Work and a Fabulous Mississippi dinner

The groups were able to accomplish a lot today, and want to finish up some tomorrow. A new group is coming in and they hope to hand off some of the unfinished projects where they've already been working. Today was a laundry and errand day for me--and as it turned out, just an interesting one all around. While I was at the laundromat a lady came up to me and thanked me for all the help that the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance groups have been doing. She and her husband were also flooded, but as she'd been laid off and he was still working, they had an income while she was free to make all the phone calls to FEMA and the insurance and getting all that early help. She told me of a single mom with 3 teenagers, who is working full time and going to college. There was no way that she could take the time off to apply for things or make phone calls. So this lady who is her neighbor was able to do a lot of that for her. Then in December, a PDA group from North Carolina came to her home, ripped out the sheet rock and installed new sheet rock. The woman telling me all this just wanted to say thank you and let us know how grateful they all are for the help.

We decided that we wanted to do something different for dinner this evening. So the California group, and Kathy and Jean (daughter and mom), and some of our group (Ken S., Tom, Terry and Pat), went to the New Orleans Cafe in D'Iberville, which is about a half hour drive east. We were looking for a place where the locals eat and we found it. Gumbo, catfish, red beans and rice and hush puppies--all fantastic. It was fun to get away, yet much of the discussion is still about how best to help the people who are still so in need.

One of the men from California, Mitch, is in the construction business and has been teaching some of the others the proper way to tape and mud. Ruth has mastered the technique for the corners. At dinner Mitch was saying that he felt that he needed to come back because so many people don't know how to do some of the things that need to be done. He and Terry were talking about the possibility of Mitch making a very short video showing the way it should be done. As it turns out, Brett (also part of the California group), has the camera and is in the film industry. So the plan tomorrow is for the two of them to make a short video to show the incoming group

Hart Miller sent me an email asking about the weather and how the group is doing. We are all fine--getting tired and it will be nice to come home on Sunday. We started the week with very muggy weather, not hot, but the humidity made it so uncomfortable. Now, however, we have had a few days of cooler weather in the 50s during the day, but down in the 30s at night. The huts where we sleep are heated, after a fashion. There are kerosene heaters set up for each pod of six huts. Great when they work, not great when they don't. We've been calling them the "dragons", as they make a kind of roaring sound when they are running. Kenny Lewis has been repairing them one by one as they break. So we have all spent at least one night of being cold, and the rest of the time we've been warm enough.

Also, Hart, I think you might get an idea of where we are if you look north and a little west of the Singing River Mall--it's about 5 miles from us. Try looking for a water tower that is north of the mall and near Hwy 10. We are very close to that, as well as to a Sandhill Crane Preserve, that is just to the west. I hope that helps. Or if that doesn't work, look for the four horses who come every morning to the fence for their breakfast and the mallard named Sir Francis Drake who shows up in the afternoons at 4:45 for a late afternoon snack. He wanders right in through the camp, no matter what is going on and heads for the mess tent. Someone is always happy to pause a bit and feed him.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We do appreciate it. Good night and God bless you all.