CAR

As usual, our car requires its own blog, but his time we have good news (I think)! Thanks to our good friend Bob, we came loaded with all the parts needed for a tune-up and to repair the air conditioning. I already mentioned that we took it to a mechanic near by. We really think that we finally have found an honest mechanic who really knows what he is doing. John took the car to the shop Monday morning and left it there. He came home in a taxi recommended by one of our friends. The car was supposed to be ready by Tuesday afternoon.

Now, you have to realize that mechanics here don´t have any parts on stock. They can't afford it because parts are very expensive and scarce here. He found a crack in the radiator that needed to be welded, but there is also another deposit for water that was cracked. This is plastic (it looks like a urinal, according to John), so it needed to be replaced. They called around and found a used part for $12, but did not buy it or reserve it. When they were ready to put the part in, it had been sold already. They will have to go to the capital, a five hour drive, to find another part. It will probably be brand new and will cost a lot more. Anyway, they took the part off another car that they had in the shop and put it in ours until they can track one. All this delayed the repairs, but finally they  called Wednesday to go pick it up. We called the same taxi guy, but his car was being repaired also,  not a surprise at all. He had another buddy who came to pick up John.

The car is running fine, with all the new parts from the US; however, we still needed to charge the air conditioning. Another friend told us of a shop in the big town 15 miles away. He called the shop owner for us so that we wouldn't get charged extra for being foreigners; then, he gave us instructions how to get there. This country doesn't have street names or numbers. All the directions are by landmarks. We are so proud of ourselves because, once again, we went straight to the shop. Just as we were driving up, our friend called to make sure that we had found the place. He then later on called just as we were entering the hacienda to make sure that we had made it back and that we had not been overcharged. It is like we are the teen-agers and all these parents are calling out of concern. It is kind of nice! The mechanic checked for leaks and charged the air conditioning. What a luxury to drive home without being choked by the dust or sweltering in heat! Never take you air conditioning by granted!

Yesterday afternoon we went to visit the pastor and his wife. They live one hour from here. She just had female surgery and is recuperating. They shared their struggles with the second congregation. Four members left for silly reasons, as I already mentioned. He said that the month of January was a tough one for them, but the Lord is bringing new people, and the work continues. We prayed with them before we left. I think we will continue to visit with them once a week while we are here because they need encouragement. He said he did not realize how tough it is to be a pastor.

Last night we went to visit the teen-aged girl K, who attends church, and her family. Mom and younger brother are attending also, but Dad doesn't yet. They are all very nice. A ten-year-old boy who is a cousin dropped by and entertained us with his non-stop chatter. He wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up, and his cell phone contains over 100 pictures, mostly of animals, which he showed us one by one. People here live humbly but now most have cell  phones because the need to communicate, since most of the kids attend school in towns far from here. This boy's story is a little sad. Both his father and mother are deaf, so for some reason he lives with his aunt. Tonight we will attend church.

Until next time...by the beach...