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Melissa writes:
It's winter, in November of 1979, it's snowing a little outside and it's time for me to take a bath for school the next day. I remember fighting my mom on this subject on a daily basis. Why? Well, let me tell you my story. We are a family of five and we live in a red brick and Grey cinder block house that my dad swears he will finish one day when we have money. There are no interior walls dividing the living space, there are two windows, only one opens, the floor is concrete but we do have pieces of carpet that my dad got from my grandfather. There is a large bed, a set of bunk beds, and a crib for my little sister. We had this long maroon couch where I remember having piles of our clothes, I guess we didn't have a closet or a chest for them? We did not have a regular bath room, we had what people now call outhouses, we have no running water, other than the salt water pump that my dad has outside to feed the animals with. I know we had gas, because I remember my mom turning the oven on full blast to warm up the house so that me and my sisters could bathe, and she would warm up pots of water because the water coming from the hose outside was ice cold. I remember that It didn't matter how hot the water was, because the large tin basin we would bathe in was cold from being outside all day. After one bathed, then it was the next ones turn, my mom and dad would carry out the basin together because it was too heavy. We had electricity because I remember watching "The Smurfs."

Fast forward to October 2001, a great year indeed, I'm 27 years old now and I have a family of my own. I have a hard working husband and beautiful Little girl who is my everything. We are living in a two bedroom house because we are having a hard time getting a loan to buy a house because our credit is not so great. Earlier that year my husband and I had gone to Habitat for Humanity to fill out application to see if we qualified for a home. Early one evening in October of 2001 after receiving numerous letters letting us know that we were still being considered for a home, we received a call from one of the Habitat for Humanity volunteers asking us if we were going to be home that evening because they wanted to speak to me and my husband. JM & JM had come over to our house to deliver some wonderful news, you see, we had been selected as one of the families to receive a home. I don't know that I will ever be able to put into words what it means to my family and myself to finally have a home. That my daughter will never have to live in poverty as I did when I was growing up. Habitat is not just about building and getting a home, its building friendships and building great communities for our children to grow up in. Thank you Mesilla Valley Habitat for Humanity and Habitat International, and especially MJS, you are my inspiration for giving back what was offered to me.

What Our Volunteers Are Saying

Connie speaks out for how Habitat is changing childrens lives. Connie Fudge visited Las Cruces as an RV Care-a-vanner in September 2005. She and her husband Tom are enjoying Habitat for Humanity builds as they travel the United States.
For the past 2 ½ years, I have worked with At-Risk Junior/Senior High school students by volunteering at the Silver Valley Alternative School in Kellogg, (North) Idaho. I have met kids who have parents who are struggling to make ends meet, kids who only have one parent at home and kids who have one or two parents at home but who are not engaged in their lives.

Too often the instability of these teens’ lives causes so much stress and so much independence from authority that they get into trouble. They too often make poor choices about their friends, their bodies, and their futures.

My husband, Tom, and I began our first Care-A-Vanner adventure the 13^th of September 2005. After working on our first Care-A-Vanners Habitat house build, it came to me that all of us involved in Habitat are making such a difference in the lives of children. By working on homes that will provide them and their parent(s) with a solid place to live, we are truly doing something for "the least of these." Having the same place to come to everyday, having your own room for your possessions, knowing that you will be staying in one place. These are things that most of us take for granted but mean so much to the future home owners.

Of the three duplexes at the Massachusetts Habitat where we worked and the five Habitat homes being build this year in Las Cruces, only one will be occupied by a two parent family. All the others will be occupied with single moms with kids of many ages. What more valuable a thing can be offered to these precious people? What would exemplify Christ’s love more than giving stability to children?

Habitat for Humanity volunteers work this miracle through God’s incredible Grace: The solid land the homes are built on – God’s Creation, the generous people who give themselves and their time – God’s Provision, the many talents and skills the volunteers bring to the build – Godly Gifts, caring and loving hearts – God’s Mercy. We praise Him for this incredible organization and what it offers to all God’s children. We humbly accept all that He gives us to bring His Love to the world.

Mike Ludi is a student at Doña Ana Branch Community College. He worked with us as part of a Service Learning Project.
In my service with Mesilla Valley Habitat for Humanity, I assisted the construction personnel at Pueblitos de Las Cruces in the partial completion of the building of one of the homes for low income families in Las Cruces. I painted baseboard in all rooms of the house, touched up several areas throughout the home where the painters before me had missed, and puttied all nail holes in baseboards following installation by the carpenters. This was all done at the home on La Vida Nueva Court and Second Street.

The article in the Las Cruces Sun News, where I got my inspiration for my service, was asking for volunteers interested in helping new Habitat homeowners to work on, assist in the construction of and help with anything and everything that can possibly be done by individuals who have experience or not in the building of a home. This can mean anything from framing, running plumbing and electrical, to painting, landscaping, and area clean-up.

My feelings about this particular service are that if I had more time I would like to help out even more. I think that it is really a great thing that these people are doing. People like the retirees who spend a good amount of time working at these homes should be commended for giving so much of themselves for this cause. These people could be doing much more with their retirement time besides working to build homes, but they have a greater work ethic than some people who have to work for a living, and they don't even get paid for it. My hat is off to those people and hopefully I will get to once again help out this summer while I will have more time to volunteer.

What is an even greater thing is that people in Las Cruces who can't afford to buy one of the expensive homes that the real estate agencies have on the market at those astronomical prices at least get to have a chance to live in an affordable home and also get to have a hand in building it. All thanks to the directors of this great effort - these homes are quality built homes that these folks will be proud to own and call their own.

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