Good evening mes amis et inconnus,
There is a proverb in the Spanish language that says, "Preguntando, se llega a Roma." or "Asking, you get to Rome." This expression is used for people who are in doubt about a situation they are confronted with. For the last week, I have tried repeatedly to find tires for my truck. I have had three blow outs. Not flats, but my tires have exploded. This has demonstrated a lesson in being a foreigner learning the ropes in another country, but yet again has shown me how God places people on your path to help you in need.
Five nights ago, I was driving home down the north highway, and I heard and felt my left rear tire explode. I had a spare in back, so I pulled off as far off the road as I could to chane the tire. The shoulder was very narrow, which still left me hanging out in the highway as I changed my tire. My jack collapsed three times, and I was constantly praying as semis, cars, buses, and motorcyclists whizzed by me. I finally got the spare on, but I saw it was low on air.
Here in Managua, they have used tired shops called "vulcanizadoras" where they replace tires and refill them. It was past sunset, and I asked two guys who were standing by watching me nervously work on my wheels where the closest vulcanizadora was. They told me it was about 300 meters straight ahead. I was off. One hundred meters later my spare exploded! I drove ahead until I found the tire shop. When I arrived, half of my tire remained. I was astonished.
The store was about to close, and thank God they helped me. They had one left that was the size I needed. He explained to me that A lot of places will cut the tires and sell them so that you have to return when they go flat or are further damaged. Today I was getting ready to meet one of my coaches to train, and I saw the tire I just bought was flat. It was cut just like the man had said, but it was the tire he sold me. So I was off to find a new one. Three tire shops and ninety minutes later, I finally find a tire. It is undersized, and I later discovered it had a nail in it. I brought it back to my truck.
My landlord saw it, and he asked me what happened. He was indignant. He could not stand that I had been taken advantage of. He hopped on his Suzuki motorcycle and took me to a place the sells new tires. I watched him argue with the people for fifteen minutes about a specific tire that he uses on his trucks. They didn't have it. So he went off to check at the Oriental Market for a good tire. He came back thirty minutes later, telling me to follow him.
I had trouble keeping up with him as he weaved between cars and ran traffic lights, but when he got to far ahead, he stopped on the side of the road to wait for me. When we arrived at the market, he showed me the tire and explained its advantages to me. Then he negotiated the price, lowering it substantially. It is sturdy and new, and the first tire I've seen here with an innertube.
All of this may seem like a lot of stress over something innochuous, but sometimes that is life in a new place. I am thankful that it happened on my day off, so it didn't interfere with my work. The man who helped me the most turned out to be someone who I thought was out to swindle me on numerous occasions. I learned that I need to trust in the people God puts in my life. Returning to the proverb from the beginning, you should try not to ask too many people for directions when you are unsure. Trust in God and His servants. Otherwise you might take some costly detours before arriving at your final destination.
Que Deus te abençoe,
Seth
"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."
-Psalm 32:8
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