The GUELPH U Canada Group

The Habitat for Humanity build in Hattiesburg Mississippi became the site of more than the realization of the dream of home ownership. Here two cultures met and experienced mutual blessings, encouragement and cameraderie.

University of Guelph, Ontario students on reading week arrived in Hattiesburg Sunday 18th to be given accomodation and meals at local churches and the University of Southern Mississippi. Leaving Guelph early Saturday morning by coach, driving all day, and staying overnight enroute they arrived at their destination by late Sunday afternoon. This is a trip of twenty hours. Over 45 students were divided into groups to work in schools, at the Habitat build and on the Gulf coast in Pass Christian at God's Katrina Kitchen. Some of the students on the Gulf coast were able to help families clear their lots and houses of debris and bring them hope. No job was too big or small, dirty or difficult for these enthusiastic students. At the Habitat site they did not stop for a break and ate a quick lunch. The work ethic, enthusiasm and youthful fun they brought with them brightened everybody they touched.

Compassion when it is allowed to flow can soften the heart of even the most weary and hardened individual. Mississippi has squeezed their hearts the way it has Ruth and Jannich's. We have come to the point where we do not want to leave the Deep South and several of these University students expressed their plans to return in the summer and next year's reading week!

"It's Like Coming Home": The Mississippi State motto is lived out in the lives of the local people. Friendly smiles, ackowledging waves, and spoken greetings meet one everywhere. Sir, Ma'am are greetings of respect, thank you, pardon, hello and goodbye. Grateful for every small gesture and cheerful to the last person, these people of Mississippi are survivors. They may be down but they are not defeated. They stand firmly on their faith. Many were poor before Katrina but destitution and despair now stalk pockets of the Deep South. No matter what your political view or moral issues with which you struggle when viewing America as a whole these are your neighbours in need.

Contact Habitat For Humanity;

Phone 601 582-4663

We want to thank the students from Guelph U. We appreciate you! y'all did good!


Thanks guys!
Herman and Jannich

To read more about Pass Christian

Biloxi, Mississippi.

Having conducted a preliminary exploration of the Gulf coast from Gulfport west to New Orleans we decided on a road trip to Biloxi which is located east of Gulfport on the coast. A major Interstate expressway funnels people directly over estuaries, bays and rivers to the casinos on the coast. We left the Interstate to explore this low laying area. We traveled back and forth for miles along the beach front and inland along side streets in an attempt to locate the business areas or some sign of shops. This became an exercise in frustration as we traveled narrow streets that were virtually devoid of traffic.

Note; enlarge the picture and see the schooner in the background, a gambling casino with a big hole in the hull.

A lone no-nonsense packing security person inside a portable chain-link fence with the ever present pick-up truck guarded the entrance to a destroyed casino on the coast.
Shrimp boats were piled into a tangle but the roads were cleared of trees and rubble 5 months after Katrina. The only activity that could be noted was at two Casinos, one block from the beach, which proudly announced that they were open. The large casino complex that had the guard appeared to have broken the fury of the water surge that accompanied hurricane Katrina.
Jannich stopped at a small run-down gas station that was surrounded by rubble to discover that the operator was a second generation Vietnamese woman whose only accent was Southern.
Then we realized that this area with shrimp boats being a common sight was populated by 1970s Vietnamese immigrants.

We passed 3 large tent/dome shelters or areas of assistance and a large lot occupied by FEMA trailers surrounded by a chain-link fence. In stark contrast, with perfectly manicured green grass giving a garden like air, properties with walkways and statues were noted on the same street near the FEMA trailers. These properties were a complete contrast to the miles and miles of surrounding dead grass, broken trees and desolation. Each immaculate space had a Buddhist temple as its crowning jewel.

A cold, uneasy feeling hung over the area as we scanned for the people who live here. No children, no mothers, no old men nor anyone going to visit or buy groceries could be seen. On later reflection we decided that there was no one on the street because it would be too dangerous and there was nowhere to go. A feeling of abandonment filled the area.

Quite saddened, we left this large scattered area with a former population of 50,000 people by the way of the same Interstate. Because of the large number of inland rivers and bays there probably was more significant flooding further inland than there was at some of the other areas we visited. After this length of time there seems to be very little of recovery and rebuilding. Has Biloxi been forgotten or is it just recovering in its own way?

A bathing suit on a display stand. Most of the other towns have either cleared or in the process of cleaning the beaches on the Gulf. But not here in Biloxi. Beach cleaning is not simply picking up things. Large machines churn up the sand to a depth of several feet to sift out the large and small objects. The rubbish is then dumped into trucks and hauled away.

These photos were taken 5 months after Katrina!

The Paul B Johnson State Park

Upon arrival after dark at Paul B Johnson State Park in December we did not appreciate the beautiful surroundings. Perhaps it is a growing attachment to this area of Mississippi that has developed our love of this park.

