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.

Blessings Through Hard Times

Below is a testimony of one of the many ladies that we assist through the ministry here in New Orleans:

Circumstances may have landed me in the situation that I found my self in, but it was the consequences of choices I made. I have the option of having a "pity party" because of what's not going right in my life or I can look at the positive and learn from them. For example, a little over a year ago, I found myself at a New Orleans bus stop after fleeing from a bad situation out of state. When I arrived in New Orleans, I knew no one and had no where to go. As I stepped off the bus, I had a mini stroke that landed me in the hospital for a couple of days. However, I had a full recovery with in 72 hours and was given rehabilitation services. Everything was paid for, however, I lost everything at the bus station. I was in a big city with no family and no ID and only the clothes on my back. I was able to get to an emergency shelter which housed me and also referred me to another program to help me find a job. It was there that I found a flier advertising for Baptist Friendship House. It stated that Friendship House was offering snack packs and hygiene kits. I went to see what this Friendship House was about. I was given the snack pack and hygiene kit but was also allowed to take a shower. You see, at the emergency shelter I was staying only had 2 showers for 30+ women. At Friendship House, I was met with hospitality like no other. They fed me, clothed me and gave me my dignity back. Only God can open such doors if I allow Him the opportunity and I keep my eyes open. As the old cliche says, we cannot out give God. James 1:5-15 tells me I will be tested and face trials of faith, what will I do?! Stand on faith in God.

Summer Recap 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYWrbuScibM

Above you will see a brief video summarizing our summer with girls from the community. This year we called the summer HUMAN using Natalie Grant's song, Human. The acronym that we used was Helping U Meet A Need. We used curriculum from Woman's Missionary Union's Project Help. The materials cover all aspects of Human Exploitation. We discussed bullying, trafficking (labor and sex), pornography, exploitation of natural resources, and media exploitation. We discussed God's plan and our role as children of God to combat our culture and its demand on our resources and on each other. Our girls also completed the Act 1:8 challenge. They covered exploitation as it appears in our culture at home and internationally, they made prayer squares for our military that will deployed around the world, and they collected money to support a young girl to go to school in India. They also helped us give out Feed the Children boxes in their neighborhood which included food and personal care items. Please prayerfully consider your role in supporting the above ministries and the families here in our community.