Southern Hospitality

I didn’t know this until we checked into the Bed and Breakfast, but when I made the reservations, they didn’t have a place for us to stay. They spent two months getting a room ready, a room that they were not going to open until the summer! The Hotel Alice gets major points for taking the extra mile.

The Hotel Alice is in the broad category of Bed and Breakfasts, this one having a continental breakfast provided. Price wise, it was a good deal. So, if you’re in southern Mississippi and don’t want to stay in a chain hotel, this is a little less expensive then the Fairfield Inn or like hotel.

The owner of Hotel Alice was very nice. Apart from the obvious above, she and her staff prayed for Josh and me before we left for Florida. It was very important for them that they new Josh had a Bible and believed it before they let us leave.

Also, before the pass, Josh had to wear his ACUs (that’s the new battle uniform). And, though we were generally left alone while we were eating out, at each restaurant, someone would come up to us and thank Josh for what he was doing. You see, Hattiesburg is where all of the National Guardsmembers go for training before Iraq (and maybe Afghanistan, though I’m not entirely certain on that). So, the locals know the routine. Most of the guys wearing ACUs are not from Mississippi, are away from home, and getting ready to go to Iraq. They are very nice and appreciative of what is going on. And they do what they can to make the soldiers feel at home.
As a side note, besides the hospitality from the ladies at Hotel Alice, Josh experienced a great deal of hospitality from the owner of the Lemstone Books Franchise, now called Bob’s Books. Josh became friends with Bob and the other staff members. Bob also prayed for us before we left for Florida and gave us some free CDs for our edification.