Every year, our children grow and Love & Hope continues to grow with them. Our home has been filling up with more teenagers these past few years, and life just keeps getting busier and more exciting! In addition to all the usual school related activities, we now have several children participating in extra-curricular activities such as soccer, Tae Kwon Doe, art classes, and youth group. And of course there are all the usual errands as well – grocery shopping, doctor appointments, and dropping a child off at a friend’s house for the afternoon.
With all this activity, we find ourselves driving to and from our home in Los Planes down to San Salvador several times each day. Those of you who have visited us in the past few years know the journey up and down the hill very well. I’m sure many parents can relate to feeling like you’re in the car more than anywhere else! Even with all the driving, we’re excited to see our kids develop their own interests and become involved in so many activities.
Three years ago, we moved from Nejapa to Los Planes. Living here in Los Planes has been such a blessing. The weather is cool, there is a park close by, and some of the kids have been able to join a local soccer team and make friends in the community. It has been a beautiful chapter in the lives of our children. We definitely feel like we’ve spent the last three years exactly where we were supposed to be. And now we’re seeing more and more that the time has come to move closer to the city. It will help us serve the kids better, allow them to explore and engage in their own lives, and it will also help lower our expenses in a few areas by cutting down on driving and bringing us within range of city water.
Moving is never easy, but it can be exciting! When we first decided to look for a new house, we began by creating a list of communities that fit our requirements. We wanted something close to the schools and all the other activities the kids are involved with. We wanted something safe and secure. We wanted something that would serve us now, and in the future. And we wanted to find some of the same great amenities we had in Los Planes, like a nearby park. Basically, we wanted it all.
Well, after a bit of looking, we found a great house! And we got everything we asked for. The neighborhood is safe, secure, and populated by some of our friends from church. The schools are only 15 minutes away (the kids are excited about how much later they’ll get to sleep in!), and believe it or not, there is a big, beautiful park just around the corner!
The house itself is bright and filled with natural light. It’s surrounded by a small yard, and has a courtyard as well. It’s a bit smaller than our home in Los Planes, but that’s a fine compromise to make for being closer to the city. We think the new home is warm, inviting, and a great place for our kids to call home!
There will be a few other small changes with the move. One, is that we will no longer be hosting our teams and visitors onsite. There is a cute little hostel down the road, and several hotels nearby. We’re excited about teams and visitors getting to explore the area and experiencing a little bit more of Salvadoran culture.
Even though teams and volunteers will not be able to stay at Love & Hope, there will still be lots of opportunities for them to interact with the kids and have the experience that so many people have enjoyed over the years. Volunteers will be spending many hours at the home assisting with homework and projects, and teams will have time built into their schedule for getting to know the kids and creating a connection with Love & Hope. One thing we don’t plan on changing is Love & Hope’s personality.
We plan to move into our new home on September 28th. Leaving Los Planes will be hard. We’ve built so many great memories these past three years – a lot of them with teams, visitors, and friends! This house on top of the mountain will always have a special place in our hearts, and we know we will be back in Los Planes from time to time to enjoy the delicious pupusas and the amazing views. That said, we can’t wait for this next chapter of our lives to begin.
See you in the city!
There will be a few costs associated with moving. If you’d like to help out, you can always make a donation!