We left Decatur, Alabama after breakfast and drove under clear skies.  As difficult as yesterday's drive was, today's travel was delightful.  One of the blessings of this day was time to get to know one another more fully and discover life connections we had previously not known.

We began to see trees toppled from Hurricane Katrina as we entered Mississippi, but the most noted damage was seen as we approached Gulfport.  Large signs were bent over and buildings were damaged.  Large blue tarps covered some roofs.

Even with a fair amount of property damage, life seemed normal in Gulfport until we arrived on the coast.  As we drove along the coastal highway toward Long Beach, we saw total devastation.  It looked as though it had been bombed.  Foundations marked the places where homes had once been.  We could see through a Wal-Mart store as the bottom six feet of the building had disappeared - I assume from the storm surge.

To my surprise the Long Beach Presbyterian Church where we are staying is only three blocks from the coast and survived the storm surge by being located behind an elementary school.  The church had minimal damage and only required new carpeting and tile as well as some repairs to the pews in their sanctuary.

We are housed in Church School rooms where there is enough room between the bunk beds for one person to walk.  The temperature cooled considerably tonight and so sleeping should not be a problem; other than the placement of the bunks that leaves one person's head only inches from their neighbor's feet.

We went for a tour of the area finding the stores where we will purchase our supplies.  Then we ate supper at Katrina's Kitchen which is a feeding ministry run by the Mennonite Church.  We understand that they feed some 2,000-2,500 meals a day.  We attended a worship service that is held  nightly in the Kitchen.  Teams like ours had arrived today from Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.  While led in a style very different from our worship, the leaders were quite encouraging of the worker teams.  From their comments, it is clear that the response of Christians is a major force in the recovery of this area.

I write this note outside of the director's room and use his wi-fi internet connection.  One team which is leaving in the morning is debriefing their experience in a nearby room and now praying for all those still affected by the hurricane damage. 

In the morning, we will attend worship with the congregation of the Long Beach Presbyterian Church, a congregation that had previously numbered some eighty members and now has about thirty-five.  Following worship we will receive our assignments and begin our work.  It appears that our two-church group (OPC & Elfinwild Presbyterian Church) will be divided into two teams - one led by John Rock who has electrical experience.  The second team will begin installing ceiling tile and a drop ceiling.

Please pray that we will be a blessing to the people whose lives have been so disrupted by this natural crisis, and pray that God will use us to encourage them by progress on their homes and by our love for them.

Steve