Last Wednesday Andrea and I were both sick but we went to the office anyway because Andrea had to sign some paperwork. By about noon, we were both wiped out and Andrea decided to call in sick to her Spanish class and I decided I just needed to go home and rest. The drive from the Nehemiah Center to our house in Las Brisas is about 25 minutes, which I thought I could just manage. We began our journey down the hill and everything was going fine until we passed 7 Sur, and saw la policia standing on the side of the road. As we approached, an officer signaled for us to pull over. I was totally confused. I was going the speed limit, I hadn't changed lanes in the wrong place, and I wasn't tailgating.
When I rolled down my window, the officer told me the license plates on the FHI Jeep I was driving were out of date and he was going to have to take my license and fine me C$200, which I was going to have to go to a local bank and pay and then pray that the government here had not lost my license by the time I went to retrieve it. Trying to stay in control of my emotions, I attempted to explain to the man that I didn't know my plates were out of date, and that it wasn't my vehicle...I was just driving it to get us home faster since we were sick (Andrea, meanwhile, was doing an excellent job staying calm and helping me translate this guy's Spanish). The officer, while sympathetic, didn't seem to budge. He insisted on seeing my license and another piece of documentation about the Jeep and its registration. So I reluctantly gave him both items. He started to write the ticket, but when he looked at the registration document, he looked up at me again and asked, “Are you Christians?”. Surprised by the question, I replied, “Yes”.
The officer handed back my license and registration and said, “Pasale” (which means, "go on"). I was sort of in shock. According to the law, I should have been given a ticket that day. But, by the grace of God, Andrea and I were spared the cost and hassle of that experience.
La gracia siempre triunfa. Aleluia!
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