This is a photo of the entire crew and our awesome crew leader, Bill, taken on the last day of work at V's place in Moss Point, MS.

This is a photo of the entire crew and our pal, Dave, taken on the last day of work at V's place in Moss Point, MS.

Saturday morning...

We're getting ready to head out - loading the vans, grabbing something to eat, posting the last student blog. Soon we head to the airport, due into MSP at 3:54 pm. It has been an amazing week; a thought reflected - again and again - in the comments from our group during our last on site meeting Friday night. There's little I can add to the sentiments already expressed by the students. But, I do want to say again, if you know any of them, a hearty congratulations and "thank you" is due. They worked really hard, they made a difference. Thank them! Once we get back and assemble our photographs, etc., check back as I expect to post links to more photos than I was able to share on this page. Thanks for reading!

Melissa

Posting from Janine

“Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after”
This modified saying, one of a bunch which were decorating the walls of “The Shed Barbecue”, where a part of our group enjoyed our last dinner by spare ribs and sandwiches (while the rest of us made a short trip to Mobile, Alabama) shows pretty less what we could experience here during this outstanding week. So much has happened... in our “small, individual world” as well as around the CORE Camp and too much is left to do that one wishes to stay for continuing. As we got our instructions on Monday we could hear about people who are returning for the seventh time – now, I guess, we all or better said y'all know the reason why. It's not because you're addicted to the scrumptious meals the CORE Camp kitchen is providing, it's not caused by the love of sharing a special camp spirit with amazing people you'd have never met a lifetime... moreover it is the message that rips into the heart of everyone who is down here: THEY NEED HELP. And our group helped. We helped others and we were helped... learning about our limits as well as about those of others. While we tore down rotten, black molded sheetrock to give some families the initial help for a new beginning we also could watch changes in many different ways...every day and every where. Thank y'all for this extraordinary experience of helping and giving hope... and seeing Miss D's bright eyes- it has shaped our lives and will hopefully guide us in the future.

Posting from Alex

It's our last day in Mississippi. There are many mixed feelings about this. One one hand, I wouldn't mind staying longer and helping more people. On the other hand I'm physically and mentally exhausted from all of the hard work cleaning out the houses and seeing so much unspeakable destruction. I can't believe how fast time flew by when we started working and got into our routines. Waking up, eating breakfast, going to the work site, taking a lunch break, working some more, going back, and eating dinner (at a restaraunt, if lucky). We got so much accomplished in such a short time and brightened up the lives of so many people. I will never forget how D's eyes filled up with tears of happiness after we cleaned her house. It makes me feel good that amidst all of this destruction we accually made a difference for someone. It seems like only yesterday that I stepped off of the plane, and soon I will be going back, but the things I've seen and experienced will stay with me for a lifetime.

Posting from Mark

Even though today was the last day that we will be here in Mississippi, it feels as though we've just started what needs to be done. Our group split up; some of us returning to Miss D's and some starting over at a new house. I was in the van to Miss D's. A part of me didn't want to go through the process of sorting another's possessions again. I could barely take it all in the first time. As sad a situation as it is, working with Miss D is always a pleasure. She's always around checking out what we're doing. Today she came in while we were spraying the house and told us how much we had done for her. She said she would try to come to Minnesota sometime (only when its above 7 degrees). This trip has shown me how good people can be. There's no doubt that we all have our faults, and that we come from very different backgrounds. But everyone I've met is here to help. I hear constant calls to loved ones at home, and how we miss them. They have chosen to be here instead, and it makes me immensely proud to be a part of it. It doesnt really matter that our motivations are different. After finally acclimatizing myself to the daily work schedule and weather (sorry about the snow up there...but not too sorry) we will all have to return to normalcy tommorow. And though it does sound rather cliche, we really will take a piece of this with us for the rest of our lives.

Posting from Shanelle

The amount of destruction and how we react to the sight is very relative to what we are told. What we are told is the "worst hit" area, looks the worst, for the most part, because we were told it was the worst, not because of what we saw. Looking at the areas of the 9th Ward we visited on Sunday and comparing them to what we saw in the Lower 9th Ward yesterday, I knew what was the "worst hit" and no one had make that conclusion for me. Destruction and wind damage is a very emotional thing to see. But complete devastation is another. Nothing survived, nothing was standing, and there was no one in sight. The only sound was the crows and a lost wind tunnel on the rooftop. As dusk came, and then nightfall, the city darkened completely. From afar it looked lost, vacant, and not alive.

