The saints are simply those men and women who relish the event of life as a gift and who realize that the only way to honor such a gift is to give it away.
William Stringfellow
God did not create poverty; human beings did when they refused to share.
Mother Teresa
Millard and I had the privilege of meeting Wanda Urbanska and Frank Levering when they interviewed us for the first edition of Simple Living more than a decade ago. We had a lively and memorable conversation with them in the living room of our home near downtown Americus, Georgia. Their struggles and triumphs—which they recount freely and honestly in the book—are reminiscent of our own.
A crisis in our marriage caused us to rethink our emphasis on acquiring more and more wealth. We took drastic steps to simplify our lifestyle and began our search to serve God by serving humanity. That was the best decision we ever made, one we have never once regretted. Our lives are now full and “running over” with true riches.
In Frank and Wanda, we saw a reflection of ourselves. They were hard workers. They were ambitious to spread a new message and encourage another way of living, just as we have been through two-and-one-half decades of ministry with Habitat for Humanity. Like us, they were idealistic. Their “ministry of simplicity” appealed to the consciences of individuals and organizations to examine their ways and improve quality of life for themselves and others. They embraced small-town life and set up shop in Frank’s native city of Mount Airy North Carolina—a rural, somewhat economically depressed part of the country.
Over the years, we have seen Wanda and Frank numerous times since we first met. Mount Airy has become something of a second home for me as I travel to North Carolina to attend meetings of the National Advisory Board for the Simple Living television series, which Wanda and Frank are spearheading.
Wanda and Frank’s goal of lifestyle simplification is compatible with the values Millard and I espouse in our personal lives as well as with the values of Habitat for Humanity International. We believe that as each person voluntarily and passionately embraces simple-living values, there is a tremendous potential to positively impact millions, beginning with our own neighborhood and extending throughout the world.
Simple Living will help readers examine their values and lifestyles from the perspective of how much they want versus how much they need. It will also help readers to discover the joy that comes in giving and doing for others. These ideas, once put into practice, make for a sustainable life for all on this earthly “habitat” we share and call home.
Linda C. Fuller
Co-founder, Habitat for Humanity
International
April 2003