Friends
By Flo Hendriksz
Proverbs 17:17 “…a friend loves at all times”
In our world people are often acknowledged by the social status of their friends. Of course we should be much more concerned about what kind of friends we are.
A true friend helps out in practical ways by doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return. Friendship requires time and patience and 
involves building a relationship. We all need friends who encourage and support usand we all need someone who we can we trust.
As you walk around the projects at CFL you see folk working side by side, busy building relationships. For many, these are the first steps towards forming friendships.
Many of those in our care have little or no experience of real friendship and have no reason to 
trust anybody. They come from situations where betrayal and backbiting are the main ingredients of a relationship.
It can often take several years of love and patience to break through those barriers and it is so wonderful to witness the transformation of these individuals. Staff and volunteers spend many hours listening, loving and helping in practical ways. Especially during difficult times we all need friends we can rely on. When folk first come to CFL they usually find themselves in all kinds of trouble and hardship and they are so used to people moving out of their lives, giving up on them and leaving. We show them that true friends never run away, we stand by them, love them and serve them, praying that our friendship will point the way to Jesus, the best Friend anyone can have!
And as Michael, in CMP often reminds me: "The best thing about having Christian friends is that you never have to say goodbye, because we will be spending eternity together."
At CFL we hope that the Lord will bless us with many, many more eternal friends as Jesus’ love heals and transforms lives.
Flo Hendriksz
