Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for us to get new (replacement) vehicles over the years. I have often referred to the mechanic shop in the other town as my second home.
We have had vehicle issues almost continually: brakes seizing up every three weeks during the rainy season from driving through mud holes to get to the house; suspensions popping off while out in the bush, making all of us in the truck walk to church; rear lights going out; and tires blowing out and stripping off every few days, making me quick and adept at changing tires. Once, I changed three in one day. Finally, a rollover ended the life of the last truck, leaving us with only our personal truck, which has suspension issues; nothing dangerous, it just stops you in your tracks.
Because of your financial generosity, we purchased newer replacement vehicles—a pickup for me and a car for Fidel—when we returned to Benin from furlough. We had hired a gentleman who helps people locate vehicles in the car park (sales lot), completes the paperwork and obtains the license plates. It took about two-and-a-half weeks to receive the vehicle papers. And once we received the license plates, the car was released to travel.
Several hours after starting our journey north to return home, I got a flat tire on the vehicle I was driving. When we got out to fix it, we realized we did not have the adapter for the security lug nuts. After looking for it all over the truck and spending three hours trying to find one in the nearest big town, we finally decided to fix the hole in the tire while it remained on the truck. I backed the truck off the road, moving it until the hole came into view. The tire repairers arrived with a patch and an air pump, and we were soon back on the road. A few days later, the tire went flat again. But we had to wait until the car park sent the adapter before I could remove the tire and get it fixed.
Both vehicles had a few issues to take care of, but they were quickly fixed. Fidel’s smaller car is good for going to the villages each Sabbath and other activities when he often fights wind, rain and lots of dust during their seasons. His car also enables him to transport people to the villages for meetings.
Even with the car repairs, enough money remained to buy four motorcycles for some workers and an older transport vehicle with a good motor to haul things around the farm without ruining the more expensive truck. Thank you to everyone who made these vehicles possible.
