Confused in Mississippi.

Do you want to add some colour to your speech the next time you are asked how you are? Try to work this into your answer "I am so confused that if I were a man walking down the road with a rope in my hand I would not know if I had found a rope or lost a mule." (We heard this expression on the local radio talk show).

This cutie lives just down the road from our park.

Snow geese

Today while Jannich was working for Habitat for Humanity, Winston and Ruth went for a walk and took this photo that could be anywhere in Ontario. However there are two differences,

1. We are 50 Miles from the Gulf coast.
2. These "CANADA GEESE" are known as SNOW GEESE here.

Let's hope that they do not have to fly to Ontario every year.

Pass Christian, Mississippi

After spending 5 weeks in this area close to the Gulf, and many conversations with local people we decided to return to the Gulfport and Pass Christian areas.

Approaching the area of the missing bridge, (see Bay Saint Louis blog below) from the East through Pass Christian on highway 90 we found even more devastating sights than we saw from the Bay Saint Louis side.

For about four to five blocks in from the coast everything is either missing or unrecognizable and still piled with assorted items.

Following highway 90 West we noticed a large red and white tent, small white portable buildings assorted vehicles and many people moving about.
Jannich investigated this tent and at last we have connected with the people on the ground who have their finger on what and who are needed and how any individual can help. Many people have told us that the cleanup and rebuilding could take 2 to 3 years or more. Any and all help is needed.

However, skilled labour such as drywall installers, carpenters and electricians are in demand. All volunteers need to bring would be items for their personal use, a sleeping bag and the tools of their trade. The small white garden shed-like buildings are being made by Mennonite groups in Pennsylvania. These SLEEPING UNITS will accommodate 6 people. If prior arrangements are made there will be a place for volunteers to sleep. Meals are provided in the large tent with the atmosphere being one of cheerfulness, hope and let's get this done. Each evening a church meeting is conducted in the tent and Bibles are freely given to anyone who wants one. The observation could be made that within 1 mile of this tent ministry two very large casinos and adjoining hotels were completely destroyed.

Today was a school holiday here in the US and we talked with a female teacher who had driven from Baton Rouge (2 hours) in order to help the hurting people of Mississippi. She does this once a month realizing that every little bit helps.

If you want an experience of a lifetime and the reward of being the hands that help contact this well organized group.

Following are the details:

Contact; Greg Porter at God's Katrina Kitchen
Office 288 452.1095
Fax 288 452.1098
Cell 812 453.9122
Email Kyaguaman@aol.com

Let us know when you are on your way here and visit us in Hattiesburg. Additional electric and sewage disposal is being added at the tent site. When there is room we will move our RV to Pass Christian and work with this organization.

For now Jannich is continuing building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi

After our day trip to New Orleans before Christmas we decided to travel back to Hattiesburg via a secondary highway rather than the Interstate. As we were passing through Bay Saint Louis to travel to Pass Christian suddenly we came to a cement barricade blocking the highway at a large bay. We exited the truck and saw that all that was left were concrete bridge abutments-no road. Being fatigued and as it was late in the day we realized that this was going to make us an hour or two late getting home. We thought, "Why was there no sign, bridge out?" Later we realized the reason, everybody knew, they had other things to look after and there will probably never be a sign and it will be long time before the bridge is repaired.
Standing on the end of the highway looking across the mile-long stretch of missing bridge as the sun sparkled on the gentle waters it was hard to imagine the fury that had lifted these concrete slabs into the water.

We went for a walk with Winston and took pictures of a lonely fully decorated Christmas tree that someone had placed where the road ended. Oh, how pampered we are. We gave a few sighs realizing we had to go back a few miles and then North to the Interstate. As we glanced to our right and left we saw total destruction along the shoreline going several hundred feet inland. And then we knew that we were standing in the epicenter of the 35 foot high surge of water that came on shore.

A jean clad thirties woman, smiling yet sad approached us to welcome us to Mississippi as she had noticed our Ontario license plate. As we talked she relayed to us about the 10 feet of water she had in her inland home and how her trip to work that used to take 12 minutes now takes 35. But she added things will work out. How impatient we are at a one minute traffic light.

Here are some pictures we took that day.
A picture may be worth a 1000 words..... BUT in this case they do not even tell the beginning of the story...

The property owner cleaned up around the "HOUSE"















Note the Jacuzzy tub in the ditch.



















A bridge 'connecting" 2 towns.

One man's ministry:

Wiggins, a typical small town that has died in the core is located beside the Interstate between Hattiesburg and Gulfport. We could not find many stores downtown or the area where people shopped until we found the Interstate bypass. This service road was lined with typical fast food outlets and gas stations with Wal-Mart being dominant. We parked our truck a distance away as this "Mecca" of America parking lot was quite full and slanted toward the Interstate. It is obvious that the life is being sucked out of the core of small towns as business line the Interstates.

Smoke was rising up from the front of the store and the smell hot dogs and hamburgers cooking could be detected. From behind a cloud of smoke we could see the outline of a large Bar-B-Que that could be towed behind a car. On our exit we approached to see that the food was free and that every person got a free beanie-baby. Ruth stepped around the front of the cart to read on a large sign JESUS IS COMING SOON. A man in his early fifties and his son, wearing aprons that read JESUS IS LORD were operating this cart. He had been coming from Indiana since the end of August in order to provide food and the love of Jesus to the people of the Wiggins area. Almost all the people going in and out of the store knew him, not everybody took a beanie-baby, one woman got a new Bible and he had tracts about salvation which he gave out freely. As we stood there talking while people shouted hello and how are youall doing, a woman came by who said that she had 30 grandchildren. What would our friend from Indiana do now? He gave her the box full of beanie-babies that he had left and called it a day as his food was running low. He said that he had to stop because he was getting tired as he did not get a good night sleep because he gave away his mattress the day before.

We drove back thoughtfully to our cabin in the woods.

What is this?

We have several of these in our park, but what is it?

1. Is this a tie up for dogs?
2. A bike locking area?
3. A deer feeder?
4. A part of game equipment?
5. A receptacle for collecting plastic and metal recycling?
6. Modern art Southern style?

The first 3 people to guess correctly will be able to choose from one of the following.

• $10.00US
• Our RV along with its 3 occupants for one week in your driveway.

Send your answer to us here is a link...

New Year in Hattiesburg.

We are still at Paul B. Johnson State park South of Hattiesburg Mississippi. We have connected with a homeless daily feeding ministry that is located in a very desolate run down downtown Hattiesburg. The center is called CHRISTIAN SERVICES INC. and was organized in 1986 by 3 local Baptist churches. We were told about this by a vendor at a local farmers' market. They must not get many drop in volunteers because when we asked at an adjoining thrift store for the location of the meal area, someone (a client) told us where we could go to get a free meal.
We had to fill out an application to volunteer. Jannich helped 2 days last week and 2 days this week while Ruth recovered from a cold and pampered Winston.

By talking with people at the center Jannich has realized that most of the people working there are recovering addicts going through a rehab program.The more than 100 people coming through the meal area are either homeless or very needy. The center also prepares between 250 to 300 to go meals every day and then transports them to 5 other areas where others needing a meal meet the compassion van(about 100 meals are simply left on the street for people to pick up). All the food coming to the kitchen is generally donated. On January 3rd Jannich found the Habitat for Humanity offices located in the same building around the corner from the feeding center. Friday he is going to start to use his construction skills with this organization while Ruth and Winston visit the vet and have a day on the town.

Nobody needs to be concerned for our safety as we feel quite protected and look like we could use a good meal..