The Story of the Truck Named Faith

Please allow and understand that I am not a writer, publisher or even good at grammar. I understand that. I had to go to night school and study Englsh classes to graduate form Tennyson High School. I also do not speak Spanish. I spoke steet slang and started nearly every sentence with the work”Man” and used it like a period at the end of a sentence too. Yes, I grews up with my hood brothers and that’s how we spoke. Man! So I attended night school because the teachers emphasised how hurtful it would be to my parents if I did not graduate. So, I did go to night school for six months. I graduated in 1974. I later discovered that I did not knowi how to write a ocmplete sentence. 

I stated working in the summer seacon at the age of 13. For those of you that grew up in Hayward California, you may remember the body shop across from the Ford Dealerhip named Shanklins Body Shop.  

I worked from 8:00 to 5:00. At that age, I did not do much except sweep the floors and clean up tools for George and Robin. I smile to this day because Geoge’s and Robin’s full name, and I am serious were George Lopez and Robin Hood. lol  I am seriouse! 

So my point is, I know that my English writing skills are not good, my grammar is horrible and spelling? lol… I got stories to share with you there. Please allow me a little slack ok? And, you will see many revisions along the way. Thank you in advance. 

This is where my story writing begins. With an analogy of The Truck Named Faith and my keeping the Faith in our Lord. For without my faith in the Lord, I will surely not have survived to this day. This is my testimony. 

Life to me, like the condition the truck was in, can bring with it physical and spiritual damage. Through a great deal of prayer, it is possible to a degree, to repair some of the outward damage over time. Sometimes over decades of time or even an entire life time. 

So why name the Truck Faith you may ask. I had already been through two divorces at the time and one bankruptcy. 

I was helping my cousin Antonietter with her irrigation drip system since her husband Nick had passed away and she was dragging hoses across the property at her home in Valley Springs for over an hour a day watering plants she had purchased from me when I owned a retail nursery at 1390 Country View Drive in Valley Springs. 

Sitting in the field was this old green truck, some dents in her, worn and in need of repair, but to me, she had potential of a revival. And, since I used to do body work maybe. Just maybe I could save up enough money to buy some day. 

Time passed and I just had to ask. How much for that truck? $600.00 she said. Now this is a 1976 Dodge D100 Adventurer. Nice body, a few dents, worn paint…  “Is the engine any good?”  

Yes, the engine is good as far as I know.  

So, I said, I will buy it if the engine checks out. So, I had the vehicle towned to Haun’s Automotive shop in Martel California. Now the time of this event was near hmm around 2015. I asked Haun’s to do a test on the engine to see if the engine was in decent enough shape. They did and…I purchased the truck. She had not yet been named Faith. That would come much later…. many, unwantly thousands of dollars later. 

What happened next what when I named her Faith. Faith because it would take a lot of faith form me to belive I could invest the money to resore her to a good running condition.  As it turn out, she needed a new engine as the diagnostics from Haun’s were not good.  

More about this to come…but now you know why she has the name of Faith.  And like my life, damaged on the outside and damage on thie inside, I need to keep faith that I can repair myself. I know, I know I cannnot do it on my own.  And I have learned that the hard way.