mentioned that I knew the Watchtower HQ was in NY. She mentioned that she would be going there later this year.

She thanked me for my kindness in coming to the front door of our building, as she couldn't understand what I was saying nor I her through the Interphone.

It is interesting that the JWs are using Italian lessons to get in contact with people. The Mormons offer language lessons as well. So do some of my colleagues.