A Labor of Love
By Millard Fuller

The press was arrayed in a big semi-circle in front of 233 W. 134th St. in Harlem, the site of the 100,000th house built worldwide by Habitat for Humanity. It was Monday morning, Sept. 11, and the event was the traditional press conference of the annual Jimmy Carter Work Project. Of course, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was there with his wife, Rosalynn. Linda and I were present, along with New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and other dignitaries.

Behind us was a five-story building that was being restored for 10 low-income families. One of the units—the 100,000th house built worldwide by Habitat—would be occupied by a young couple, Colin and Mercedes Baynes and their little son, Nigel.

I spoke. So did Mayor Giuliani, President Carter and others. Then, the Baynes family was called up to share their thoughts about being chosen to have the milestone 100,000th Habitat for Humanity house.

Mercedes spoke for the family. She held up her left hand, “In the middle of this hand,” she said, “is a blister. I don’t want it to go away. I want to feel it and rub it on my son’s face and say, ‘This represents the hard work mommy and daddy have done to give you something better.’”

Jack Kemp, a member of HFHI’s board of directors, was seated beside me. I looked at him as she finished her short talk. Tears were glistening in his eyes and in mine.

Work. A blister. All representing a labor of love as recorded in the book of Hebrews.

Colin and Mercedes worked hard to help provide a home for their family. But they also worked to help the other families in that building, too. And, those families were helped by hundreds of others who worked in New York City, Jacksonville, Fla., and Americus and Plains, Ga., during the Jimmy Carter Work Project. Thousands more worked in hundreds of other locations that week as part of Building on Faith week.

Indeed, all were building on faith, making life better for themselves and scores of other families across the United States and around the world.


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


Reprinted from Habitat World Magazine, December 2000/January 2001.
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©2000 Habitat for Humanity International