A thousand a day...108-115: Spring Break in Bay St. Louis

During my final spring break, I got to do something I've been looking forward to doing since I came to Elon: a service trip. I first heard about the trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, when the fall break trip was advertised in Moseley my freshman year. Still fresh from the Katrina damage, the trip got a lot of buzz around campus. Elon partnered with the city immediately after Katrina and has since sent 23 groups during fall, fake and spring breaks. It was an honor to be chosen to go and such a blessing...an entire week full of them. In the coming week, I'll be sure to share some more stories from the trip. For now, here are my photos from the best spring break ever:

Saturday, March 27, 2010
Souvenir. Some of our group got to help landscape with mentally handicapped adults and were rewarded with the beautiful beads they make. Though I was in a different group for this particular day of service, my friends brought beads back for everyone. The tag on each of our Mardi Gras beads says, "Handcrafted at Benchwork Industries: A division of Gulf Coast Society for Retarded Citizens."

Friday, March 26, 2010
Our last day in Mississippi couldn't have been more beautiful - service-, weather- and friendship-wise. We spent the day working at an elderly woman's home. She recently had a stroke and her husband passed away a year ago. He was the one who kept their yard beautiful. In a few hours, we painted her shed, mowed her lawn, weeded around the entire house (lots of flower beds with incredible potential) and planted three new flowers. Her husband's favorite color was yellow, so those flowers will bloom in remembrance of him.

Thursday, March 25, 2010 
Two women are still living in this FEMA trailer, years after the storm. We spent a few hours insulating the house being built next door for them. It's been under construction for nearly two years now and little progress has been made because there's not enough help. One man we worked with on the project has taken it under his wing and will hopefully be able to finish the home for them soon.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
We journeyed out of Mississippi for the day and headed over to New Orleans. While there, we not only got to enjoy the tourist part of the city, but more importantly, we toured Mid-City, where we saw the incredible damage Katrina did to neighborhoods. Nearly five years after the storm, we were stunned by what we saw.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
After working at Feed My Sheep, a soup kitchen in Gulfport, this morning, we popped down to the Gulf of Mexico for a quick visit. And Elise learned she can walk on water!

Monday, March 22, 2010
An afternoon trip to the bay. 

Sunday, March 21, 2010
It's fun to work at the YMCA! Sarah, Kate and Rebecca work on parts for a door they built for a shed while a local doggy friend comes to visit. One of our lovely white Elon vans is in the background.

Saturday, March 20, 2010
It was pouring rain when we arrived in Lizana, Mississippi, late Saturday night. Greeting us at the front door was this sign. It was such a wonderful welcome to the Deep South.