By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

Today was a great way to wrap up the week as President David Snell, Global Builders coordinator Hailey Dady, Director of U.S. Field Operations Kirk Lyman-Barner and I hopped on our bikes and rode to downtown Americus for free pizza! The things we will do for free food!

Actually, today was Bike to Work Day, and we were merely throwing our support behind Americus' efforts to promote the event — which coincided with what Mayor Barry Blount noted correctly was “Chamber of Commerce weather”. And if anyone happened to notice our bright orange Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure shirts and want to know more about our mission, well, all the better!

Bicycle Adventure leader Melissa Merrill wasn't there, but she wasn't exactly out goofing off, either. The dedicated volunteer who gave up a great job as a mechanical engineer to lead this year's adventure was in Tennessee at the Wake Up Convention, a student-led effort to encourage school-aged kids to make a difference in the world. They certainly invited an inspirational example in Melissa, who is gearing up for the 3,700-mile Summer Bicycle Adventure from Savannah to Vancouver that begins June 7.

Bicycle Adventure founder Ryan Iafigliola also was nowhere to be found. What is it with these kids? Oh, that's right. Ryan had a good excuse, too. He was on his way to Ghana, where the Mercer University women's basketball team will go this summer to build houses — an effort I'll get to document this August on my very first overseas trip. David Snell has expressed his disappointment that he won't be able to witness this Southern boy trying to navigate Africa, something that may be worth a whole book in itself.

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

After protest marches, petition drives, hunger strikes and congressional hearings, my Week in Review is back. See, your efforts have paid off. This just shows what you, the loyal readers of this blog can do when you put your mind to it! That's right, all eight of you.

Let's just say I've been a little busy lately and trips to Louisville, Ky., and Atlantic City, N.J., have kind of thrown off my blog writing schedule. But, believe me, my story-writing, photo-taking and video-making schedule has been jam-packed.

In mid-April, I went to Louisville and checked out the wonderful operation The Fuller Center of Louisville has going on, particularly when it comes to resurrecting homes and a community through the Save a House/Make a Home program. (See the complete report here.) Nobody does it better, and that's because they've mastered the art of partnerships — with the community, the city, civic organizations and churches. They've got support from top to bottom, and that's why they're going to be a great host of the 2014 Legacy Build, which you can learn more about by clicking here.

And last week was the 2013 Millard Fuller Legacy Build in Atlantic City, N.J. Quite frankly, I wasn't a fan of the Boardwalk with it casinos, tattoo shops, massage parlors and restaurants that left a little to be desired in the customer service department. But that was more than made up for by the many wonderful volunteers who came from near and far to sacrifice their time and energy just to help others. Our volunteers always inspire me.

By Dianne Fuller,
Fuller Center Director of Planned Giving

As most of you know, Millard Fuller, founder of The Fuller Center and Habitat for Humanity, was a prolific letter writer all of his years. For my two sons, receiving a letter from their granddaddy was the highlight of their day. Many of you felt the same way. His energy and enthusiasm was transmitted through the written word.
 
Recently, my curiosity led me to visit the Archives of Habitat in Americus that houses records from the years Millard and Linda led that organization. As I entered the archival room, I stood in awe at the long shelves, 10 feet high and 20 feet long, holding perhaps more than a hundred boxes of Millard’s correspondence and other records. (Note: Much of The Fuller Center's and the Fuller family's collection of Millard's works are now being archived at the University of Georgia.)
 
The first box was dated 1973 and contained letters written during the Fuller family’s time at Koinonia Farm when partnership housing projects at Koinonia were beginning. Again the energy leapt off the page. The first letter dated May 31, 1972 and addressed to Sterling W. Schallert begins:
 
“Dear Sterling,
I’m going to write you on impulse. A few days ago, I walked down through the new Koinonia village where we have laid off thirty one-acre lots for new houses for poverty families, and I got so excited at seeing this new village take shape (the first two houses are nearing completion) that I raced down to my little study shack and wrote a close friend in Ohio and asked that he get six committed people to send $6,000.00 each to build six more of these houses. (I don’t know where I got the number 6. It just sounded like a good challenge — $36,000.00) Well, I didn’t get the $36,000.00, but I did get $6,000.00 and he’s working on the other $30,000.00!”

