Dateline: Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Rose and I would like to thank the council and congregation for allowing us to represent you on the mission trip to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, February 10-18.  We were part of a group of 19 people from Mercer, Allen, and Putnam counties organized by the St. John Builders of Celina to help with reconstruction in the Katrina disaster area.  We stayed in Ocean Springs at Camp Victor, a shared ministry of Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Lutheran Social Services of the South, and Lutheran Disaster Response.

For five days we worked on a new house for 64-year-old Ruby Coleman.  When Katrina struck, Ruby lost the home she had lived in since she was a teenager, which had been given to her by her grandmother.  We helped prime exterior siding, install interior doors and electrical fixtures, prime and paint interior walls and ceilings, lay kitchen & bathroom tile, put down carpet padding in bedrooms, assemble and install kitchen cabinets, and move in appliances.  Over the next week or so, others volunteers will finish this project, allowing Ruby to leave her little FEMA trailer and settle in her new home.  This is a small project in the face of so much destruction along the Gulf Coast, but it makes a big difference to Ruby.

Here are some facts about Camp Victor and Hurricane Katrina:

·  Over 8,000 volunteers in over 1300 groups have assisted Lutheran Disaster Response at Christus Victor Lutheran Church and Camp Victor since September 2005.

·  Camp Victor has room to house 208 volunteers; there are plans to expand to hold 250.

·  Volunteers have come from every state of the U.S., from every province of Canada, and from many other countries.

·  Volunteers through Camp Victor have worked on over 1400 homes.

·  There are about 70 houses presently in various stages of reconstruction and another 400 waiting for help through Camp Victor.

·  Many of the homes Camp Victor has worked on are owned by the elderly and handicapped, those least likely to be able to rebuild their homes by themselves.

·  About 150,000 people, 50% of the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s population, were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

·  The Christus Victor Distribution Center, a ministry of Christus Victor Lutheran Church, feeds and supplies hurricane-affected families each day, using up to $10,000 worth of goods.

·  During 2006, the Distribution Center helped about 28,000 families; they currently see about 100-125 families each week.

·  The area affected by Katrina is about the size of Great Britain (90,000 square miles).

·  Estimated rebuilding time for Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is 5 to 8 years (or longer).

Volunteers will continue to make a significant difference in the rebuilding process.