Shanelle C. Evens
Hamline University Student Congress President

This yard is across the street from the beach in Ocean Springs. One of the really striking visuals, for me, is the number of plastic bags and clothing caught in the trees. I met a woman from Wisconsin who is down here clearing out brush for three weeks. She said that it reminded her of Tibetan prayer flags.

Talk about teamwork! Here part of the crew is removing the water damaged insulation that had been between the sheetrock and the brick exterior of this home. Out the window you can see the FEMA trailer in the front yard.

Since the water in this home "only" came up about two feet we "only" had to cut away to four feet of the wall. This photo shows you what it looks like.

This two year old lost most of her "babies" in the flooding. D said that when the carpet was torn up they carried away the soggy babies with it. She now has a new Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh...

Posting from Sharon

I'm so proud of our mobile learning community here in Mississippi that I wanted to let everyone know how honored I am to be here learning, working, wondering, feeling, reflecting, and perhaps most importantly, practicing the difficult art of collectively renewing a topsy-turvy world. I'm appreciative of Melissa's vision. One thing I've learned here is how difficult it is to practice another art...that of humble non-judgementl compassion. There are lots of conversations about the deserving and undeserving poor and middle class and rich. There are lots of nuances about racism. I was thrilled to hear the folks at First Street United Methodist Church talk social justice context and I was despairing while walking around the Lower Ninth Ward. I wanted to cry and scream...it is unbearable. I only heard crows and the metallic whoosh of the exhaust fans whirling around in the wind. No people. No animals. Signs of death. Signs of poor people, African American poor people, rendered expendable. A neighborhood bigger than than of the Hamline-Midway just blotted out. Very difficult to walk around and yet, people congregate. And lastly, I learn evermore to trust the power of service-learning, whether academic or otherwise. People come together to learn to repair, to practice tikkun olam. And in that vein, with gratitude, I'll sign off.

Posting from Toni

As much as I'd like my posting to be as informative as the past postings, I (unfortunately) spent a good part of the day lying down in the van in an attempt to keep my brain tissue from getting projected out of nose (read: horrible allergies). The house we are currently working on – and finishing up tomorrow – has been a much more fulfilling experience for me than the first couple days. Having the owner around to talk to has definitely added to the positive environment. From my perspective it is much easier to get emotionally involved in a project such as this when there is a connection with the person (or people) you are helping. To back up the last couple posts, I'd also like to share that I fully agree with what has been said about Miss D (as Shital has affectionately nicknamed her). She has been fantastic to work with and very thankful for what we are doing. It really makes the frustrating parts of this experience more endurable by knowing that. Tomorrow the plan is to split up into two groups again. One group will finish up Miss D's house and the other will start on a new one. I must admit that being there for the first phase of the cleaning part is really fascinating for me. Its really amazing to witness the extreme destruction that wind and water can wreck. I doubt that I have been the only person to ponder what my house would look like if it was subjected to the same forces that these houses were. So, back to the allergies. I attempted to be useful a couple different times during the day, but the addition of dirt- and sheetrock dust-laden air throughout the house definitely wasn't conducive to proper sinus performance. I wasn't alone in my misery, which I am thankful for even when knowing there were others who weren't functioning in high gear. Because we were stuck in the van we had a chance to talk and get to know each other better. One of my reasons for coming on this trip was to form some connections with other Hamline students, so this worked to my advantage. To end, I would like to take a moment to share that all of us women are now fully educated in how to use hammers. :]

