On Monday morning Pastor Marco, myself and a small group of guys headed up to the Feeding Center of Manos Extendidas to drop off the guys to help work on putting the remainder of the concrete tiles on the church floor. While driving, Marco and I were sharing about the ministry and the church and as a result he hadn’t noticed that several of the guys were sitting on the back tailgate of the truck while we were driving. Now keep in mind that riding in the back of the truck is legal here but sitting on the rear tailgate while the vehicle is moving is an infraction of the Honduran traffic code.  As a result, when we passed a police checkpoint, we were pulled over by an officer of the Honduran Transit Police.
That morning I had prayed specifically that God would use me to be a blessing to someone that I would not ordinarily meet that day. I firmly believed that something special would happen and so I began my day.  When we were pulled over it didn’t dawn on me that this might just be what I had prayed for; however, meeting up with a policeman on the wrong side of the law is not something I expected could turn out positive.
While we were waiting for Marco’s son to bring the truck registration that had been left at home, I decided that this just might be that special person I had prayed I’d meet.
I approached him and had agreed with him that we hadn’t noticed the guys sitting on the truck’s tailgate. I agreed that the law was a good idea 
to protect us from injury and accidents. We chatted about life and what I was doing in Honduras as a gringo. That certainly opened up a few doors, including asking him about his spiritual life and if he had ever committed his life to Jesus Christ. He had mentioned to me that he had become a Christian about two years ago and that he was attempting to grow in his faith.
I asked him if he had a Bible and he replied, “Yes, I have an old beaten up one but being just a paper bible it’s just falling apart.†I asked him if I could give him a bible seeing that an average cop makes about $300/month. He replied, “Yes that would be wonderful, but why would you want to do that for me? You don’t even know me!â€Â I replied, “That’s kind of how God’s love works! He loved us even before we knew Him and He chose to bless us anyway!â€
Last night I presented him the Bible I had promised. He was visibly moved as I presented it to him. We prayed together and commenced talking with him. We really want to start a Bible study for these men who put their lives on the line each day in the city with the highest homicide rate in the world. I invited him to a meeting where I’m preaching on Tuesday evening and he wants to come with us to the meeting.
It’s amazing how God opens doors and his ways are above our ways. I will keep you posted as to if we’re able to begin a Bible study with him and some of his friends at the police department. Pray for this coming Tuesday evening, July 31, 2012, as I teach the evening message to him and those attending including those Pedro the Evangelist invites out.
Joyfully Submitted,
Mateo
