Guatemalan Journey: Keeping (a car) Going in Guate

Keeping a car running safely here in Guatemala is a job in itself. Twice in the last three months we have had to put a number of costly repairs into our Mazda mini-van. At times I wonder if it's worth it. But then, when the car is in the shop for a week as it is now, I find out just how much value it adds to our ministry. It really does free up my time to do ministry. I can get places much more quickly with the car than on public transportation, and it's safer, most of the time.

A little over a month ago the car just didn't seem to be handling right, so I took it into Maynor, my faithful mechanic. He checked over the front end and called me over to see what he found.

He literally could shake and wobble both front tires with only his hands. This is really scary when you consider the roads I drive down from Santa Maria almost daily. In a little over four miles I come down over 1000 feet down the side of the Ague volcano, on roads that twist and turn continually. If the steering had failed on this drive, I'd have been a goner. We're not sure what caused this damage. I had had the front end checked only a few months earlier when I bought new tires (an annual event in Guatemala). I do know, however, that as nostalgic as they are, the cobble stone streets here beat the day-lights out of a car. Anyway, I am grateful God protected me and prompted me to take the car in. So now I have basically a new front end, to the tune of almost $1000. I know, in the States, these repairs would have cost four times that much and am grateful that the labor only amounted to a little over $100.

About a week ago, I was driving seven of the teachers from the school down from Santa Maria in a sudden downpour. As we entered Antigua it was clear that I could not follow my usual route, since it would be under water. Two alternate routes were also flooded, and I even had to turn around and back-track once when a normally "safe" route was impassable.

One of the men from our church helping cars
through the intersection I usually cross

There was no way to avoid driving through some fairly deep water, though, if we were ever to get home. As I passed through one "puddle," the car started making a horrible screeching sound, that gave me the same reaction as fingernails on a blackboard. And here I had more than a mile and a half to go, in a solid downpour, with a car full of teachers. You know I prayed, and prayed hard.

The sound continued, and I thought about stopping, but with the heavy rain I knew even if I tried to get a tow to the shop, I'd be waiting in the rain forever, and the teachers would have to walk a great distance to catch their bus. So I slowly moved on, not knowing if it was better to drive fast and get home sooner, or drive slow and hope I wouldn't do any more damage to the car.

I had a pretty good idea, from previous experience, that it was the alternator causing the problem, and that if it was making this much noise, it was already shot. So I opted for medium and prayed the charge in the battery would be sufficient to get me home. It was. In fact, I started the car the next day, foolishly hoping maybe it was just something which had gotten wet and had not dried out. Nope, same ear-splitting sound.

Faithful Maynor called a tow-truck, and got the car to the shop where he discovered it was, in fact, the alternator. He also encountered two other parts which were on the verge of breaking and needed to be repair. And he discovered that a small plastic part connected to the motor had a small leak and needed to be replace. (Of course, this part can only be purchased at the Mazda dealership in Guatemala City--so you know it's pricey!) In the States I might have tried to push off some of these repairs, but I have learned that it is unwise, if not down-right dangerous, to do that here. So once again my car has been in the shop for over a week.

Maynor stopped over to get the money to buy the parts, and joked with me that he felt like an extortionist! I am grateful he is so conscientious about keeping my car safe to drive, and told him so. I can never complain about his prices. Once again, though this bill will be close to $1000, and has required he make two trips into Guatemala City for parts, his labor will be less than $150.

So I have been riding chicken buses and shuttles and tuk-tuks. I am making multiple trips to the market each week since we have to carry home what we buy. And I am sorely missing my car. I feel my age much more than when I first moved here.

Could I get along without it? Yes. Is it worth the cost to keep it in good working order? I believe so. I've had it over two years, so need to expect to make repairs. I couldn't buy a newer one for what the repairs cost me. And I can't put a price tag on the time it saves me and the security it provides.