Angels

Angels are messengers from God.  They send messages to us, and they also report back to God.

So Angels are two way transmitters.  We are too.  We as Christians go obediently, telling people about Jesus.  When someone gives out information, they should also be receiving information.  Hear what the other people say and think.  Listen to them.  Receive the good, ignore the bad.

Mohatma Ghandi read The Beatitudes: The Character & Conduct of Kingdom Citizens by Tolstoy.  He then read the book of Matthew and was so impressed by what he read about Jesus that he took it upon himself to visit some Christian missionaries in India.  Once he met the Jesus followers, he lost all interest in Christianity.

May we never be such poor testimonies.  Unfortunately we all are at one time or other.  We have to prepare our minds mentally before announced visitors come.  Woe be unto any one who dares show up unannounced during ‘normal business hours’ at a church, or during our ‘quiet times’ with the Lord.  How many of God’s angels have we rejected by not having hospitality, or even being approachable?

Hebrews 13:2
New International Version
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

There is one non believer, and three christians that really demonstrated this verse to me personally.

When I became a Christian, I assumed all Christians were hospitable and approachable, at least to other Christians if nothing else.  Not true.  Then when I became a Christian missionary, to my shock and dismay, they were the same.

The exceptions that I know of are 3 full time Christian servants.  Those three are always ‘on’ as representatives of the Kingdom of God.  They never forget to be hospitable and kind.  In all the decades that I have known them, never have they been unapproachable.  Always a hug, a bed, a meal to anyone needing one.  Christian or non-christian.  Pretty or ugly.  Popular or not. Clean or dirty.

THAT’S THE WAY I WANT TO LIVE. That’s what I want to be seen as.  That’s the way I want my personal home and our ministry to be seen.

Sometimes Non-Christians act more like Christians than Christians do.  God uses them to send messages to us, the supposed messengers.  That being the case, the non-believer that demonstrated this verse to me, doesn’t know that this verse exists.  He is what we believe to have been drug trafficker near San Pedro de Sula Honduras.

His name was Angel, no kidding.

The last expedition down from the states to Nicaragua I drove a donated suv, loaded down trailer and my wife and 2 kids.  We drove until we ran out of money.  Like down here, we live hand to mouth, always.  No savings.  No safety nets.

I usually drive through El Salvador on the way down.  This time however, because we were having problems financially I figured I would drive around El Salvador to avoid the costly boarder crossings.  I just wanted to get to the border between Nicaragua and Honduras called El Espino.

As we were entering Honduras and leaving Guatemala, we were out of cash and our credit card didn’t work.  We had to beg money from the border guards just to get into Honduras.  Penniless, we drove at 11 pm on the mountainous road known as the area of Los Duendes (The Leprechauns).  It was a gang infested road.  Parts of the road had washed out.  Huge pot holes.  Pouring down rain.  It was a very dangerous, dark road. We were dehydrated, hungry, and tired.  We had no money, so were were going to drive until we found a lit up gas station.  One Problem, there wasn’t one.  Just dark jungle the whole way.

About midnight we hit a jagged pothole and had a double flat tire.  Trying to flash down someone to help us,  they just passed us by.  One truck even had a big fish and scripture displayed in lighting on the grill.  The driver slowed down, I thanked God, but he just slowed down to say ‘get off this road it’s dangerous!’ and sped away.

Finally a luxurious Toyota land cruiser stopped to help us.  I assumed it was an American Christian missionary.  No way Jose, it was a one armed cowboy named Angel.  Armed to the teeth.  Probably a drug runner, but I know nothing, I see nothing.  He said, ‘Normally, I don’t stop here.  If bad people see anyone stopped here they just kill them and take their stuff.  You must have done something good in your life, because I will help you.’

It’s 1 am, he said, ‘Give me your flats and I have a friend nearby that I can wake up to fix your tires’.  Winnie’s screaming, ‘He’s taking our tires!?!?!’  I said, ‘Who cares? They are flat.’

Angel came back right away with the tires, but they were already going soft again.  He said, ‘these tires will get you to my house about a mile away but they will go flat again, they are too damaged.  I will lock you guys in my warehouse for the night and I have a well you can drink out of.’

Winnie’s screaming to me, ‘He’s going to lock us up!?!?!!’  It’s 2 am, I said, ‘GREAT!  I am tired. Thank you ANGEL!’

We had a great rest there, locked up in the warehouse.  Before he locked us up, he let Dean Jr. squeeze off a few rounds of his 9mm.  His whole family was armed to the teeth.

The only water to drink was muddy well water.  It was delicious, except for the big clumps of mud hitting my teeth.  None of us got sick.  Praise God, another miracle!

Angel drove us around the whole next day finding the right tires for us.  He kept on stopping and selling stuff out of his car window along the way.  I told my wife and kids, ‘deaf and dumb!’  He was steering with his stump (he only had one arm) and texting with his only hand.  He was driving around 100 miles per hour.  I looked in the rear view mirror, Winnie was white as a ghost.  But Winnie Jr and Dean Jr were having a blast.

Along the way, Angel stopped by a policeman, who was just standing next to a car on the side of the road.  Angel said ‘pass me the 9 under your seat’.  So I stuck my hand under the seat and felt the pistol.  I lifted it and he gave it to the cop, who then threw Angel keys to a car parked there.  We all just ignored it, I wanted to get my family to safety in Nicaragua asap.  There were no options.

All the time I got to share with Angel about Jesus.  I talked to him on the phone a few times since.  He is delightfully ignorant of the scriptures.  Everything I told him he had never heard before.  I am forever grateful to God for sending us an Angel.  For protecting us when we were strangers in a strange land.

Pray that God saves Angel and uses him greatly.  I have since lost contact with him but plan on visiting him on the next drive down from the states.  Pray also, that I too will always remember be kind to strangers in a strange land, and that I never forget to be hospitable and approachable, at any time, 24/7
Dean