For 16 years the couple has lived and worked at Johnson House, a boarding house for men with mental illness in Madison. Run by Bethel Outreach -- affiliated with Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison -- Johnson House serves four men at a time, providing "basic room and board, a place to call home," says Ren Svanoe.

"It's been a home for us," Svanoe says. "For me it's the longest I've been in one place. It's been some fascinating interaction with 20 individuals" -- almost all schizophrenic -- over 16 years. Ren Svanoe, who serves as house manager, also has a part-time call with the Wisconsin Association for Runaway Services, which works with 23 member organizations. Svanoe is a program developer for the association.

But that will all change when the Svanoes head to Mexico Oct. 1 for their next adventure. There they will run Padre Maldonado House, a hospitality house for international groups that visit the area to do work projects. Located in Anahuac, in the state of Chihuahua, the house was built by the Svanoes and various work groups over the last two years. The house will also provide a place to stay for Tarahuamara Indians from the nearby Copper Canyon who do business with coops in the Anahuac parish.

The Svanoes first visited the area six years ago, when they were looking for an alternative to their usual vacations "up north." Through a Habitat for Humanity project in Anahuac, the couple worked with a grocery co-op and became good friends with the priest of the church that ran the co-op.

"We were so taken by the experience -- the people, the parish," Svanoe says.

So they decided to share the experience with others, and for the past four years have taken groups of students from Edgewood College in Madison down to Anahuac for immersion experiences during spring break. The area is not popular with tourists, so visitors get a real taste of life there, and work side-by-side with Mexican workers.

Once the Svanoes are in Mexico, they will continue to run the spring break trips. They also hope to offer trips for church youth groups in the summer. While they will live in Mexico year-round, the Svanoes plan to visit Madison to orient groups before they travel to Mexico. Svanoe said they are looking for someone to help run their program from Madison.

The Svanoes will also continue to promote cultural exchange, such as the August tour of Makawy Rosakame, a 30-member Mexican Dance Troupe. The group performed 23 times in Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago.

If you're interested in visiting Padre Maldonado House, contact the Svanoes at rgsvanoe@juno.com. After Oct. 1 they can also be reached at 1103 Avenida Chihuahua, C.P. 31600 Anahuac, Chichuahua, Mexico.