"Your damn right we are", says Arvid; "and no good Christian would support letting these heathens come here either."

"I am a Christian." Says Annie, "And I believe in showing love towards strangers.   I believe people should be able to tell that we are Christians by our love and our actions, not by our just saying that we are."

Bo Niemi and his wife Pia overhear this exchange as they are walking to their cars and decide that they need to join in.

Says Bo "They plan to have as many as 200 people there at times.  I don't think that the roads can handle that many people."

Sulo laughs "How many people do you think that we had at the school when it was in session?  I think we had over 500."

"Yeh," says Bo, "But they were smaller people."

Annie's patience is pretty much exhausted. "I think that the big problem is that you people are just afraid. You are afraid of anything different.  If it were Concordia College or Western Conservative Baptist wanting to open a branch seminary, there would not be a peep out of any of you.  You guys all have American flags in front of your homes.  Bo even has a flag on his pickup, yet I don't think that any of you have an inkling of what it means to be an American… or even what it means to be a Christian."

Ilsa starts to open her mouth. 

Annie Continues. "The founders of our country knew very well that a Democracy did not necessarily mean freedom.  They were very fearful of the tyranny of the majority, and it was for this reason that they wrote a Bill of Rights.  You had better be thankful that we have such a thing, and you had better not want to change it."

Ilsa looks sternly at Sulo and Annie.  "No one comes to the Father, but by the Son."

"Yes" replies Annie. "God is love and he that loves not knows not God…Jesus died so that all would live. He died for the Buddhists as well as the Baptists."

"If you were a real Christian" retorts Ilsa, "you and Sulo would be married". 

"Ouch" says Annie

"Not a bad idea" says Sulo.  He takes Annie's hand, and walks with her to his car, leaving the others behind.

"I have been working on something down at the barn", whispers Sulo I have a batch of berry wine that needs to be tested".

"Is that so?" Responds Annie, "You just want me to try your wine?"

"No," continues Sulo in a whisper " I also have an offer to make.  A long term offer, that I hope you won't refuse".

Sulo is a good man, a kind person and a good friend, and if Annie is as smart as I think she is, she will take the man up on his offer.

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