Habitat CR has done a wonderful job of assisting with coordinating on the ground, particularly in light of the recent change of build locations due to volcanic activity. Should be great fun!

Check it out.

DEADWOOD — When Tom and Nyla Griffith returned to Deadwood after a two week trip to Vietnam as part of a build for Habitat for Humanity, the well traveled couple noted that the trip was significant not for what they were able to bring back but for what they left behind.

“We didn’t just build houses,” Tom Griffith said. “We really changed the face of the village. For the first time in my travelers life I felt like I left more behind than just dollars.”

Dong Xa village was settled by fishing families who made their living on the nearby river. As fish stocks have dwindled, they have taken up rice farming. Both occupations are seasonal and the low family incomes are supplemented by day labor and home-based businesses like poultry growing and ferrying children across the river to school.

School-age children of fishing families often live with their grandparents so that they are able to attend school while their parents are way fishing for months. Parents and grandparents who grew up on boats are likely to have little education themselves. The rapidly-growing industrial corridor between Hai Duong and Hanoi offers opportunities to work in factories or as skilled construction workers, but better jobs are available only to those who have some schooling.

Houses offer village families a stable base for children to attend school and for increased livelihood opportunities, especially in home-based businesses like tea shops or crafts. Through their partnership with Habitat for Humanity and in accumulating 100 hours of sweat equity, home partners have learned new schools, including how to make sewer covers and concrete blocks and to lay blocks.

For me, the best part of the trip was the building of relationships within the house team (5 folks from Sioux Falls, 5 from the Black Hills), the big team (400 volunteers from all over the US and 20 other countries), and the Vietnamese people. Within the team we were able to come together and build a house. Not necessarily a simple task, considering that some groups squabbled the whole week. We got to know each other, and appreciate each other for the gifts that we brought. We had lots of laugh while providing a home for a family.

Within the “big team” it was great to connect and get to know the stories from all sorts of people. We had a large (and loud) contingent from New Zealand. For example, when we put in our roof we had help from a Kiwi named Neville. In a job that would normally take all day, we banged out in 3 hours. Nothing like some inter-national cooperation.

Finally, we were able to hear the stories of our Vietnamese homeowners and translators. Despite the language barrier, we were able to laugh together and bond over the common human experience. In a manner of speaking we got to know each other. It was blessing to get to know and be known by others.

After lunch, we kept up some painting and started to work on trimming out the details. With the paint on, the Habitat houses really make this small town sparkle with color and joy. It’s been a great adventure to build a house.

At lunch we had a special treat with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter coming to our building site (and the Habitat CEO). Mr. President Carter gave a warm and wonderful speech about the need for decent housing as the beginning for human rights. For once an individual has a house, she is in a position to live with dignity and seek more rights. Habitat does good things in the world, connecting others to each other, giving people possibilities.

Our team is really coming together and, more importantly, not killing each other. In the morning we finished off the front and back walls and then started on the kitchen and bathroom. Because of the humidity any permanent building uses brick and mortar–no wood! Though none of us laid brick before on Tuesday we got the hang of it and were able to make some really good progress. Along with the house we are also building great relationships with each other (bridging the West/East River divide) other volunteers and the community. We have volunteers from over 28 states and numerous countries, with a large Kiwi (New Zealand) contingent. It’s great to see and hear about all the work that Habitat does all over the world. It takes a lot to build a house, but when you got lots of people building, you can build lots of houses.

On Tuesday night we had an Affiliate Appreciation dinner. Our affiliate will be getting a nice plaque of appreciation for participating in the global village that is Habitat.

That evening we headed to dinner at an hotel in town. In an example of cultural differences, our bus driver got lost, so he stopped to aske a taxi driver where to go, and instead of giving directions the taxi driver just jumped on board. The dinner was seafood all the way (no reason to take of the shrimp head or the chicken head for that matter), so Nyla and Marie went a little hungary. Nevertheless, a good experience. After dinner, bed, we were exhausted!

Rapid City to Denver to San Francisco to Seoul to Hanoi.

Another way to say it:

1:13 hour flight, 1 hour layover, 2:50 hour flight, 3 hour layover, 11:10 hour flight, 1:10 hour layover, 4:00 hour flight.

Boy, we are going to be tired.