Thursday from Todd's perspective

Today was our last full day of work. It's too bad our week is coming to an end so quickly. It feels like we're just getting into our routine. Up at 6am...pack our lunch...breakfast at 6:30am...a brief group devotion...and off to our different work sites for the day by 7:15am...work till 4:30pm...dinner at 5:30...shower...cards, ping pong, etc.,...and lights out and off to bed by 10pm

I am with the part of the group that stayed at Camp Gospel in Pass Christian, MS. We split up into smaller groups to work at three different sites each day. Today three of us went to work on a new house being built for a lady named Tammi and her three sons. Tammi and her sons were left homeless after Hurricane Katrina and have been living with relatives for the last two and a half years. With enough volunteer help, hopefully her home will be ready to move into in the next month.

The neighborhood were Tammi's previous home once stood and where her new home is being built was flooded with 15 to 20 feet of water. Nearly every home was completely destroyed or damaged beyond prepare. Over half are still gone with no indication that they will be replaced.

We learned from a Pass Christian resident last night that only 40 percent of the people that lived in Pass Christian have returned since the storm. Looking at Tammi's neighborhood this is easy to believe. However, I still wonder why. From the stories we've heard, I think the reasons vary from person to person and family to family. They were under insured...didn't have insurance...are still waiting to settle with their insurance company...the stress of the situation broke up their family...their employer no longer existed (it took a year for the local Dupont plant to re-open)...or they just didn't want to stay here and have the chance of having to live through another disaster like Katrina.

Before coming down for this trip, I wondered what could be left to be done after almost three years since the storm. What I've learned is that the Mississippi Gulf Coast still has a long way to go to get back to "normal" if it ever will. What is encouraging is there are still hundreds of volunteers still coming to this part of Mississippi to help.

This has been a great trip for all of us. A few of the things that will stick with me are: the sincere thank yous from the residents for "coming down to help", the new friends I've made with people from Prairie Ridge, and seeing the works that are the result of the faith of the many volunteers that are here.