Isabel & Mateo live in the heart of Tizate, but up on a hill. Right in the middle of town there is a street that climbs upwards and takes a sharp turn and continues to climb. It dead-ends, with a stunning view of the town below, and then peters off into a small dirt path. At the end of this dirt path is where Isabel & Mateo live with their three children.
Isabel & Mateo formerly lived in a home made of corn stalks. Mateo is a boot maker by trade and often crafts his product right there in the home. Many visiting North Americans have purchased his product over the years (they’re excellent boots!)
The location of their property was a bit tricky to navigate and delivering building supplies to the site was a challenge. The house is situated on a hill, but also halfway down the bigger mountain that Tizate borders. Supplies were carried down to the site off of the road leading up the mountain (which also leads to the school). The whole family pitched in, including Isabel who carried blocks down to the site on her head.
Since the completion of their new cinder block home, this family has received many North American visitors. They’ve had students live with them for seven weeks during the Summer Student Program and they’ve received participants from shorter, 12-day missions as well. Ever the gracious host, Isabel is a joy to work with. Now that the kids are teenagers, the income from hosting groups is a blessing to help cover increased education costs.
