Wednesday, March 29, 2017

It's Just a Number on a Dress

We give Bibles wrapped in recycled prom dresses to the young ladies (and young men) who come into the Prom Closet.  As many of you know we gave away every single Bible we had. Last week, I sent out a Facebook message about needing Bibles to give to our Bible lady.

I have been praying and thinking about what we could do to find more Bibles and then Saturday guess who shows up?  Bible lady!!! Volunteer Kelley said something that stuck in my mind “Ask and you shall receive." How true! God is never late or early. His timing is always perfect!

One of our customers was at the mall and stopped at the kiosk to ask if Belk had any formal dresses on sale.  The attendant told her that she knows of a place that gives away Prom dresses and if she was in need she should check it out.

When she arrived, she explained that at first she wasn’t going to come because she didn’t know what to expect.   She said that by faith she came and was pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone was to her and her daughter.

Her daughter tried on several dresses and was beginning to get discouraged.  I noticed her staring at the size tags and getting more and more sad.  As they found the perfect dresses and were ready to check out, the number on the tag came up in our conversation and I knew that God giving us a golden opportunity.

I told her the number on that tag is not who you are.  It doesn't say anything about you.  That tag is just a number on a dress. Who you are comes from God. You were made in his image and He knows how precious you are.  He knows your name. 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;" Jeremiah 1:5a

This season 137 dresses have found their person since we opened for the season and 46 dresses were given out this past Saturday alone!

Remember we are not that number.  That number doesn't say who we are. That number just tells us how many seeds God has to help grow. Our job is to plant.  His job is to give them life.


- Aileen

Aileen is a You Tube star

The young ladies at Fort Mill High School did a great job on the Prom Closet story!  It is the last segment of their newscast:


Thursday, March 9, 2017

By the Hundreds

Matthew 13:8 (NIV) Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
We are very close to our 100 dresses given mark.  That is 100 dresses given away, 100 seeds planted.  Pray that the soil is good and God gets the glory!

Last weekend we picked up 300 dresses from Girl Talk in Charlotte.  What a wonderful group they have and what a blessing to us just in time for Prom season!

We are also partnering with Joy Prom for kids with special needs.  We will be dressing the beautiful young girls and handsome young men.

- Aileen

Friday, March 3, 2017

I Will Never Look at a Power Outlet the Same Way Again

I must confess that last Saturday I was worn out.  After fitting dresses for so many girls I was hungry, tired, and ready to go home.  Worse yet, we still had a planning meeting to do!
At closing time the worst case scenario happened - a family came in to find a dress.  I must admit that I lost my cool at that point.   How would we start our meeting on time?  I need food!
I stepped into a side room to cool down when my eyes locked on a lowly power outlet.  God spoke to me through that power outlet at that very moment.  As I stared at the power outlet it became very clear to me who truly has the power.  I see now that God gave us a task to do but he didn’t give us the power over it.  The Prom Closet is under his power and belongs to him.
As I walked out of the room I saw power outlets everywhere!  Where are they when I need them?
It was at that moment that the last girl walked out of the fitting room in her new pink Princess dress and her mom exclaimed “You look like a princess!”
You should have seen the look on that young girl’s face.  I don’t know if it was the first time she had ever heard those words but it sure did seem like it.
As she admired herself in the mirror with the biggest grin plastered across her face I was reminded of who truly has the power.  I was reminded then and there that He changes lives every day through our works and we are just blessed to be able to see it.

It is more than a dress.  God made that little girl feel very special that day.  And worse, I almost missed it...

- Aileen