Posting from Brianna

2 hurricanes, 21 plane tickets, 48 diet cokes, 2 bags of twizzlers, 2 12-passenger vans, 3 flooded tents, 21 cases of culture shock, 2 Bills, one Dave, lots of biscuits and grits later...............we all find ourselves at a new level of understanding. Away from our comfort zones, way of life, our favorite tv shows, our room-mates, and best friends, we truly begin to understand the meaning of letting one's self go. The selfless action accomplished through service brings on a new level of humility which opens the door to learning well beyond the classroom. I could go on and on with stories from this trip, but I would rather share them in person. I cannot put to words the experiences and feelings from my time thus far in MS. The strength and courage that the people here have shown is beyond my imagination; despite the destruction, loss, death, and inevitable depression, they manage to hold their heads high, and help us decide what to keep and what to throw. The first hand experience of this disaster is well beyond my comprehension, the second hand experience is even difficult to take in! The pain and suffering that these people have gone through is not fair and I wish I could change it...grrrrr! This afternoon, as I felt the rusty nail cut through my boot, graze my big toe, and slip right between it and the next toe, I thought about how I had ended up in Southern Mississippi in a post Katrina black-mold war zone...and how I was grateful I stepped on that nail just right. It was the yearning to get away from all that distracts me from being who I always wish I could. It was then that I went up, knocked on the FEMA trailer, and asked Miss D if I could come in. Although I was probably needed somewhere in the house, I thought I should slow down...so I did. As we laughed and I learned all about 4 generations of Miss D's family, I envied the simple pleasures I often miss out on as I rush through my materialistic life thinking only of myself and others close to me. Service has been my medicine for the last four years, renewing my love for life each time. My time in MS has certainly been a continuation of that; the group dynamics, sense of accomplishment, growing friendships, and interactions with the people we work for continue to challenge my principles for living. Each and every person here and who we have come into contact with has taught me something more about myself and the world we live in. I can only hope that everyone can experience what I have through service learning trips, and if they don't, I might just shove it down their throats.....cuz it's that important!!!! Ha Ha Just kidding, but I truly hope that everyone on our trip can get the most out of our time here and find what service can do for them in their lives. We are in no way whatsoever better than those we serve. I know in my heart that it could have been my house that flooded, and I am so so so grateful that it wasn't. I will quit rambling random thoughts now, but I just want anyone and everyone to know how grateful I am to have had this opporunity...thanks to everyone who made this happen...I know it was a ton of work, but as you can hopefully tell....it is worth it a hundred times over! -- Love, Kisses, and Hugs--- Brianna

Posting from Lauren H.

Today we continued working on D's house, and boy, I had NO idea what I was into. I got to working right away on taking up the parquet floor with everyone else and I was tired out within the hour. Completely hit the wall. We all had this problem in various ways... some of us just took frequent breaks and there was also a van full of people who felt sick for various reasons. I can't imagine anyone expecting D to have to deal with all of that work by herself. If cleaning out a house can emotionally and physically exhaust 21 people who are mostly in the prime health of their life, what would it do to a lady who is older and with flagging health? Thankfully, the weather was beautiful. I think it kept everyone going long after their bodies were crying "I can't do this anymore"! I can honestly say that I will be sorry that tommorrow is our last day here. Our entire group of students and faculty have bonded over this experience. The things we have seen and the people we have helped will most likely stay with us forever. It is another world down here and I feel that I will never be able to adequately describe it. To know that so many people that need help are being forgotten or cannot get help from an organization like CORE is horrifying to me. I am glad that all of us had the opportunity to come here and not only see what has happened with our own eyes but also to have the ability to do something about it.

Wednesday, 18 January 2006

Those of you who know me know that, had I not been traveling to Mississippi, today I would have been having lunch with Walter Mondale and the Humphrey Fellows and that I was really bummed when I found out I was going to miss that. Well, as much as I would have liked to chat with Fritz, today absolutely rocked. I am so glad I was here. As the students have posted, we arrived at a house that had been virtually untouched since the hurricane. The homeowner is a woman, just a few years older than myself, a Navy veteran with health problems, who rode out the storm in her attic with nine others and her puppy. The water level reached "only" about two feet, but, of course has destroyed virtually everything it touched. By the way, in case you don't realize it, "the water" is salt water that came from the Gulf, not rain water. Anyway, as you have also read, today we were a crew of 19. That's everyone except Sharon and Shanelle who had to travel back to NOLA to do recon for Spring Break trips. But, I digress... You've read about today's activities. What I wanted to post was that these students are amazing. They are doing fabulous, significant, meaningful - fill in your adjective of choice - work and they are rockin. If you know one - or more - of them, thank them, congratulate them. I can't even begin to describe how impressed I am by their motivation, sensitivity, team work, hard work... If you are a parent reading this, you should be VERY proud. They are doing great work. G'night!

