We are working at getting the house I rented ready for the couple who are coming tomorrow. They will be here for 3 months, helping at the school and doing a marriage seminar for parents and teachers. I took some pictures of the house this morning...so I will try and describe what each picture shows.

This is from the front of the house. This is the concrete wall that is actually in front of the house. So beyond this window is the front porch of the house.

I am having trouble uploading my pictures to blogger...probably the internet connection...so I will continue to try...but for now this is the front window in the cement wall in front of the house. You can see the blue house through this window. :)

Here is my beautiful chocolate labrador puppy, Samson. He will be 4 months old on February 5....he is really getting big!

After looking at another house, making some other calls on for rent signs, and talking to the teachers again, we have chosen the original house that I looked at. We talked to the teachers some more about that house, and the two teachers who were concerned about it thought it was in a different direction. They really didn't know anything about the street or the exact area where this house is. We went over by it several times, at different times of the day and twice drove down that street and through the neighborhood surrounding it after dark. We stopped one day and talked to several of the neighbors about the street and if they had ever had any problems. The lady across from my house has lived there for 3 years and was happy with the area, and another man had lived in his house for 12 years. Also the lawyer who Lance and Annette use lives about a block down from my house. We decided that based on this information we felt good about going forward with this house. The owner made the changes we requested to the contract, and when we told her we were re-thinking it and going to look at some other houses over the weekend she lowered the rent another 200 limperas (about $10 U.S.)

So I officially have rented a house here!

A couple who are coming to help at the school and do some marriage classes will live in the house for the next 3 months, then I will move in when they go back to the states.

By that time Samson will really be big, so he will protect me for sure! It is a very cute house and will be walking distance to the school. I will also be able to walk to the new mall which is being built. Woo Hoo!

Love you all!!

Yesterday I bought a new refrigerator and a new stove for my house here. Now we need to find the right house. The one we thought we had found, turns out not to be a good choice. The owner put some strange things in the contract...like I am responsible for ALL repairs to the house. Then when we told two of the Honduran teachers here at the school about the house and where it is, they both said that neighborhood has a bad reputation. And especially didn't think it would be safe for a North American to be living there. We would have never known if they hadn't warned us. We thought it looked nice enough, and it is only about 4 1/2 blocks from school so I could walk, making it desirable. But not if it isn't a safe place to be.

So I will continue looking...now someplace to stick my refrigerator and stove.

Yesterday we were in Tegucigalpa, we had looked at some home stores on Comayagua already so I knew prices...then we found some great deals at a store in Tegucigalpa. I also got a 10% discount on the refrigerator because I had to take the floor model, which was fine with me! So we have those in the back of the truck right now...thinking we would have a house to put them in today, but we will just put them here at the school somewhere until we find another house.

Please pray that we will find the right house, in the right neighborhood, at the right price, with a nice backyard for Samson!

Steph

Hello from Honduras!

I arrived in Honduras yesterday. I am very happy to be back. Of course I miss my family, but God has made Honduras home in my heart.

I was thrilled and surprised to see my puppy Samson. Oh my goodness he grew so much in the 6 weeks I was gone! He is very big and as he grows his feet continue to grow and I am wondering when his body will catch up. Hopefully before he turns into a horse!

Exciting news ...today I found a house to rent. I will stay at Lance & Annette's house until May. They have a couple who are coming and wanted to stay in a house on their own, so they will be here for 3 months, and will stay in my house during that time. After they go back to the states then I will move in. It is exciting! It is also very blue. All the bedrooms and the kitchen are blue. The owner said she was going to repaint the living room and asked what color I would like...NOT BLUE please! So I asked for a neutral color, tan or brown, or something like that. The house is very nice...it even has some cabinets in the kitchen. The bedrooms do not have closets, but there are some shelves and a place to hang clothes in the corners of each bedroom. It has a large living area, kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a closed-in room in the back - sort of like a patio room, and a very large backyard. Samson will love the yard! There are ceiling fans in each of the rooms of the house which will be very nice. No air-conditioning so the ceiling fans will be very nice to have.

I am going to be teaching 2nd grade in the mornings and in the afternoons I will be in the learning center with the older kids like last year. Next week all the teachers will be at the school getting things ready for the start of school. First day of classes will be February 18.

Thank you for your prayers for me and for my family. I will keep you updated here.

Steph