Honorio, Maria, and their children have been living in a house in the coffee fields above our house. It is owned by the man that
Honorio picks coffee for. We have always
referred to it as the "Rio House" because it is set in a low valley between to hillsides that have been carved by a river.
After a few recent visits from various members of the church, it was
recommended that they try to find a new home closer to the school and town. They decided to take the offer and personal and monetary assistance by a few of the members who wanted to see their family in a better place. Maria, who is
pregnant, will be able to cut out the 2 mile hike to town for groceries, appointments at the clinic, or to take Jason to school. Either
Honorio or Maria had to take him and pick him up each day.....that is a lot of walking. The only downfall to living in town is that
Honorio will have to walk the 2 miles up to work in the coffee fields each day. Oh well, it is better that he walk it than mom and the kiddos.
This is the new house, in San Pablo, where they now live. It is a very humble home but a big improvement over their house in Rosario. A wood floor is much better than a dirt floor. With that said, there were many things that needed to be repaired before they could move in. We spent many days meeting with other members (specifically the
Ballestero and Jimenez families) to try and make it a more stable and safe place for them.
Elder Munroe and
Honorio working hard at the new house....
We finally made it to the big moving day.
Hermano Ballestero, our branch mission leader, came with his truck to help move their things.
Everyone joined in and we were ready to head to San Pablo....
Jason and
Neilyn.....
Honorio, Jason, and
Hermano Ballestero strapped on the last few items. They threw on a bird cage and a branch of plantains and bananas and we were off. It will be sad not to see them walk past our house every day but we are glad to know that they are in a better place for their family.
We celebrated Elder Munroe's birthday with Honorio and his family last week. We ordered some pizza's from our favorite place in town and then we had chocolate cake and ice cream. Hermana Munroe made up some party bags for the kids with candy, balloons, and erasers. We got on Skype with our daughter, Sandi, so that she could join in on the fun and talk to the kids. She got to know them well when she visited us over the holidays. It was a fun night for everyone and especially for Elder Munroe. Happy Birthday!
Elder Munroe, Mario, Neilyn, Honorio, Jason, and Maria.....
All filled up on pizza and soda! The kids were getting ready for round 2....cake and ice cream!
Neilyn had her cheeks puffed up as she helped Elder Munroe blow out the candles....
Finishing up the night with a little "after dinner" music by the kids. They love to play on the keyboard when they visit us.
Neilyn decided that she would have some more cake instead of playing the keyboard with the boys. 
