The Reyes Portillo Family
A family makes the home. This is the philosophy that Marlin (25) and José (28) live by. Since moving into their Habitat home last July, Marlin and José have already noticed that their new living arrangement has allowed their multi-generational family to thrive. “Our son, our greatest gift, has so much more space to play,” Marlin smiles as Ángel, their fourteen-month old child, dodges between her ankles.
Like other families in the Colony, Marlin and José were already familiar Habitat for Humanity Guatemala prior to building their house. “We were lucky to have an opportunity,” remembers José. “We were living in the other Colony (called ‘Gracias a Díos’). It was a smaller place that we rented. Eventually, we wanted to move forward with our own space.”
The couple is pleased with the change that they made. Their new house has much more space that allows them, Ángel, and Marlin’s mother, Judy, to live comfortably. While Marlina and José work at BancoRural throughout the day, Judy cares for little Ángel.
The family is also looking forward to the flexibility that their new living situation has to offer. “We can make modifications to this house; we haven’t been able to do that in the past. We would love to put up a sun roof and patio, create a garden with lots of trees.”
Last, but not least, the family would like to thank the volunteers who made their house a reality. José excitedly shows us the photo of the group.
“To the team who came, they were so enthusiastic, and had so much energy!” He says. “They never got tired! We would like to thank them for their support, for allowing us to achieve our dream.”
