Mi Casa es Su Casa

Home Sweet Home

On May 23, two months before we left for Puebla, I posted a prayer request on our Facebook page asking everyone to pray for our housing situation in Puebla.  We knew no one in Puebla, and we had no connections to the city.  The Spanish school I was planning to attend said they could help us, but their price range for apartments near the center was higher than we wanted to spend.

So we prayed, and many of you prayed with us. Fast forward a couple of weeks.  Kris and I were finishing our final week of classes at GIAL and our parents were visiting to help us pack up our belongings...still no leads on places to stay in Puebla!  I had so much on my plate at the time that I tried not to "waste" any stress on worrying about that, but I have to admit that a bit of...concern crept in every now and then.  The next Sunday a couple in our class told us that they had a friend from Puebla and that he was going to come to church with them the next week.  We were excited about the possibility of making a connection.  The following Sunday we met Rubi.  After the introductions he asked, "So, do you have a place to live in Puebla?"  We said no and that we were still looking.  He said, "I feel like God has sent me here to help you with that."  Well, who are we to argue with God!  He told us that his parents still lived in Puebla and that he would call and ask them to start looking for a place for us to stay.  We exchanged email addresses and left it at that.

Over the next couple of weeks, Kris and Rubi exchanged emails.  Less than a month before our departure date, we still did not have a definite address in Puebla.  Again, we asked for prayer from my home church which we were visiting in Florida.  The same day, we received an email from Rubi saying his parents had found a house for us.  All we had was an address, a picture of the outside, a very reasonable price, and a promise that it was in a good area with easy access to downtown.

We arrived in Puebla late in the afternoon of July 24th.  Rubi's family met us (and our LOAD of luggage) at the bus station.  They graciously took us to our new home to drop off our belongings and then took us to their house for a wonderful dinner.  We kept having to remind ourselves that these people didn't know us.  They were so welcoming!

Our kitchen- tight but cozy! 

Our home had some basic furnishings (a couch, chair and two beds), but our kitchen came with only a kitchen sink.  Over the next couple of weeks, our sweet family took us around town so that we could get all the things we needed to make this house our home for the next 6 months.  We've had to make a few adjustments.

Kieran and Elyse's room. 

Elyse, for example, sleeps on an air mattress and I'm learning to cook using only a stove top.  We take our laundry to the "lavandaria" across the street where they wash, dry and fold for only about $1 per kilo.  I don't mind letting someone else do my laundry as long as I remember that it takes about 2 days to get it back (any last minute laundry is washed in the kitchen sink and hung out to dry!).  We can find just about anything we need in Puebla.  Home Depot, Walmart and Costco are just a short bus ride away.  However, we know that we are only going to be here for 6 months and do not want to invest too much time or money into adding the things we now consider luxuries.

Our dining/play/tv room

Our living room

We have a playground across the street where the kids love to play and meet new friends.  About a week ago, Kieran said, "Mommy, after all this unpacking, I finally feel at home."  We are so blessed to have this house and are so grateful for God's provisions.  

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain."

Psalms 127:1 (NIV)