I just got back from two days in the city getting repairs done on the van. It is a Toyota Noah, a model not marketed in the States. It was born in Japan with the steering wheel on the right side and converted to the left side for use in Bolivia. It is always a challenge finding a good mechanic who has time to do the work. The good ones are always busy. Some seem to think if they own or can borrow a wrench and a screw driver they are mechanics. When the job is done you want to be shown the old parts that were removed to be sure the new ones you paid for were installed. I guess I have become cynical. Anyway the steering on the van is fixed and it does not rattle as it goes down the road like it used to so I am happy. Now I have to replace a front wheel bearing that is starting to growl.
I saw Fabian Wednesday, he is finished with the rehab program and is having a hard time. There is no work here in Portachuelo. We had arranged for him to work with a fellow from the church in Santa Cruz and live with his aunt. He would learn welding. His family (who ignored him for 18 years) decided that welding was not a worthy profession and supposedly are looking for something else. Right now he is cleaning a lot his aunt wants to build on. For a year Fabian has had a very regimented life. In rehab he was told when to go to bed, when to get up, when to eat. They kept him busy all the time. He was with his companions in the program all the time. Now he is alone much of the time. He told me that three times he has been offered drugs in the neighborhood around his aunt’s house. I gave him a cell phone so we can stay in touch. He will be coming home for the weekend. Please continue to pray for Fabian. He has some difficult days ahead.
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