Pictured here in March 1984, Habitat for Humanity staff--including (from left) Janet Leckrone Corbitt, Tom Hall, Clive Rainey and Bonnie Watson--read the first issue of Habitat World.

'Overheard' in the Pages of Habitat World

Have you ever found a letter from an old friend, hidden away in a box of keepsakes or folded in the pages of a favorite book from years ago? Those words from the past, whether telling of ordinary events or momentous occasions, have the power to touch hearts again and again. Below you will find a "diary" of sorts, a collection of Habitat memories from the pages of Habitat World. Though these are the experiences of a diverse group of people, a common theme shines through--the power of changing lives, one house at a time.

"It was impossible for us [to own a home] before because the interest rates were so high and everyone wanted so much money down. We couldn't buy a house. Carmen and I were so proud [when we received our Habitat home] that we couldn't wait to make our house prettier. We went out and bought rosebushes and put them all around the fence."
--Manuel Vidal, Habitat homeowner, Phoenix, Ariz., June 1987

	Like Habitat for Humanity itself, Habitat World reaches families all over the world. We were happy to receive this photograph of the Chernyshov family in Russia, where Habitat's work is only beginning. Where does Habitat World find you? At home in Australia or Zambia? Traveling to historic or other noted locations? Send us a picture of you with your Habitat World somewhere in the world. You may find yourself pictured within future pages of the magazine. Mail photographs to: Habitat World, 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709, or e-mail them to habitatworld@hfhi.org. --THE EDITORS

"We come to realize the justice of God and his love for all people. He does, indeed, inhabit a high and holy place, but he reaches down to the lowliest person. God loves them all. We must do the same."
--Millard Fuller, founder and president of Habitat for Humanity, February 1991

"You won't come back unchanged. You probably will want to run off to the country you visit and live with the people there. Your priorities change and you look at the world in a different way after a Global Village trip."
--Katie Woodruff, San José, Calif., after participating in two Global Village teams to Guatemala, December 1991

"You can put on your nicest dress and come to church on Sunday morning and sit next to your neighbor and that's fine. But when you get up on a roof in your blue jeans and sweat alongside your neighbor, that's a new dimension of fellowship."
--Jo Morrison, former director of Holston (Tenn.) HFH on church involvement with Habitat, February 1992

"I have eaten mangoes in the shade during the midday heat, danced at weddings and cried at funerals. I have been a welcome guest at evening meals in the poorly furnished houses of people with richly furnished hearts. I have seen that poverty, no matter how firmly entrenched and enforced, cannot deny its victims their honest generosity, pride and happiness. ... I will never forget what I have learned here."
--Evan Lowell, Habitat for Humanity international partner in a farewell letter to Guatemala, June 1993

"There's a certain smell in the other house. It stays on our clothing and blankets no matter how many times I wash them. The sinks don't drain right. And it's really cold there in the winter--I think the basement is warmer than the upstairs. You can't put the beds against the walls because you can just feel the cold coming in the walls. In the old house there were bugs; they even came out of the walls. But I'm standing here building my own house and I can see for myself that there are no bugs."
--Irene Lara, Habitat homeowner, Eagle Butte, S.D., on her old house, October 1994

"Before I came I felt like I'd used up all my resources. Now, I feel so good about myself for what I am doing here. ... It's like an implosion happens--you reach out to really get inside yourself. It gives you a chance to have the best in you come out."
--Basil Holder, a 1994 Jimmy Carter Work Project volunteer, on how he felt after participating in the JCWP, April 1995

"So many people say negatively, 'Look what the world is coming to.' I say, 'Look what the world is coming to. ... Look what people are doing to help one another.' "
--Annette Martel, Collegiate Challenge volunteer, June/July 1997

"Perhaps the question is not, 'Can we afford to provide decent housing and basic services for all humans?' Rather, it is, 'Can we--the human species--afford not to?' "
--Dr. Greg Goldstein, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, August/September 1998

"My most significant accomplishment to date isn't any one thing, but rather the process of blossoming. I used to be scared of people, scared of pulling myself forward and speaking what needs to be spoken. When you're not a coward, and not afraid to step up, then good things can happen."
--Judah Slovkovsky, son of Habitat homeowners, Sisters, Ore., October/November 1999

"It's like, 'Wow, I don't have to be ashamed of where I live.' I'm going to live the rest of my life out in a wonderful home. From this point on, it's all up."
--Glendo Hamilton, Habitat homeowner, Jacksonville, Fla., December 2000/January 2001

"Habitat has been a blessing. Habitat doesn't go in saying, 'Poor, pitiful you, we're going to give you what you need.' They say, 'You can pull yourself out of this, and we will help.' Most poor families don't want charity. They just want a little help. Then they can do the rest."
--Judy Critchfield, Habitat homeowner, Monongahela, Pa., August/September 2002

Would you like to share a Habitat experience with us? Write to Habitat World at 121 Habitat St., Americus, GA 31709, or e-mail habitatworld@hfhi.org.