Another letter from Millard  when in Mbandaka, Zaire dated August 30, 1973:

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

I began this week the way millions of Americans did — by watching one of the greatest NCAA men's basketball championship games in history as the Louisville Cardinals topped the Michigan Wolverines for the title. The next night, their women's team came up short in the women's title game against Connecticut. Having two basketball teams from the same school play for titles on back-to-back days is pretty incredible, even if they couldn't pull off the sweep.

During the second half of next week, I'll be in Louisville. Fuller Center board member Don Erler of Louisville tells me that there is no chance the excitement will have abated by the time I get there. But I'll be there for something equally exciting and way more important. I'll be there to document the work The Fuller Center for Housing of Louisville is doing in restoring vacant houses into decent homes for families. They'll be working on and dedicating five Save a House/Make a Home projects during the Mayor's Week of Service. I've never been to Louisville, but I feel like I know the Shawnee neighborhood from all the pictures I've seen from there. I'm eager to witness how The Fuller Center has resurrected this once written-off neighborhood.

I've never been to Sarasota, either, but maybe I'll have a good excuse to go now that we've inked a new covenant partner there. It's new, but the roots trace back to when its president served on the Mennonite Economic Development Associates board with current Fuller Center for Housing Chairman of the Board LeRoy Troyer. Click here to see yet another example of how these connections (President David Snell calls them “providential confluences”) keep popping up.

Earlier this week we shared this photo of Micah Shields on our Facebook page. It's from a Palo Alto University Global Builders trip to Haiti. Because Micah is a graduate of Valparaiso University, we asked if we could share his story with Valpo … especially since he's wearing a Valpo shirt in some of the photos. Here's some of what Micah had to say:

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

Last week, I wrote about our first Global Builders trips to Nicaragua. And this week, we've had our first Global Builders trip to Sri Lanka. It's great to see this program grow not just in the number of trips but in the number of countries being served. Global Builders Coordinator Hailey Day and Director of International Field Operations Ryan Iafigliola have done a wonderful job of helping that program grow to new heights — thanks to the donors, volunteers and especially the volunteers who serve as trip leaders. We've got some repeat trip leaders who make a huge difference.

I'm especially excited to see a new initiative to raise money for work in Africa to mark 40 years since Millard and Linda Fuller began building homes there, ultimately launching the world's affordable housing movement. And I'm glad I'll get to be a small part of that this summer when I go to Ghana to document the work of the Mercer University women's basketball team there.

We got another look at our international work with photos from Michael Bonderer's Homes from the Heart work with us in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. I've shared a lot of photos of the duplexes in the Lambi community, but this week were able to show how nice these inexpensive in-fill homes are thanks to Bonderer's leadership there. Click here to see the home and click here to see photos from the latest team that helped make it a reality.

Shane Claiborne, leader of The Simple Way and the Simple Homes Fuller Center in Philadelphia, is one of the people helping us get new fundraising and donor software up and running. It's going to make it easier for individuals (such as those on the Bicycle Adventure) and for churches, covenant partners and other groups to raise money for special projects. Shane worked with us as we went back and forth to hash out behind-the-scenes coding and software details, and we came out with a decent fundraising page for Simple Homes' first project. It was quite the successful experiment, hitting its fundraising goal within a week — although it doesn't hurt that Shane has a tremendous amount of name recognition in religious circles.

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

I'm coming out with the week in review a little early this week as our offices will be closed in observance of Good Friday — which reminds me to remind you to check out Fuller Center President David Snell's blog that comes out Easter Sunday. It captures the essence of why we do what we do, and you'll be able to read it by clicking this link.

Our very first Global Builders trip to Nicaragua earlier this month was a rousing success — as was the second one that took place the very next week. Two members of that first trip — Mary Ann Turner-DeJesus and Brenda Sawyer — talk about the tears and laughter shared with the family members who worked so hard alongside them all week. Click here to read about their amazing bonding experience.

We welcomed Ryan Iafigliola and Melissa Merrill back to the office this week after a cold and wet but memorable and successful 400-mile bicycle ride down The Natchez Trace Parkway on the Bicycle Adventure's Spring Ride. Click here to visit the Bicycle Adventure's Facebook page and check out all their photos!

