11.09.06
Just trying to pay a bill
I’m taking care of a teammate’s finances while he is in the states. I needed to pay a bill by depositing money into a certain account at a certain bank (a fairly common way to pay a bill here). However, new laws have been passed that don’t allow someone who the bank doesn’t know to pay a bill using cash. It’s an anti-Mafia law, apparently, who used to deposit money passing out small bills to normal people and instructing them to deposit it into a certain account, thus avoiding the suspicion of making large deposits. So now, no more anonymous cash deposits. You have to “register.”
The man who took my information asked me what I was doing in Italy. I told him I was a pastor. He replied, “I don’t really like the protestant church.” I sort of ignored the comment, and listened to his mini-rant. He asked me where I was from (a set up, since it was written on my ID card he was punching into the computer). I told him America and he said, “I don’t really like America very much.” I resisted the urge to tell him I don’t really like bankers very much!
But then we had a decent conversation about faith, theology, and the church. He ended up giving me his business card and inviting me to call him sometime to chat about theology. I’m certainly no theologian, but I’m happy to have met someone who is interested in talking - even if he doesn’t like American protestants!