The Family Room

The "family room" of any home should be a place of love, acceptance, and celebration. Ours in no different. We have a refrigerator in our cafe, which acts like a dinning/living room. One of our kids brought home her artwork from school. She went to every person showing them her master piece - much like any kid would do when they came home to a large family. She is five and so much fun. She was so proud of her artwork and so was her Friendship House family. She asked if she could put it on the refrigerator. Of course we said yes. It got me thinking about how much like a big family we come to be at Friendship House. The kids and their moms (and some staff members) call it home.

Like any home should, it is full of celebrations and laughter.  We celebrated birthdays of staff, kids, and a graduation for a GED student that got her diploma. One of the kids shared a birthday with a staff member. She was so excited when she walked in she found that staff member and helped her count down the days until the actual birthday. She enjoyed having someone to share it with.

We also welcomed our girls from the summer to enjoy a day of fun. We love this time with them. They get to experience a day that was designed just for them to relax and have fun with friends. We appreciated having a special guest, Kimberly, from the Louisiana State WMU office to come and share about Acteens with our girls. We, basically, already do Acteens with our girls with service projects, Bible Study, etc. Now we will be able introduce them to the opportunities that Acteens have to offer.

Below are a few pictures from the month of January. Thank you for taking the time to pray with and for our families.

Christmas Celebration

This past weekend, we celebrated Christmas with our families. Because of some very special "elves" our families were able to have a great Christmas. Each child was able to open gifts and found exactly what they wanted. They (and their moms) are very thankful for those that gave. I one of the kids said that it was the best Christmas ever! When asked why, he said because he was able to open gifts with all his friends and family and see their faces light up.
We thank everyone for their time, gifts, and especially the prayers that you send. Thank you for choosing to be a part of the ministry here. Each part you play in the ministry - prayer, giving, etc. - does not go unnoticed. We are thankful for each of you. We hope you and your family had a Very Merry Christmas.
Have a Happy New Year!

Relaxed Holiday??

During this time of year, relaxation is not a word that comes to mind; however, giving does. Volunteers from a local church gave of their time and talents to serve our girls from the summer. Our Up2HOPE December event was filled with laughter and relaxation for our girls as they enjoyed "spa treatment" from the ladies (some of our staff took advantage of it as well). They also had a time of devotion. It was a blessing for all involved. Please pray for our girls as they take a break from school to spend it with family. Pray for them to celebrate the reason for the season - Jesus' birth.

The Family Table

When we think about Thanksgiving, we think of family. The term "family" can take on so many meanings and go beyond our traditional definition. People we call family can be close friends, mentors, etc. Each year, Friendship House sets the table for our family - our community. We invite our community and volunteers to share a table and a meal. Volunteers prepared and served turkey, ham with all the sides one could ask for. Volunteers also helped organize items to be given away. Most importantly, our volunteers visited with and shared conversations with those in attendance. Tables were full of laughter and prayer. We were greatly blessed to have local churches and individuals participate with us this year.

Please pray for our community. Many deal with hunger, grief, addiction, etc. Pray that the light of Jesus would be seen and felt throughout the community as we approach the Christmas season.

Feelin' Girlie

Saturday, November 19 we hosted another Up2HOPE Fun Day. Acteens and their leaders from South Mississippi hosted this event. Two of the volunteers gave devotions related to how God defines beauty. The day was full of being treated with manicures and make overs. They could also choose to make two different crafts. The girls were able to feel pretty on the outside and but given the opportunity to learn about inner beauty as well.
Our girls love to serve as they are served. As the volunteers finished painting their nails, our girls returned the favor and painted theirs. It was a great day for everyone.
Please continue to pray for the girls as they complete their fall semester of school.

Fall Stuff

Fall has arrived! It has been an eventful time here in New Orleans and at the Baptist Friendship House. In September we held our annual Back-to-School Bash in which we were able to give away over 100 bags of school supplies to our community. Some of the back packs came from New Orleans Homeless Children and Youth advocates. Of course there was food......what's a good party without hotdogs and nachos? We appreciate the volunteers and partners that helped us put it together and have some fun meeting a need in our community.
October included our Up2HOPE Fun Day and Fall Fest. The Fun Day is designed to be a time for us to continue building relationships with the girls from the summer. It is a time for them to just be girls and catch up with friends made during the summer. We also offer after-school tutoring during the week for those that need it.

Fall Fest is our annual event that we do on Halloween night. This year's theme was "Who Dat Got Talent?" We had a stage for karaoke and several games for the kids (even big kids) to play. We were able to provide a safe place for the community to have fun.

Thanks to your support through prayer, giving, volunteering, etc., we are able to offer these events to our community. We are able to meet with them where they are and as they are. We serve an amazing God that allows us the opportunity to serve Him by loving on people that other wise may not experience true grace and compassion.

New Website

Please be aware that we no longer will have the website at bfh.lifewaylink.com it is now www.baptistfriendshiphouse.org. Please also understand that we are adjusting to a new way of keeping the website updated. Stay tuned to Facebook or Twitter for the most current news. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. Thank you for choosing to be a part of the ministry in New Orleans and around the world.