Photos from Wednesday

Posting from Shital

A true Southern woman, whom I'll call "Miss D" since I shouldn't use her name here without her permission, is who we helped today. I’m sure you can picture her all the way up in Minnesota. She was extremely polite, spoke adoringly of her grandchildren, and was more grateful than we will ever know. She called all of us “baby” or “child” and cried after pictures when all of us lined up to give her hugs. It would be impossible for any of us to think back to our time here and forget Miss D. When we arrived this morning at Miss D’s house we found that it had barely been touched since the flood four months ago. All of her belongings were as she had left them, including pictures of various friends and family on the wall and food in the kitchen. Our first task was to take everything out to either a keep or put in the garbage pile. We were told Miss D was in the “throw everything away” phase and were told to use our judgment on things we thought she might want. After Miss D came out and greeted us all, we got started. We saved personal items such as pictures, trophies, and figurines and soon Miss D was directing us herself on things she wanted to keep or discard. We cleared seven rooms out today and started tearing out walls and flooring. Our crew leaders were quite surprised and paid Melissa a few compliments, which was very motivating to hear. It seems they like the Minnesota work ethic. We left Miss D’s house almost completely empty, a very different place from the chaos and disorder we started with this morning. The emptiness of the house feels like accomplishment to us, I hope that Miss D sees it as a new beginning. I was amazed that she had the strength to watch us take out her belongings and pile them on the street. To us they are only materials - only she knows all the stories, memories, and feelings attached to each and every one.

Posting from Lauren O.

We started differently today than the past two days. For the first time, it was 19 of us together at a house--instead of being split up. We were warned that the woman's house had not been touched since Katrina hit and personal items were going to have to be separated: KEEP and NOT KEEP. I started in the master bedroom with a garbage bag in one hand and a look of astonishment on my face... The task ahead seemed impossible! Imagine being knee deep in destroyed personal items that do not belong to you! I had difficulty emotionally detaching myself enough to throw stuff away. It even got to the point where I had tears in my eyes, and had to trade in my garbage bag for a hammer... I just couldn't do the sorting and started taking down door frames instead. My mood lightened once I met the owner's grandson, I spent some time with him. I watched him smile as he did flips on the trampoline, he made sure I saw every "good flip" and made me laugh alot. It was comforting to know that even as all the destruction was going on around him, his young spirit was still alive and smiling. I think the other's would agree that it's an amazing feeling to know that you just helped a person who would otherwise be lost.

ENJOY THE SNOW.... WE MISS YOU ALL.... YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT YOU'RE MISSING OUT!!!

Posting from Nora

What a day! We began a new house today for a lovely older woman who seemed very glad to see us. As she hadn't really touched her house at all since August, our first job was to sort through all of her personal possessions and throw away what she didn't want to/couldn't keep-- which resulted in a pile of garbage the size of her FEMA trailer. There are really no words (humbling comes close) to describe the feeling of entering someone's destroyed home and carrying their pictures, their clothes, and the antique heirloom their deceased aunt left them to the curb to be discarded. We started dismantling a dresser that had grown moldy, and the first drawer I took out was filled with her "unmentionables." How does one, a complete stranger, carry these personal articles of clothing to someone and ask them which they treasure enough to save? All in all, today felt like our most successful day yet. We completely cleared this house, removed a lot of the sheetrock, and some rooms are ready to be sanitized. I think that after a good night's sleep we will all be ready for what tomorrow brings!

Posting from Megan

“I’m singin’ in the rain…Just singin’ in the rain…” We awoke to rain—LOTS of rain. Edging into our tent was a puddle that magnified as the wind picked up speed. But not even the rain or the puddle could keep our spirits down. Today our team of twelve finished the home that we were working on. What an overwhelming feeling of joy it was to drive away from the house that we had worked so hard on, knowing that it was one step closer to being restored and brought back to state of safe living. Who knew that watching a floorboard being lifted could bring such a sense of accomplishment, or the sheer satisfaction of watching pieces of ceiling crumble unto the floor, only to be swept away eagerly by an awaiting teammate.

