We decided to get back to our roots and have a traditional Italian Christmas!! Mema and Lindsay cooking up a storm!!!

The golden fork! A hot commodity in Mema's house!

Uncle Jack





No more presents :-)





Emma at her Nana and Papa's (Doug's dad and stepmom)

Here is her loot!!

Uncle Mike brought her downstairs to see what Santa brought her from Christmas!!



Peek a Boo













Papa assembling the first of many gifts.









Jim and Emma in their Santa Hats!!!

Doug, Naomi and Emma

CHRISTMAS TOUR 2005

Cousin Jenny and Alex

We decided to get back to our Italian roots and have traditional italian christmas at MEMA'S!!



How many uncles does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Doug, Naomi and Emma

Here is David Schnitzer carving up a huge tree.



Almost all the furniture was ruined by mold.

Jenny and her sister fixing us lunch.



Here are some pictures of our campsite....



These are the showers, washing machine and bathrooms....

The crew.|

Doug, Naomi and Emma

Work Trip to Bilouxi

We are back in Georgia but I can't stop thinking about our time in Mississippi. I am glad for that, If we don't forget then we can continue to pray and to find ways to help folks. Mabien, our guide with Hands and Feet, has been coming to Mississippi from Georgia since August. He helped us to put things in to perspective a bit. Some people are still in tents and they will be cold. But no one will go hungry or without toiletries and Christmas gifts. The generosity of our Country is evident everywhere you look. There were so many gifts donated for Christman that they could not give them away. It's the emotional and spiritual distress that is the most evident problem to me. I tried to imagine....losing everything but the clothes on my back...all of my pictures of emma, her first little outfit, family heirlooms. We watched as one man we were helping cried as he threw away his photos, uniforms and other things from his time in the Vietnam war - they were damaged beyond salvaging with salt water and mold. It's a grieving process. It will take a while and the clean up process will take years. To me it seems like the only hope for many many people is the mission groups, churches, and volunteer work groups that keep coming to do the work.

Here are a few more pictures of Camp Glisson team members helping Virginia clean up after Katrina sent a large oak tree falling on her house. Everything below 4 feet was damaged. We removed sheetrock, bath cabinets, floors, sinks and toilets. Virginia made lunch for everyone. We learned to do things we had never done before. The day started with a circle of prayer. I think everyone got what they asked for.

Doug, Naomi and Emma

These are the pictures of the destruction in Biloxi, still 4 months later.





here we are surveying some of the damage

a playground still standing

it is very hard to believe













These pictures are of a former neighborhood. As you can see there is nothing left. The only thing you see is the occasional step, carports and fema trailers









The water was over this tree

More pictures of 150 year old homes on the coast







Today we helped the church that has been providing housing for those displaced and for work teams. We did some much needed work here on the church campus and moved a large logistics tent









Pictures of the rest of the church grounds and where we are staying



and finally two interesting pictures ... a boat out of water

And a familar symbol mangled by the storm.... more pictures tomorrow ...

Doug, Naomi and Emma