'Contagious Joy' Hits Thousands of Women in Shreveport
Sunday, Apr. 2, 2006 Posted: 10:35:41AM EST

Thousands of women have caught on to the laughter that began earlier this year at the largest women’s conference in the nation. Women of Faith opened its 11th year spreading "Contagious Joy" to women in two of 27 scheduled city stops for 2006.

"I want the contagious joy," said women in a Women of Faith promotional video.

Coming with church groups, friends and family, women throughout the Shreveport, La.-area packed into the CenturyTel Center on Friday to experience what more than three million women have encountered in the past 10 years. This year, the national conference, already known for its inspiration and humor, has made "joy" a connecting point for women.

As a weekend just for girls, the two-day conference has drawn first-time attendants, women who have never encountered the message of Christ, and faithful believers who have returned year after year for renewal and a good time.

"It's really fun to have a weekend where we all just get together and find out little more about what we think about faith, but also have a great time, just laugh and have a good time, a weekend away with the girls," said Nichole Masker, one of the conference organizers, according to KTBS. The rest