Possible Witnesses or Potential Converts? Should I Ask?

by Country Girl 6 Replies latest jw friends

  • Country Girl
    Country Girl

    Down the road from my home is a small country store. This is the only store for miles either way on this road. It was owned previously by a neighbor, and has been in his family for several years. He and his wife recently retired and put the property up for sale. It was closed for several months and then purchased last month by a young Indian man and his wife. When I went down there two weeks, there was an Awake and Watchtower laying on the counter. I just surveyed it. They had them under some jars on the counter so I thought "Well, the Witnesses had just stopped by out in field service, and these people are not interested since they put them under the jars of beef jerky."

    I came back later in the week, and the magazines had migrated to the desk. They had been folded back to an inner page and there were some pen markings on the side of the paragraphs. I figured they had been reading them. There has been no indication from either the wife or the husband about whether they are Witnesses or not, or any source of information for their religion.

    I feel like I should warn them, but don't want to be too forward to them until I find out their status. This is actually not my business, so something like this could be considered quite intrusive. However, I feel like maybe something I say could influence them if they are just getting acquainted with the Witnesses. There is no indication of them being Witnesses at all, but there is no indication of them NOT being Witnesses. I don't know. How should I approach this? Or should I bother?

    CG

  • daystar
    daystar

    If you care about your fellow man, you should at least make an inquiry. Act interested until you find whether or not they are Witnesses. If they are, well, warning will probably not do much good. I would leave it. If they are not, you should certainly forewarn them to research the religion outside of the WTS publications before becoming entrenched.

  • Country Girl
    Country Girl

    Thanks for the advice, I will ask then.

    CG

  • AuntieJane
    AuntieJane

    Yes, definitely ask them...since they are out there in plain sight, it's not like you are snooping. I think we all owe

    it to innocent 'ones', to give them fair warning. Let us know how it goes!

  • misspeaches
    misspeaches

    You could always pose the questions quite innocently... something like - Oh my aunt used to get those magazines. Are they still around? Do you just get them at the paper shop? And see what they respond...?

    Just a thought.

  • Sunspot
    Sunspot

    You could mention that you had seen these magazines there the last few times that you have been in their store, and then casually say that you know some JWs and are they JWs too?

    This way it wouldn't come on as nosey, or in a hostile way or anything like that. They are leaving the things out there in plain sight, so it wouldn't seem unusual to start a conversation because of them, ya think? It might be that they have left them out for that reason! Most people tuck them away and out of sight!

    Let us know what happens.

    hugs,

    Annie

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    You don't even have to be as forward as that. Just ask them if they are religious. Religious people consider this an invitation to unload. You'll find out soon enough.

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