Friday, January 25, 2019

Be careful, we are contagious...

When we visited 96 last weekend the meaning of the word GIVE became more and more clear to me.


As most of you know, the goal of the Prom Closet is to give what is sometimes least expected.  Each young person comes with the mindset that they will be getting a new dress or suit to wear for their special occasion.  Little do they know what is in store for them…

As we set up in SC we had 220 dresses – 206 that we had brought and 14 donated from there.  As Prom Closet SC started, I noticed an unusual thing.  Girls were coming and bringing their dresses!  It made me stop in my tracks and send up a quick prayer “God what is this all about?  I think you are doing it all wrong.  Our purpose is to GIVE dresses not GET them.”

Now I would like to say that this is the first time that God and I have had a misunderstanding but the fact is that after 9 years of the Prom Closet I am still slow to learn the lessons God has in store for me.

He reminded me:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declare the Lord" Isaiah 55:8

Tammy's niece Hannah brought her prom dress to donate and another girl saw her dress and fell in love with it!  I wish I could describe the look of joy on Hannah's face as she saw that someone who now had her dress on was feeling as beautiful as she did when she wore it!

And the generosity became contagious. 

The girl that took Hannah’s dress came back with her old prom dress to donate.  Then a foster care group came in and one of the girls fell in love with her dress and it fit her perfectly.

Now a girl searching for a new home, found an inner joy and beauty from the generosity of another.

It became clear to me what John the Baptist meant when he told the crowds who came to be baptized:
"Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same" Luke 3:11 

God gave us His best in Jesus.  It is not much to ask us to GIVE, too.

Love and Blessings,
Aileen

P.S.  Time for a little math quiz:
27 dresses were given out
25 stayed in SC
130 were donated to Night to Shine
How many do we have left?

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