“When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them...Then He said to His disciples: The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” — Matthew 9:36-38

Need for Housing Unchanged
by Millard Fuller

On Sept. 11, my wife, Linda, and I were driving from Americus, Ga., to the Atlanta airport to catch a flight to Chicago. Once there, we were going to head to Gary, Ind., to dedicate one of the 10 houses that had been designated as the milestone 40,000th Habitat house built in the United States.

From Gary, we planned to drive south to Indianapolis, where Habitat for Humanity International’s Global Leadership Conference was under way and where, on Thursday, its 25th Anniversary Celebration would begin.

On the way to Atlanta, we heard the terrible news of the unfolding tragedy on the radio. As we approached the exit for the Atlanta airport, signs on the interstate declared “National Emergency— Airport Closed.” We decided to keep driving north to Indianapolis.

After reflection and prayer, it was decided to continue with both the Global Leadership Conference and the 25th anniversary event.

Although all of us were in shock because of the great loss of life and the overall horror of the tragedy, I felt strongly that we should not allow evil acts to thwart plans in the making for more than a year.We needed to celebrate what God had accomplished through this ministry during the first two and a half decades and to be motivated and inspired to do even more in coming years.

The tragedy of the 11th didn’t change either of the reasons for our gathering. Neither did it change the great need in the world for what we were doing —building simple, decent shelter with families in need.

More than 1,700 people eventually made it to Indianapolis for the full celebration, and 7,600 people attended the closing gala on Saturday evening.

The concluding event, though under a cloud of sadness, was joyous. It was a symbol of victory over terror and hatred. It was a reminder of the rightness of this cause and of the importance of building up in the wake of so much tearing down.

We must carry on with boldness and hearts filled with faith, hope and love.

— Millard Fuller is founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International.