Blessed by a Dress (or many, many dresses!)

Girls from Children's Rescue Center modeling their new dresses!

On our last two visits to Liberia, we have been able to bless some of the girls with brand-spanking new dresses. This may seem like a little thing to many of us, but to children who always, always, ALWAYS receive their clothes as hand-me-downs, this is a sweet, big deal.

A small smattering of women (the kind gifted with the domestic talent of sewing!) have made pillowcase dresses with which we have been able to bless the girlies of the Children's Rescue Center Orphanage. Their smiles as they don their new duds is enough to melt hearts.

Well, last year, after taking our kids out to visit and minister to the children of Peter Sayklon's orphanage, they noticed a need. They saw that the children there needed clothing and asked that what we bring for them next year be donated, instead, to Peter Sayklon's kids. What?!? This stirred and blessed my heart in such an enormous way. So, in honoring the wishes of our kiddos to gift Peter Sayklon's children with 'new' clothing, we put out a request for people to make pillowcase dresses for us to bring over. And the response has been amazing!

Many people have asked for the pattern for these dresses and have been updating me on the progress. Sharon Woyke delivered 30 adorable dresses to church on Sunday and told me, "It is my joy to make these. Please let me know if you will need anymore." I am humbled by the generosity of God's people and I am so excited to see how little girls, all deserving of a new dress, are blessed by this.

I wanted to share one more dress story with you. I had shared with a group of moms from my school about the ministry in Liberia and threw out some different ways they could get involved if they felt called to do so. Making pillowcase dresses was one of those ways. Well, on the last day of school, my little Grace brought me a gift bag and was beside herself with excitement as she waited for me to open it. As I moved the tissue paper aside, I was overwhelmed with sweet emotion. I pulled out a bright pink pillowcase dress with green ribbon shoulder ties. Absolutely precious (and will look darling on that beautiful dark brown skin of the Liberian children!)! And then, I pulled out another dress. And another. Six in all. What touched me even more, was the e-mail I received from Grace's mom, Cary, that told her part of the story in making and praying over these dresses. Read it below and be blessed and encouraged by it, as well!

Hi Whitney!

I thought I would send you an email explaining a bit more the gift Grace brought you yesterday.  Sorry I didn't have time to write this before, but I was trying to get those done!  =)

I was truly touched by your talk at Katy's a while back.  I have a heart for orphanages myself, as my in-laws' friends have run one in Haiti for many years and we have kept up with them and the orphanage.  They are mainly very young kids though, and no school.  So I was so interested to hear about the school aspect and your work there with the kids and teachers!

You showed us the pillowcase dress that night and I loved that idea to take those along for the girls - every girl should have a dress right?!!  Well, sewing is not a talent of mine, but I do own a sewing machine and I use it more as a means to an end for projects.  Like once a year.  So I kind of blew it off that night thinking I really don't have time with all the kids and I am not that good at sewing, etc.
Then I bought Grace another dress last week.  It was used, but it was another dress.  She has lots of dresses in her closet already but it was cute and cheap!  The Lord put it on my heart when I was hanging that dress up in her closet that I could do this.  I could help.  There are other girls who need dresses way more than Grace does.  So I did.  I searched online and actually found the pattern at Dress A Girl Around the World.  A lot of prayer went into those dresses (for the girls they will go to and also for me to make it through!! =) so I hope that they can bless someone through you this summer.

We will keep you in our prayers this summer as well as your teams and everyone in Liberia that you are working with too.  We love you Whitney and God Bless!!!

Cary 

And that's what 36 pillowcase dresses look like, friends! :)