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

As I'm writing this, dedicated Fuller Center volunteer and team leader Brenda Sawyer is sitting in the conference room 25 feet away from me and telling Fuller Center Global Builders coordinator Hailey Dady about last week's Global Builders trip to Nicaragua — the Fuller Center's first ever in the country. By all accounts, it was a wonderful trip.

What struck me and Hailey, though, were photos shared with us by Mary Ann Turner DeJesus, another frequent Fuller Center volunteer and friend who was one of the team members on the trip led by Brenda. Mary Ann went on and on about the wonderful family they worked with and we noticed the kids in the photos looked awfully familiar.

Turns out, they were the same kids Director of International Field Operations Ryan Iafigliola met while touring the area in January of 2012 and checking out the operation of a group seeking to join The Fuller Center. He was struck by their constant smiles and joyous laughter — and undeniable cuteness — despite the fact that they lived in a flimsy shack. When he shared photos of the kids back here at headquarters, even the rest of us at the office couldn't forget the faces of these smiling kids who desperately needed a home.

Now, thanks to Brenda and her team of volunteers, they have yet another reason to smile — not that they ever stopped. The kids now have a safe and decent place to call home. And our work in Nicaragua is off to a fantastic start. Click here to see some photos from the trip and check FullerCenter.org next week for a report from Brenda and Mary Ann about this wonderful first Nicaraguan family served by The Fuller Center. But here's a sneak preview of the story:

Reflections by: Kirk Lyman-Barner,
Director of U.S. Field Operations

• Our local leadership teams, which we call “covenant partners,” are unashamedly Christian.
• We don’t take government funds or the people’s tax dollars to build houses.
• And since the Bible says don’t charge the poor interest, we don’t.

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

Early this morning, well before I arrived at the office, Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure leader Melissa Merrill and Bicycle Adventure founder Ryan Iafigliola hopped in the Fuller Center van with the Bicycle Adventure trailer attached and headed for Nashville.

No, they're not starting a country music career — although Ryan can strum a guitar. That's where they'll rendezvous with more than 30 people who are volunteering their time and energy to raise money and awareness for The Fuller Center on a 400-mile bicycle trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway. The ride begins Sunday and concludes next Saturday in Jackson, Miss. You can support their efforts by clicking here.

They're among many who volunteer their time with us. And that's a good thing — not just for families served by The Fuller Center but for the volunteers themselves. Earlier in the week, Ryan shared with us a study of people who volunteered with us on Global Builders trips in 2011. He wanted to know how the joy of serving others in the short term translated in the long term. The long-term positive impacts for Global Builders volunteers was impressive, and you can learn more about that by clicking here.

By Chris Johnson,
Director of Communications

I'm one of those people who suffers from the winter blahs — or as some officially refer to it, Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder. Although, I'm sure many people would tell you that's just one entry on a long list of disorders to which I can lay claim.

It happens every year. The days get shorter, the nights get longer and it's too darn cold. And, yes, I live in Georgia where 50 degrees is considered an Arctic blast. I know some of you from Minnesota and Wisconsin are saying, “Fifty degrees! Ha! That's swimsuit weather up here!” Well, 50 degrees is parka weather down here!

But we are now on the cusp of spring (WHEW! — that came from my wife, who has to live with me during the blahs). A sure sign of spring is when college kids start flocking to the beaches to party it up. That's understandable. But an even better sign of it at The Fuller Center is the steady flow of college students who are more interested in service than partying.

That doesn't mean they don't have fun, mind you. I can tell you first-hand that in the midst of all their work this week on projects with the Americus-Sumter Fuller Center for Housing here in our backyard, students from Ohio University and Georgetown University had plenty of fun. Obviously, they get great joy from serving others. I'm sure that's the case for all 16 college teams working with various Fuller Center covenant partners this month. (The Ohio students explain why they do this in a story you can read by clicking here.)

Students from both schools were enthralled Tuesday morning as they heard Fuller Center President David Snell tell the story of Millard Fuller — how he became a millionaire then turned to a life of service in founding Habitat for Humanity and then going back to the biblical roots of his affordable housing ministry by founding The Fuller Center for Housing. I understand why they were so enthralled; it's a story I've heard many times now, and it's a little unbelievable … except for the fact that it actually happened.