Meeting future homeowners is the highlight of the trip for many Global Village team members.

Building Houses and Communities Around the World

When Dwayne Jones traveled to Ghana over Christmas on a Global Village trip, he came home with more than blisters and memories. He returned with a vision.

"The 14th night in Ghana, I laid in bed listening to the sounds of nature, thinking of home and the lifestyle I left behind," he says. "I couldn't sleep thinking how blessed I was and am. I made a decision to return to Ghana specifically to continue mission work."

The Global Village program, a series of short-term trips in which participants build Habitat for Humanity houses with local families and volunteers, has a tendency to inspire, says Global Village director David Minich. He estimates that more than 400 teams from around the world will travel to dozens of different countries to build in 2004.

"It is hands-on," Minich says. "You meet people that you would never otherwise get to know, and you witness the tremendous commitment of people who are willing to lift up their home community."

The emphasis on teamwork was a highlight for Rosanne Placencia, one of Jones' teammates.

"Some had light jobs, others had heavier jobs, but collectively, over the course of some days, the house made progress," she says. "I never could have done it alone, but because the team worked together, the work was done."

Building opportunities with Global Village span the world. In 2004, several countries, including Russia, Bulgaria and Madagascar, will host their first Global Village teams. The RV Care-A-Vanners--volunteers who travel to build with Habitat affiliates in their own recreational vehicles--have scheduled more than 100 teams this year, including three teams to Canada. Also, six teams will build in Fiji in partnership with the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association in August and September.

A schedule for upcoming Global Village trips is posted on Habitat's Web site at www.habitat.org/GV/. For more information, contact the Global Village department via e-mail at gv@hfhi.org or by calling (800) HABITAT, Ext.2549.

Jimmy Carter Work Project Heads to Mexico

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn will once again lend their labor to building affordable housing by leading Carter's namesake project the week of Oct. 24, 2004, in Mexico. For more information about this year's project, contact Rita Clemens, JCWP registrar, at (800) 422-4828, Ext. 2272, or via e-mail at rclemens@hfhi.org, or visit www.habitat.org/jcwp/2004/ to sign up for e-mail updates about project plans, registration and more.

Habitat World Goes to Cameroon

Godwin Nzewi wrote Habitat World recently from his home in Tiko, a remote town in a southwest province of Cameroon: "I wish to thank the entire staff and management of Habitat for Humanity International," he says. "[I wish you] more grease to your elbows. Together we shall make the world more habitable."