Pascagoula, MS

This first entry is dedicated to the residents and volunteer workers in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and elsewhere along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Tho’ we probably won’t hear much in the news from there until the 2nd anniversary in August, recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina continue in earnest. We spent the last week in the deep South with 10 others from our church, helping to rebuild three homes as part of the 100 Homes in 100 Days project, initiated by Annie Card, a professional photographer and Red Cross volunteer from New Hampshire who co-founded Operation TLC and Mississippi Home Again (and an incredibly inspiring woman).

We were shocked to learn that the forceful waves that hit the Pascagoula coast in the early morning hours of August 29, 2005, actually carried away beachfront homes into the ocean, many with their occupants inside with no escape. Our group fell silent as Annie showed us slabs of foundation, swept clean by the torrential storm and rushing ocean waters almost 2 years ago.



Other memorable moments: delicious meals at David’s kitchen (mmm, pork roast…); yelling “Shut the Doow!” with everyone else to keep the flies out; our site supervisor Joe patiently doing damage control on my dismal caulking job; buying detergent and dryer sheets for a quarter each from Shirley (whose name was embroidered on her work shirt) at Mayfair Laundromat; grinning at staring customers at Seaman’s Cove restaurant; the entire team lining up in a row to lay laminate flooring; meeting other volunteers from NE, TN, and KY; hot fudge sundaes at Sonic and Edd’s; and my Sweetie offering most of his belongings to a homeless volunteer. I hope that we were able to encourage others and remind the locals that God has not forgotten them.

Thank you, Annie, for your selflessness; David from church and Americorps, for hooking us up with Operation TLC; David from Central Church of Christ, for housing and feeding us; and Joe (and bros.) from Indiana, for your wisdom and for working harder than ever in your retirement to help others.