the first few days....

I've only been down here in Pass Christian five days. But things are going so smoothly with Persevere and our full-time crew that it feels like I've been here forever. Our homebase is definitely coming along and at a point where although not fully finished it is definitely functional for us to live and work from, and therefore be able to focus our energies with other projects around the area. This place has come a long way since the first week in April when we were down here building it.
The weekend is our time to get things done in the office and clean up around our place. So the first couple of days I was here I helped set up a few databases for our work orders and volunteer information. WebEx donated a WebOffice site to us which is already proving very helpful in keeping things in order and maintaining our sanity. The past few days I have been working building office and storage space with the rest of the crew at Hope Haven, a shelter for abused children. Hope Haven has not been functional since the storm, but with much excitement will reopen this Friday.
Everyone that I've come into contact with here is just so friendly and open I really feel welcome to be down here for this coming year. So, aside from being plagued by air mattress malfuctions, Mississippi has been treating me well.