25 days, 25 stories: Living with “Infectious Habititis”

Each day from October 5 to October 29, 2009 we will be posting a new story in celebration of Habitat for Humanity of Omaha’s 25th anniversary. These stories have come to us from people who have been involved with Habitat Omaha in a variety of ways at some point in the past 25 years. We hope that you enjoy these reflections, some old and some new, about Habitat Omaha and that they inspire or renew the spirit of service in you. If you have a story of your own that you would like to share please send it to us at buildinghope.omaha@gmail.com.
 

Living with

“Infectious Habititis”
 

The onset of “Infectious Habititis” occurred in the summer of 1990 when I participated in the first Blitz Build with my teenage children. People instrumental with passing on this infection were Ralph Jones, Margaret Gilmore, Dale Oatman, Steve Eldred, Damon Laaker among others. I happily lived with it as Habitat Omaha’s board treasurer/ bill payer until I went to a workshop in Kansas City where I heard Millard and Linda Fuller present “Putting the “I” in International”.

They described their life in Zaire and followed up with the idea of going on a Global Village trip with Habitat building houses in other countries. That led to me being a Global Village team member in Trinidad in 1998, deciding I could be a team leader and, over the years, leading teams to Romania (3 trips), Portugal, Poland, Belfast Northern Ireland, Hungary, Ulan Ude Russia, New Zealand, Slidell Louisiana, Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador and Kauai.

I have had the most amazing core group of team members since my first trip to Romania – I think we all got “Infectious Habititis” on that trip and keep on passing it around and around to each other. Many of the skills I have learned on those builds do not translate to the Omaha work site – building walls out of cane reeds or building our own trusses or pulling nails ad nauseum—but eating ice cream does transcend national boundaries. What I have gained is a deeper appreciation of what material abundance we have in the United States, how people in less advantaged countries live a fulfilling life, what a group of dedicated people can do to spread goodwill in both directions and the spirit to continue with bill paying and building here in Omaha. And of course the anticipation of another trip to build more houses and relationships in Vietnam next summer! I am sure that trip will give me yet another dose of “Infectious Habititis”.

One story told by the leader of a workshop for team leaders was to think of the participant as living in a blue culture. That person goes to a country with a yellow culture and returns as a green – mixture of blue and yellow. That person is changed forever.

Anne Carroll
Long-Time Habitat Supporter

 
 
Photos from Anne’s Global Village Trips 

 
Visit the new habitatomaha.org to learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Omaha, find out about volunteer opportunities and to donate now.