This past Friday, the Night to Shine Boutique was held at TCC, and approximately 40 of our honored guests were able to come and select formal attire to wear at our Night to Shine event which is taking place on February 7th.
I had the privilege of watching a teenage boy grin over his new dress shoes and agonized over picking out just the right necktie. I watched as many young ladies twirled and proclaimed that they were “Saying YES to the dress!”. I watched as caregivers smiled and hugged the volunteers in appreciation for celebrating the ones that they love.
My favorite moment occurred toward the end of the day. A young lady walked into our church with her arms crossed, a frown on her face, and stated that she just knew that I wouldn’t have anything that she liked and that she was only there because her friends had made her come. After some time spent talking with this young girl, she decided to try on just a few outfits. As she stepped out of the dressing room, to show her friends the outfit she had chosen, her face was absolutely beaming. She smiled and laughed as she twirled around and posed. She declared to everyone within earshot that this was her outfit. She took her time picking out the perfect jewelry to go with her new outfit, all the while with a beautiful smile spread across her face. As I walked her back to her dressing room to retrieve her belongings, she turned to me still with a smile on her face, but with tears running down her cheeks and said, “Did you hear what they said to me? They said I was beautiful!”
That is why we do the Night to Shine Boutique. To help our honored guests see themselves the way that God sees them: deeply loved, cherished, and beautiful. As I reflect on the days leading up to, as well as the day of the boutique, I am truly humbled at how God orchestrated everything so skillfully that I am left without doubt that he was in every part of this event. I had the privilege of seeing tremendous generosity in people donating items to be gifted to our guests. If you were one of the people that He used in this way, thank you. I watched as people gave up their Sunday evening to iron, organize, and build dressing rooms, and then to come back and tear everything down on Friday evening. If you were one of the people that served in this way, thank you. I felt the prayers of encouragement and guidance. If you prayed for this event and for Amber and I, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I saw people celebrating, loving, hugging, high-fiving, and cheering on our guests as they searched for and found that perfect outfit. If you were one of those people, thank you.