A Chance to Live and Grow Into All That God Intends

Sandra Morales Leon (homeowner) and Maria Rivera Zamora (HFH Mexico staff member)

Carlos Trejos Herrera and his wife Sandra Morales León have lived in the same rental house for the past 13 years. At the end of this week, they and their three children will start a new life in their own Habitat home in Puebla.

The move is especially anticipated now. About three months ago, plumbing problems developed in their old house. They are currently without running water and must collect water outside the house with a bucket.

Even before the plumbing issues arose, the family of five was severely cramped in their one-bedroom home. Carlos and Sandra's oldest child, Maria Guadalupe, 14, is especially excited about having more privacy and sharing a bedroom with only her sister from now on.

The entire family is excited about this opportunity to "live as God wants" them to. They are excited about their new neighborhood and living in a community with the other homeowners who have experienced the magic of the Jimmy Carter Work Project. "We are brothers and sisters now, not strangers," says Carlos. "We have gone from using 'usted' [the formal 'you' in Spanish] to 'tú' [the informal 'you']." Because the families in the neighborhood share a common dream, Carlos and Sandra anticipate less crime and less tension in their new community, and more stability and unity.

As for the building process and working with all of the volunteers, the family says it has been an extremely positive experience. They say they have "felt equal," and they are very grateful. "God has blessed us," says Carlos.