A publication of San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity
December 2009
San Gabriel Valley Habitat works globally and locally
SGV Habitat for Humanity tithes to build homes in Cambodia. Because of our global commitment, we were invited to send a delegation to this year’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP), which took place at six build sites in five countries in the Mekong Delta. Our delegates were assigned to work on two of the 82 new homes built near Chiang Mai in Thailand, the main site for the multicountry Mekong Delta build. House #6 will be owned by Noppadon Sathipakaem (“Nop”) and his wife . He works on a used car lot, his wife is a seamstress who works from home, and they have a seven year old daughter. The three of them currently rent a tiny room, intended for only one person, from Nop’s employer. “It’s a strange feeling seeing everyone happy to volunteer their time and work together,” Nop said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’m very proud and excited for my family to have a new house and to have these new friends.” House #7 will be owned by Chaowarit Sitthichaicharn (“Jack”) and his family.
He works for the Christian organization Kuang Wang which means “Life of Hope.” Jack lives with his parents who make and sell ice cream. Now this family of five which includes Jack’s sister, a psychology major at Chiang Mai Teachers College, and his brother who is also a university student, lives in one rented room in a dormitory. Jack’s father sleeps outside because the room is so crowded and small. Jack expressed his gratitude for Habitat leaders who champion the need for affordable housing for low-income families. He looks forward to moving into House #7 and participating in the new community at Nong Gon Kru. He is planning to start a program to teach music to the children who will live there. All of the new Habitat home owners in Thailand will move into their homes by December 18th. This experience of dawn-to-dusk physical labor inspired David and Donna Baker, Nathalie Flores, Barbara Hudson, John Mac Lean and his sister Anna, Rose McCabe, Randy Schenk, Esther Tam, Anil and Mickey Verma and their daughter
Pooja, Deane Winant, Sandy Yu and Sonja Yates, who saw the same tears of joy and hugs of gratitude that we regularly see from Habitat homebuyers in the San Gabriel Valley. SGV Habitat for Humanity delegate Randy Schenk summed up the week of long hours spent building in a letter to family members in Montenegro, “By the end of the week we were tired but felt very moved and satisfied when we saw the completed homes and experienced the gratitude of the new homeowners who had worked all week with us.” The need for safe, decent housing is basic and universal. Our delegates gained a deeper understanding of this reality and carried home a renewed commitment to touch more lives as rapidly as possible by building more and more Habitat homes. SGV Habitat for Humanity has built 54 homes through fundraising in the San Gabriel Valley and helped construct over 68 homes in other countries through tithe donations to Habitat for Humanity International. 1
— Habitat works Global