Thanksgiving in New Orleans: Call for Blankets and Coats
Thanksgiving 2007 AD
Dear All,
We enjoyed a brisk, beautiful Thanksgiving here at Annunciation. This was our first major holiday back in the church building . . . with power! There should be pictures up shortly on our website: www.annunciationbroadmoor.org. Our folks take this day very seriously as we wouldn’t still be here fighting for the Kingdom daily without the love and compassion of others. We’ve learned to be grateful for our daily bread, one day at a time, not knowing where the next meal is going to come from but trusting in God’s faithfulness.
After some fretting that we wouldn’t have enough food for today, all were well fed. A loaves and fishes experience. Then three car loads of us went under the highways and bridges with the over-abundance feeding the homeless and distributing Bibles. There are 12,000+ homeless in New Orleans at present. It was beautiful to see our people, who’ve been helped so much, hitting the streets and reaching out to others in this way.
We are absolutely desperate for coats and blankets. Last year we distributed 10,000 coats over four days in December; the cupboard is about bare and the cold weather is now coming upon us. A young couple showed up this morning shivering, hadn’t eaten in two days. After feeding them I had to give the husband my jacket as that’s all we had. If you can lend a hand with coats and blankets please let me know. We’re also in dire need of Spanish Bibles.
Our Kaboom/NBA Cares playground is coming along. The New Orleans Hornets are sending one hundred volunteers and the NBA fifty helpers on build day, December 8, starting at 9:30am. So we’re responsible for the other 150. If you can join us as we put up a $75,000 community playground in about six hours, please come! Instructions on how to sign up are also on our web-page.
The Annunciation-Broadmoor “Heaven Sent” Farmers’ Market moves from its temporary location to our campus next week. There isn’t a grocery store within five miles us and one of our major aims is to provide good food at low prices to area residents (many of whom don’t have transportation), while also helping out our local farmers. Without other options, many of our neighbours over-pay for junk food at the drug store across the street. We’d appreciate prayers as the market moves to its permanent home here with us.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support which continue to make our relief and recovery work here possible. Our parishioners are doing their very best and I’m awfully proud of them. If it weren’t for a few unexpected expenses our (very bare bones) operating budget would be in the black from their tithes and offerings; I thought it would take five years post-Katrina to reach this point of health. Gifts and volunteer service from our friends around the country make our outreach ministries, done in Jesus’ Name, entirely possible. We are truly grateful and keep you all in our prayers daily.
All blessings from a grateful New Orleans,
jerry+ op
P.S. I had bronchitis for about a month and then some bad days with my diabetes hence I’m terribly behind again in emails. Please bare with me as I work to get all caught up as quickly as possible. Feeling much better, thanks for prayers as ever.
The Reverend Jerry and Stacy Kramer
Annunciation, New Orleans
P.O. Box 750698
New Orleans, LA 70175
www.annunciationbroadmoor.org
www.annunciationlives.org