Hello again from Gulfport Mississippi. It is currently 1:15 am. We had an incredible day today. Each day it seems like we are accomplishing more and more.

We decided to wake up early this morning to tackle some big projects before the weeks end. Pastor Rob Brown, Hannah, Meghan, Sabina, Chris, and Kyle all continued their day painting at our Camp Hope Director's house, Lisa. They started this project yesterday. The day ended in a paint fight by the way, and each had yellow paint in their hair (which with enough shampoo did come out!) They have almost finished painting the temporary residence that Lisa is staying in.

Our second crew, Jon, Milton, Bryan and Mason, continued owrk on 86-year-old Widow, Mrs. Verla's house. Her house was the only house on the street that did not have standing water inside. It did however, have water damage inside from shingles that had blown off. The crew installed paneling in 2 rooms which they also had previously gutted, and finished sheetrock. They also decided to remove some moldy kitchen ceiling tiles and install sheetrock.

Our third crew spent the day at Mr. Don's house, a Gulfport Police Officer on medical leave from neck surgery. His house is about 1 mile in off of the Gulf Coast. His family rode the storm out when the storm surge came, and they were walking in water up to their knees inside of the house. All of the sheetrock was replaced by a massive team of students who in 2 days installed over 1500 square feet of sheetrock. Mr. Don has been living in a FEMA provided trailer directly next to his residence. It is quite remarkable to see all the progress made in the house.

The training provided at Delmarva Christian High School during the weeks in advance by Todd East with Double Diamond Builders, and Rusty Dukes of Dukes Lumber Company, has proved to be a great help as we have accomplished the same projects down here.

Mr. Don said, "Words can't describe how I feel about this group coming down and doing this, since I am physically not able to. We don't know how else to thank the people of First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport, or the students from DCHS. We are forever grateful."


After our day of work came to an halt, we returned back to Camp Hope and were treated to a great surprise! Spaghetti and Meatballs for everyone! The lovely ladies whom you see pictured below cooked us ANOTHER great meal. They keep us strong and healthy!

We concluded the evening with a gathering around the fire. Bryan led us in a few worship songs and Pastor Rob encouraged us to show God's amazing love, because His love is what would bring people in Gulfport (not to mention the whole world) closer together.

Tommorow, or actually Today, since it is 1:34 am now, we are going to New Orleans to continue learning how Hurricane Katrina affected the region. The eye of the hurricane hit a location called Pass Christian, Mississippi, which is close to New Orleans.

Please continue to stay tuned for more updates and pictures as they become availble. We also encourage you to foward this link to any friends / family members who may find it of interest. Also, if you feel led to help Camp Hope and the Katrina Relief Effort, follow the link on the right hand side of the page titled "How You Can Help."

One Love,
The DCHS Katrina Relief Team