We have been so fortunate to have a work dynamic among us that lends itself to success! Though many of us do not know each other well, we have been able to work efficiently and thoroughly throughout the trip.

The past four days have been a whirlwind of hard work. Some of the hard work has been physical labor, but a significant portion of the hard work has been the overwhelming sight of devastation and loss. Our venture to New Orleans, for example, illustrated the immense complexity of the situation. Virtually every dilemma a person could imagine exists within the city boundaries. Debris piled alongside of the street curb, many houses still remain abandoned, with total chaos waiting inside. The work we’ve been able to do thus far has been rewarding beyond imagination, though I can’t seem to rid myself of the feeling of wanting to help more, do more, give more…

As we drove away from the house that we completed today, I couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful red flowers blooming alongside the front of the house, under the window. The rain seemed to renew them, as I hadn’t noticed them the previous day. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Photos from Kari

Posting from Jake

The second day of work was a satisfying one as both groups finished work at their respective houses. My group spent the day tearing up the remainder of the floor and attempting not to fall through the “sub-floor” which proved to be much more difficult than expected. Part of the ceiling was also removed, which proved to be a very entertaining endeavor and a competition for who can pull down the largest chunk quickly developed. The most poignant moment for me came at the end of the long day of work. All 12 group members had worked strenuously and smoothly for the second day at this one house and the work finally came to an end with the sanitization of of the inner “guts” of the structure of the house. As I stood looking back at what was left of the house, stripped bare to the studs in the walls, whole rooms of ceiling removed, only the sub-floor exposed and with large holes where various members of our group went through, I saw that the journey for this home had only just begun. Our hours of hard work had left the people with less of a house than they had ever had before it was flooded and it was then evident how big this whole mess is. I wished we could have started installing the carpet right away, but I guess that will have to wait. And so it is, patience will have to be one of the biggest indgredients for the people here, but each time someone gets help the return to a normal life seems infinitely more possible, and that is why we're here.

Hope all is well in your world, and come lend a hand down here if possible, it is an incredible feeling

A link to some photos...

You'll probably have to cut and paste it into your browser, but here's a link that will show you some of our photos. They aren't captioned with explanations because it's already 10:40 and I'm exhausted, but you'll get the idea. For details you'll just have to come to the campus presentation we hope to do some time during the Spring term.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=1AcNGTNq2YsXEg

Posting from Ashley

Our trip to Mississippi is a very humbling experience. The destruction is so devastating. It is very much different to go from looking at pictures in the newspapers and online, to then being down here in the midst of everything. I appreciate this experience
very much. I feel like I have learned so many things I could have never learned from reading a book in a classroom. I feel like I have definitely grown as a person. Today was our first workday on the houses. When we drove out into the community I had to keep reminding myself that it has been months after Katrina hit. There is stuff thrown around and lying everywhere, along with so much debris up in the trees. Some of the houses look untouched since the hurricane, as if the residents don't ever want to come
back. The house my group worked at was already gutted out and just the studs were left. One could see completely through the house along with all the other houses on the street. It was very eerie when we worked because I didn't hear or see a single person.
There are these communities of houses standing but nevertheless standing empty. They do not seem like homes anymore but rather slabs of lumber placed together, just a means of shelter. Even though it has been a challenging sight to see I will remember this
for the rest of my life. I am thankful for this opportunity that Hamline has provided me with.

Posting from Raissa

Today was our first day of work. After an interesting orientation (to say the least ...), we headed out for the first house that we would be working on. Upon arrival in the neighborhood, I didn't think that the exteriors of most of the houses looked all that bad. However, I know that the insides of the houses had to have been destroyed since the neighborhood was flooded with three or four feet of water. We finally saw evidence of this damaged as we entered the house that we would be working on. A crew had already been to the house, so the only things left inside were the studs from the walls, some hardwood flooring, a bathtub, part of a bathroom wall, the ceilings, and all of the ceiling fans. We worked all day on tearing out the hardwood flooring, removing the nails from the subflooring, cutting away the inside wrap from the exterior walls, and removing the remaining bathroom floor and wall. We were also to sanitize the remaining 2x4s, but we won't get to that until tomorrow. The house we were working in was really very tiny -- three small bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a small living room. It took us all day to finish a "small" amount of work that the other crew left behind (there were 12 of us total). Between all of the houses that we saw in the New Orleans neighborhoods that were flooded and damaged, the houses along the Gulf Coast that were flooded and destroyed, and all of the other houses that were mostly just flooded, I can't even imagine how long this whole process is going to take ... surely that time will be measured in years.

