When I witnessed the events unfolding in New York City on September 11, I never dreamed I would soon be taking a trip there. I am a Free Methodist police chaplain, and some of my colleagues from Oregon had a weeklong stint at Ground Zero in October. When they returned from the site, I was impressed by their concern for the New York City law enforcement officers. We returned there in December.

The focus of our ministry was the distribution of a special Law Enforcement, September 11, 2001, Memorial Edition Bible (see www.peaceofficerministries.org). On the cover is a photo of the Iron Cross that was formed in the intense heat during the destruction of the World Trade Center. We personally handed out more than 1,500 Bibles, including 600 to the New York 9-1-1 Center and 500 to the Port Authority Police.

One of our most moving experiences was the Bible distribution at the 9-1-1 center. The dispatchers are the "faceless" heroes. They were off-site on September 11 and had to hear their emergency workers die. We first visited on a Saturday, got a tour and handed out a few Bibles. So many dispatchers and officers wanted Bibles that we ran out of our supply. As we were leaving, people came out of the building asking, "Can I have one of those Bibles?" We told them we would return. On Monday, with the help of "Saint" Joseph, an ordained minister and NYPD officer, we loaded the van with 600 Bibles and headed for the center. That is over a ton of Bibles!

As we entered the building a couple of officers began loading the Bibles in a storage unit just inside. In the meantime, we began talking to some officers at the desk. They heard about the Bibles and wanted their own copies. Soon, a few dispatchers showed up requesting Bibles. The Bibles have a presentation page in front, and we signed them when giving them away. Soon more dispatchers started showing up. Before I knew it, there was a line down the hall! After 10 minutes the sergeant set up some tables and chairs for us.

Many of the officers worked on September 11. As we handed them their gift, we told them how proud we were of them and to keep up the good work. Often, a dispatcher would look at us and say, "Thanks for not forgetting us." For the next four hours we gave out more than 350 Bibles! Please pray for those Bibles. God is at work in New York!