We have a house.

Yes it's true - we finally have a place to call home. After living out of suitcases, in temporary apartments and in the gracious hospitality of family and friends, we are living in a house where we can plan to spend the rest of our term in Honduras. Two weeks ago we moved into a house in Nueva Suyapa, the community where Kathy is working with Stewardship of Christian Ministries (SCM). It has been a long time coming, yet in some ways we believe God was preparing us for this house, because had we seen this house in this neighborhood a few months ago, I doubt we would have moved here.

Nueva Suyapa is a very poor, marginalized neighborhood on the mountain outskirts of Tegucigalpa. It was first settled in 1974 by people who were displaced after Hurricane Fifi. It continues to be a place for new residents to settle as they travel to the capital city in search of a better life. Sixty percent of the 35,000 residents live in extreme poverty with a single mother as head of household. Crime, drug abuse, and gang activity are real issues here. It is a tough place.

So why do we live here? Well, aside from feeling led, it is where Kathy does her work - and it is actually safer living here and walking to her work than busing in every day from the city. But the biggest draw for us was the neighborhood in which we live. It is in a more secure section of Nueva Suyapa and the neighbors watch out for each other and take care of each other. We have had more interactions and been made to feel welcome by our neighbors than in any other place we have lived in Honduras. They are consistently checking in with us, giving us things we need, offering advice on where to get things and how to stay safe. It's a great feeling to walk down the street and be greeted by name and wished a good day or a blessing from Dios.


The house? Well... it is basic.

This picture was taken the day we waiting to meet with the landlady to discuss the possibility of renting the house. As we were waiting, the neighbors across the road (where I am standing) invited us in to sit and platicar (visit and talk) rather than wait in the street. Our favorite neighbors live in the wooden house to the left. Very friendly with great kids, including twin daughters, Esther and Ruth, who attend the University.






This is a side view taken Sunday afternoon when the neighborhood boys were playing soccer in the street. See Futbol on our street for more photos. It's serious stuff.









The house has two main sections - which could each be used as separate housing.

The front (lower) section has three rooms - one main sala and two bedrooms. There was no kitchen per se, just three empty..... very empty rooms. We decided to make the blue bedroom into a kitchen.

There is a nice courtyard between the two sections of the house, which includes the outside water tanks (one lower "pila" and an upper tank) which are filled every 15 days "or so" when the water comes on in the neighborhood. There is a bathroom inside the black door including a toilet and shower fed by the upper tank.

The stairway to the upper section is to the left. We will use the upper section for an office and a guest bedroom.

(See more pre-fix and fixing up photos, including the making of a couch!)

After sending the above photos to our families and church, we received some interesting comments. So to set your mind at ease, we include the following photos that show the house after our fixing up.





This is proof you can make a kitchen out of nothing.

Above is our favorite spot - the kitchen table looking out on the courtyard.

We still don't have a sink and are evaluating whether we really need one. Washing dishes at the outside pila is going OK so far. Our filtered water supply is in the white bucket in the background.









And then there's the office - a well lit, quiet, organized place where we can do our Disaster Management work. We even have internet access via a cell phone modem and Skype international calling..... all from a little barrio called Nueva Suyapa. Amazing!

See more after fixing up photos for a full tour.

There is still a lot to be done, but for now we love living in this place. The house may be basic, but what seemed very basic months ago, now seems quite comfortable, if not a bit indulgent compared to how others are living here. We feel blessed.