This is an exciting week for Hope Force International and the citizens of Pearlington, MS! HFI is hosting / sponsoring an event with the pastors and leaders of this town to rededicate it and offer praise for all that God has done in the recovery process of the past eleven months. Area church choirs have come together to make one joyful noise. Dan Sneed, who many will know from our conferences, will be one of the featured speakers. Jack and Cherie Minton, HFI's co-founders, will be joining our friends in the area for the celebration, as well as Dennis and Marcia Flom, midwest representatives for Hope Force.

As you may know, Pearlington is only fifty miles from New Orleans and less than ten miles from Waveland, MS where the eye of Katrina came on-shore. All but three of the 489 homes there were a total loss when the storm surge came in from the Gulf on one side and from another body of water on the west. When HFI arrived in Pearlington, they found only debris and a few bewildered citizens wandering around. To give you an idea of the extent of the devastation, it took 150 National Guard Reservists with chain saws several days to open the roads into this community. Now, after almost a year, neighborhoods are again beginning to take form as FEMA trailers are being replaced by houses.

Again, we want to thank everyone who contributed financially toward the recovery process, sent teams to work or prayed for HFI during this past year. Your faithfulness has made this celebration in Pearlington, MS possible!