Tithe from Fuller Center of Armenia funds new home in Nepal

Tithe from Fuller Center of Armenia funds new home in Nepal

The countries of Nepal and Armenia do not share a lot of commonalities, but their are a few. One similarity is glorious landscapes and notable mountains, including Mount Everest in Nepal and Mount Ararat in Armenia, an area where the Bible says that Noah’s Ark came to rest.

Another thing they have in common is a tragic history with earthquakes.

A 2015 earthquake in Nepal killed more than 9,000 people and damaged more than 600,000 structures. It was the first international country in which The Fuller Center for Housing began building homes. All of The Fuller Center homes withstood the quake, leading The Fuller Center to not only build dozens more earthquake-resistant homes in damaged communities but also to widely share safe construction techniques with others.

Armenia was similarly devastated by a 1988 earthquake that killed at least 30,000 people and caused widespread damage to property. Armenia was then a Soviet republic, and many of the families were placed in “temporary” shelters made from metal shipping containers known as domiks. After the fall of the Soviet Union, many of these structures became all too permanent, and many families still live in domiks today. Many of the more than 1,300 Fuller Center homes in Armenia have gone to partner families who had been living in domiks.

So, it made perfect sense when The Fuller Center for Housing of Armenia tithed to Fuller Center headquarters for funds to help families in Nepal. Recently, The Fuller Center of Nepal dedicated a new home for Pal Maya and her two daughters, a home fully funded by Armenia’s tithe.

“Thank you to everyone behind this for your support in helping me build my own house,” Pal Maya said. “I wish we could meet in person to thank you because my two two daughters now have a safe and sound place to study. And we are proud to make the repayments to pay it forward and help another family build a home.”

Tithing is one of the main principles of The Fuller Center for Housing, which encourages its U.S. covenant partners to tithe 10 percent of their undesignated funds to help international partners who often have fewer funds to work with but also lower costs to build new homes. (Note: Fuller Center covenant partners do not have to pay annual fees, nor are they required to tithe.) As The Fuller Center’s most productive building partner in the world with a large base of dedicated and generous supporters in the United States, The Fuller Center of Armenia is eager to share its blessings with others.

“Tithing is a principle we promote at The Fuller Center, encouraging our covenant partners to share of the gifts they receive to help partners in areas where local fundraising is difficult,” Fuller Center for Housing President David Snell said. “Our partner in Armenia leads the way. Through a grant that they provided to Nepal, a family was lifted from a tin metal shack into a simple, decent home. In addition to their generosity, The Fuller Center Armenia has built more than 1,300 homes and counting.  The prophet Malachi promised that the windows of heaven would be open to those who tithe — Armenia has taken him at his word!”