In the first week after we arrived we noticed two young men with striped pants and loose tops in our park chatting with other construction workers. Drawing on her background experience Ruth thought that they were making a fashion statement by wearing the latest fad, pajama type pants for casual wear. Then we noticed more casual wear on men cleaning up the Interstate median and finally we met these pajama clad folks at the Salvation Army helping to pack toys for Christmas distribution.

The backs of their fashionable loose fitting cotton tops were clearly stamped with CONVICT PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI. Background certainly colours your outlook! Friendly, polite and hard working would be the only words to describe the convicts we have met. We have learned that these men are non-violent offenders nearing the end of their sentences.
A convict by the name of Brian helped Jannich lift in and install our new washer/dryer combination. The photo below is through the back window of our RV of a convict picking up our garbage.

The wedding.

Ashia and her father












Beautiful float glass windows.















Beautiful couple.

The Invitation

We have been honoured with an invitation to Ashia and Tim's wedding on Saturday February 18th followed by a kick up your heals party and feast back at the Ol' School Cafe.
Ruth has no skirts with her and Jannich has no suits and ties but Ashia said that this is a celebration wedding not a High Society wedding.

We are looking forward to the ceremony which is being held at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church on Main St in downtown Hattiesburg.
Anybody who knows us will agree that we are rather retiring and not prone to "kicking up our heels" so we hope that there is a sitting section.



Notice Tim's Golden Smile!

Ol' School Cafe

Aisha and Tim are two people we have met while being stationary in Hattiesburg. At last we have found the alternative to the endless pervasive fast food restaurants along the Interstate.

The Ol' School Cafe is located to the side of a winding narrow highway which runs from the Habitat for Humanity build to the historic downtown section. The railroad tracks run close behind this area as that is how Hattiesburg was established. It became the HUB for pine lumber distribution.

This is a family restaurant where the owner's children can talk with their grandmother while eating lunch and the customers in line for the southern cooking buffet smile and talk with you. Until we open our mouths they think we are locals.
The selection of foods varies daily but all of them are much different in taste from the chain establishments. Our favourites include:

• Steamed collard greens
• Sauteed okra
• Pan fried corn bread
• Battered shrimp and chicken legs
• Deep fried whiting and catfish
• Several types of cooked dried beans
• Green beans
• Boiled cabbage with pork rinds
• Potato salad and white rice
• Sweet or unsweetened ice tea
• All of these are served in large quantities with a variety of home made hot sauces.
  

"We have met or seen only one other coffee drinker since we have been here."

One may wonder why CHITTERLINGS (chitlins) was not mentioned. It has not made our favourite picks. This Southern delicacy is served over white rice and we were told that appreciation is an acquired taste.

There is nothing to date in the area of food we will not try. Ruth is happy for the experience but needed a sip of sweet tea to wash out her mouth. Jannich had to eat all of the full side dish while Ruth noticed that he did not reorder this dish the next week. Chitlins is sliced boiled pig intestines with a unique aroma . The smell instantly brought back memories to Ruth of pig slaughtering days at the family farm. The intestines were scraped and boiled to make casings for sausage.

Chitlins has very easily bumped grits, crayfish and hushpuppies right off the foods not to repeat chart.

Habitat for Humanity, Hattiesburg, MS

The goal is a house a month. In the area where Jannich is helping seventeen new houses will be completed however at this time four are finished and four are in the finishing stages. The Habitat for Humanity area is low lying with sandy hard packed soil over red clay. Vines and drooping trees line the narrow road giving one the impression of isolation but when one knows the shortcuts everything seems close.

Most of the main roads seem to lead to the historic downtown section. Hattiesburg is called the HUB because at the time of this city's establishment after the Civil War it was the conversion point of four railroads. About 1900, Hattiesburg was a boomtown producing a million board-feet of lumber per day. The area surrounding Hattiesburg is known as the pine belt.


At this Habitat site Jannich works as a volunteer under the direction of Herman who is the construction overseer for this cluster of homes. The PARTNERS (new home owners) must put in 50 volunteer hours to qualify for a home and 300 more before their house is completed. Then they make monthly payments back to Habitat for Humanity until the materials are paid. This works well as now they are home owners and they have the satisfaction of working to complete it.

Jannich has worked with this group since January 5th. He was involved in an accident Thursday January 26th when a small pile of stacked lumber slid sideways into his legs. He thought, "I'll take one day off and be right back to work"! Saturday he went back to work but left a 2P.M. His leg is cut, swollen and black and yellow from just below his knee to his toes and sides of his foot in spite of the protection he got from his high leather steel toed work boots.


He misses working with Herman as often they were the only two people at the work site and had time to talk as the partners had to come and go to fit their work schedule.