Driveway Diplomacy

Just two weeks ago I arrived at Pass Christian, MS, stubbornly choose to live in my truck and only a few nights ago night, when the temperature dipped below freezing, did I move into one of the converted bunk rooms in the church. Smart move! Several of the groups I got to know are leaving in the morning and other groups are arriving. I shared 'mucking out a water logged home the past two days . . . Which is a great way to bond with eight college guys.
Mike Zimmerman the volunteer coordinator has been helping me get acquainted with the many steps necessary to make this massive effort work. He is good at it and I only hope I'll be able to be of help to him and this community. The leaders of the varied groups are 'semi-organized' and anxious to cut through the red tape to get the job done. An example of 'Driveway Diplomacy' was our meeting with an elderly couple in their temporary trailer home. They own valuable property and want to avoid putting into the hands of the casino operators. Mike and another coordinator arranged the meeting and within an hour the couple-agreed to a long term plan to allow the property to be developed as somewhat of a retreat center that would allow potential donors to be invited to observe first hand the massive destruction and many year effort that will be needed to bring it back to some level of normalcy.
My%20heart%20says%20.%20.%20.