Posting from Suz

On Sunday at breakfast I met some volunteers from both Vicksburg, MS & Savannah, GA. It was really helpful to talk to people who have been doing hurricane relief efforts, because then it prepares us to know what to expect. Everyone at the camp we are staying at is super nice. We drove to New Orleans along a highway with miles and miles of damage. The silence in the car was numbing, as we looked on. There were signs on people's houses like, "we can do it, y'all", "gone to the virgin islands", and "you loot, we shoot."
Next we met with people from Common Ground, a grass roots organization, who have one of their headquarters was located in the 9th ward. I had a fun time working with these friendly, open-minded and energetic people. I really enjoy our time at Common Ground because they truly care about the community they are serving and working.

Then in New Orleans, we took a Gray Line tour. It was given by a man named Joe who has lived in New Orleans his whole life. He was in New Orleans at the time Katrina hit and shared his personal survival story. It was refreshing to hear a genuine account of what really happened during the storms. It was informative because I never realized how important the port is for import and export of products. Joe explained that many people opposed the tour, but he expanded on why it's important for people to see what the city looks like. He used the example of how people need to see Auschwitz and why the Jews want people to never forget what happened. Joe wants people to go home and tell their friends and family what we have seen and to encourage people to care and to realize there is a lot left to be done. Finally we meet with Doug Anderson, a 1995 graduate of Hamline, over a vegan friendly dinner. He talked about his experiences from growing up in the North then having to be completely immersed in a different culture, here in the South.

Posting from Kari

Today we embarked our first real workday. At about 10:30 am, after our orientation, we left the camp and were off. The group split into two different crews and went to two different sites. My crew went to work on two different houses in Ocean Springs. I was really excited to start working considering we left Saint Paul on Saturday morning. I had some preconceived notions about the work we would be doing. We tore down sheetrock, removed nails from ceilings, and sweep up the scraps at the houses. We did this is order to prepare the houses for the sanitizing. This means spraying a bleach solution on the walls to prevent mold from forming again. Our group worked extremely well together and took orders from our team leader Ray. The weirdest thing about today was taking apart something that was once a family home. I came up with thoughts of who lived there, what they did for fun, and how this was their place in the world. Now it was an empty house without walls and no protection. I was emotional thinking about all the displaced families and we were only working on one house at the time. It feels so minor to work on one house but that is all we can do. We are hopeful for the future and the residents here are grateful for any help. Tomorrow we will continue our quest to rebuild, even if it is one house at a time.

Posting from Kate

This was written on Sunday night, but we've had trouble with a web connection so I'm getting it posted later than I had hoped. Enjoy!

Today we went to New Orleans which, as a local Mississippi woman explained, is commonly pronounced “nahl-ins” in the South. It was an incredible experience that cannot be put into words (however, I’ll do my best). The most extraordinary part of this trip was witnessing the amount of destruction in New Orleans. Although it was highly documented in the news, there is no way to capture the magnitude of the destruction unless you are witnessing it first-hand. We were fortunate enough to drive through the 9th Ward and help unload a truck of water bottles with the grassroots organization “Common Ground” (they have a website if you want more information). They were a particularly energetic group of young people from all over the country and I was very inspired by their dedication to working in the most devastated community we saw. When looking around, it is hard to imagine how things could ever be rebuilt or how much time it would take to try to rebuild. In addition to seeing the 9th Ward, we took a tour through the city and suburbs with a local New Orleans resident who shared with us not only the history of New Orleans, but the entire history of the Katrina disaster in New Orleans (including his own personal story). This experience also had a profound effect on me because it felt like I was seeing the hurricane unfold before my eyes. Although photographs and coverage I had seen before traveling to New Orleans were very moving, they did not in any way compare to the emotion felt when witnessing the effect of the damage on entire communities.

