Thoughts from Sun night: Driving down and into Gulfport yesterday, I was struck by how normal things are now. You really couldn't see the external signs of Katrina very much unless you knew what to look for. That was a welcome blessing. We arrived at Trinity UMC right on schedule, and the boys handled the 12+ hour drive very well. There was a group of 25 youth and adults from Yardley UMC north of Philadelphia. They are splitting into 4 teams so we're joining up with one of them. I'm curious to see how much the coast has changed because you can't hide that damage.

Monday night: You would think from the picture Katrina hit a few years ago rather than 11 months (aside from the blue pipe). This happens to be the first couple blocks of the coast in Long Beach. Our work is going well so far. I had a scare from Merrie who had some contractions this morning, but her appt today went just fine. The boys are having a good time. Today we sanded drywall. We'll continue tomorrow and then prime.

I was very disappointed and saddened by one thing today. I went by a house I had gutted in early Oct and saw no change on the inside. This couple had plenty of insurance, too.

A group of 35 (mostly youth) from VA showed up tonight so Trinity is hosting 63 right now. I am at Gateway UMC now (to use the internet) and they have a large group of mostly youth from NY here.