Habitat World Online

Building Affordable Houses Creates Priceless Relationships

One of life's most meaningful relationships is the connection between giving and receiving. Whether donating their time and sweat on the build site or offering a hard-earned check to pay for materials, Habitat supporters around the world have discovered the unique--and abundant--rewards of giving.

Unexpected Lessons

In October 2003, Sue Johnson, a Habitat for Humanity development coordinator for the KwaZuluNatal region of South Africa, spent a week with a Global Village team of volunteers from the Netherlands. The volunteers, all chief executive officers of various corporations, came to build and to learn about Habitat and South Africa. But according to Sue, they also taught some lessons of their own:

"If there was one thing that I remember the most from this group, it was the generosity of a small boy back in Holland. A boy who came downstairs one evening before his father left for South Africa, handed over a small envelope and said, 'Please give this as a gift to a boy around my own age while you are in South Africa.' The envelope contained a letter and some cash notes. Unbeknown to Ruud (one of the Global Village team members), his son had been putting away his pocket money each week, saving for the day when he could give a gift to someone less fortunate than himself. The lucky recipient of the gift was a young boy named Advocate, and on Friday morning at the house dedication the generous hand of one young boy in Holland reached out to another young boy in South Africa. Although thousands of miles apart and living in very different worlds, the two were connected by a willingness to give generously.

"Lessons, lessons, lessons--Habitat is more than building houses! It is about reaching out," Johnson says, "losing self, serving those in need and making new friends. It is about making a difference and showing others that we do care and that by working together, we can make a difference in other people's lives."

Rich Relationships

Kearney (Neb.) Area HFH volunteer Cindy Barney currently serves on her affiliate's board finance committee, collecting mortgage payments, helping with the house closings and balancing the books. The emotional connection with the homeowners, she says, has turned out to be the best part of the job.

"As the first of each month rolls around," Barnes writes, "I look forward to the homeowners stopping by my place of business with their payments.... These wonderful people have opened my eyes and heart to the long-forgotten trials, tribulations and joys of being a first-time homeowner. We stay in touch regarding not only how their furnace is working and whether their escrow funds would be available for a new front door, but also concerning who's had a baby, who has new grandchildren, whose mother is ill, what children are headed off to college and what kind of treats the youngest children prefer when [the homeowners] stop by with their questions and payments. Over the years, I have come to realize that balancing the numbers is great, but the people I have had the privilege to come to know and associate with are even better.

"While the monetary resources and their management are crucial to our organizations, I thank God for the individuals and families behind those payments and the endless resources they represent."

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