Down the road to Cantel, up the road to Estancia, and down a half-paved road, there’s a village called Chiriquiac. Down a gravel road, past the corn and cabbage fields, and down a little dirt path, there’s a brand new house in the tranquility of the countryside.

Irmin Itzep Sacalxot, 28, and his wife Dominga Carmelina Juix Coti, 25, are the happy young owners of the new house. As the couple sits down to talk, Dominga’s dress sparkles under the light of the window. She wears an ornate traditional dress – a sign of her Quiché heritage. Irmin quietly arranges the chairs to make everyone comfortable in his new home.

“Before,” he says, “we were living with Dominga’s mother in her home.” The previous living arrangements weren’t ideal. They were living with the in-laws in an adobe home, a situation that caused the young couple to feel dependent and cramped.

“We were already our own family,” says Irmin. “We wanted to make ourselves independent.”

The couple didn’t have a lot of income. Irmin works as a barista at a small coffee shop in the city of Xela, and Dominga makes beautiful embroideries with her sewing machine to bring in a little extra cash. Either way, the young couple didn’t have the means to be able to pay for an entire house, so Habitat Guatemala was their best option for acquiring their own place.

During the construction of their house, a group of volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley came down to lend a hand. “We are really thankful for their support,” says Irmin. “They did a ton of work. We’re really content here, and we are thankful to God. It is a fortune to have had this support.”

Their contentness in their new house is evident. Everything inside and outside their house is well-arranged and obviously taken care of with proud hands. Finally, the young couple is living the peaceful life they deserve.