Posting from Sonja

Incomprehensible: That's probably the word that sums my Saturday experience up the very best. We left camp at 8am....drove by the shoreline through the towns of Ocean Springs, Biloxi and Gulfport. Continued our drive to New Orleans on the interstate, went to the help-organisation "Common Ground" (www.commongroundrelief.org) in the 9th ward (which got completly flooded)....started a 3 hour Grayline tour through the neighbourhoods of New Orleans and eventually visited with a Hamline alumni who's the director of a non-profit organisation in uptown New Orleans..... had dinner and got back to camp around 10pm.
I- isolation, energy, heating etc. is non-existent in a lot of parts of town and along the coast
N- new hope is what everyone here needs the most
C- churches seem to play a key-role at rebuilding not only New Orleans, but the whole Gulf Coast
O- our tourguide was a proud Lousianian, who survived Katrina in a tall building downtown New Orleans & hopes that the city will rise again
M- money, prayers, moral support, people, are need here
P- poverty - seen all along the Gulf Coast
R- rebuilding from scratch? rebuilding at all in certain spots? who's coming back to rebuild and live in New Orleans?
E- evacuation time was way too limited
H- housing in New Orleans is very, very expensive right now
E- elemination of possible future damages by placing new neighborhoods in safer locations
N- New Orleans has to show that it is running on
S- senior citizens were hit hard by the hurricane because they didn't want to evacuate & were surprised by the water
I- incomprehensible
B- Bourbon Street was fully operating....as well as the French Quater
L- levees are still being fixed - with the new hurricane season only being 4 months away
E- education: New Orleans public schools lost 48000 students to other cities and is downsized to 12000 students right now.

Saturday night

I thought I’d post one final piece for today. Most of the students are off doing something – playing cards, watching “Princess Bride” in the church hall, and who knows what else – but a few are in “bed” and I’m getting things organized. The power just went out so the heat is off – yes, the tents are heated – as well as the lights. I’m running on battery. Anyway, I thought I’d post a little something about what we’ve experienced thus far.

As we flew into Gulfport/Biloxi we could see the blue tarps on many rooftops, damaged buildings here and there, and rows of FEMA trailers. Even from the somewhat “isolated” distance of the aircraft it was sobering. As we drove from the airport we could see a bit more close up. It’s hard to know what of the roadside debris is routine and what is residual storm debris. When I saw two chairs I thought that perhaps this was more than “routine.” We took highway all the way so we weren’t passing through neighborhoods but we could still see the impact of the storm(s). Ruth and Bob told us to keep in mind that we will see homes that look “fine,” perhaps a little patched up here and there, but they appear okay. However, many of the homes that look “fine” are actually severely water damaged and may still end up being razed. They’ve worked in homes where the water surge was well into the second floor. They talked about the people with whom they’ve worked side-by-side and come to know and how for some the relief work really raises their spirits while others remain quite depressed.

It will be an interesting week in so many ways. I hope that we are able to have three students post their thoughts each day so that you can hear what they are experiencing, learning, etc. Tomorrow is going to be a late day as we don’t plan to return from New Orleans until around 8 or 9 in the evening. But, if we can’t post then we’ll try to play “catch-up” on Monday. I’m off to bed.

One of the first photos

We're in Mississippi!

Well, I’m sitting in the social hall at St. Paul’s. After a 1 hour, 8 minute delay in leaving MSP, we were on our way to Memphis. We then arrived in Gulfport/Biloxi, on time, at 3:54 pm. After piling into two vans we headed east on I-10 to Ocean Springs and soon arrived at St. Paul United Methodist Church and the CORE camp. Ten women are in one tent, eight in another, and our three men in another. Dinner was rice with some kind of beef in gravy, green beans with potatoes (I think they were potatoes), and peach cobbler. Right now we’re waiting to meet with two parents of a Hamline student, Ruth and Bob, who have been here working and have stayed an extra day to talk with us about their experience. Tomorrow we go to New Orleans. Monday we start work here in Ocean Springs.

Countdown...

Well, in less than 48 hours, if all goes according to plan, 21 members of the Hamline community will arrive in Gulfport/Biloxi and make their way to Ocean Springs. On Saturday we will try to get settled in camp and we may be able to meet with two Hamline parents with whom Sharon Jaffe has been in contact. On Sunday we will travel to New Orleans. Stay tuned!