Fashion Week Outreach NYC

"A truly beautiful woman is one with a heart that is fully alive."

Favor. the Reem Acra show.
We were backstage every day. Chosen for our "training and experience". Aside from being a 23 year old girl who dresses myself everyday, I had neither training nor experience. The others who were dressing the models backstage were students who completed a course on dressing at a Fashion Institute, but my friends and I were only there because God opened a door.

The amount of favor that we had from the designers, dressing supervisors, style team and models was nothing short of miraculous. During one show my friend Jen and I walked in after praying for God to use us. We appeared confident, though inside we were extra nervous because we were both very new to this. Upon arrival the dressing supervisor that we had been working with excitedly told the other supervisor, "These are my favorites, put them with the fastest changes." Jen and I knew this was a promotion, but it also required more of God's grace because we were dealing with magnificently elaborate gowns. Being with the fastest changes meant that we would have about one minute to change our model out of her first dress and shoes and into her next outfit while making sure nothing was torn, wrinkled, broken, or improperly tucked in.

After we received our "promotion" the designer came in and we talked with her and encouraged her while photographers took lots of pictures of her. It was obvious she appreciated us and trusted us because she handed off her puppy (who was basically her only child) to Jen and told her to look after it. That part was hilarious because our supervisors didn't want Jen touching the gowns while she was holding a dog, but everyone was too afraid of upsetting the designer to force Jen to put the dog down. So we all just stood awkwardly for about ten minutes while Jen loved on the puppy.

Eventually the models came in and we were thrilled to see that two of them were girls we had worked with before. These girls were so precious and really loved us, which is unusual because typically the models don't relate very much with their dressers. My model was stressed because she was having visa issues and was scheduled to work in London, but was not able to get into the country. That opened the door for me to share stories about how God has come through for me- I even shared a specific story of how He provided a visa for my sister to go to India just 3 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. My sweet model listened intently and concluded, "I need to pray!"

Jen's model became very vulnerable as well and asked if Jen would pray for her skin, because she had an infection on her face due to a makeup artist using an unclean brush while applying her foundation. Jen was able to really encourage her heart.

The other model that Jen had worked with before learned that she was too big for her dress and they would have to cut it so she could get into it, and then sew it onto her. That could have been devastating for the model but instead she was comforted by Jen standing next to her reminding her that everything was okay and she was doing great. It was exactly what she needed.

After the show we were given special thanks from the supervisors, designers, models, and stylists for making their experience more pleasant. (again this is unusual because we are just dressers..) We were so grateful for the evidence that our presence there really made an impact.

Day 1 of Fashion Week Outreach

The day began with Emma and I waking up and venturing to New York City to meet the others at the American Bible Society. I thought that today I would be trained to dress the models and that I would begin working backstage at the shows tomorrow. I was quite wrong.

The other girls came into ABS and informed me that they needed more dressers at a show that was about to begin, so my training happened through doing. After prayer and Starbucks we headed over to Lincoln Center to work the show. I was ready for God to move.

My first miracle was the fact that the girl I was dressing with happened to be sweet, and SO gracious to teach me everything I needed to know. She even let me talk to her about the Lord and pray with her before we began.

Then an older, well-dressed couple came over and began swooning over the clothes we were about to adorn the models with. The woman was probably in her 60's but looked much younger. She was so elegant. When I told her she looked beautiful she opened up about how nervous she was to be there. She was married to the chairman of the company that was putting on the fashion show. We are from the same city so we talked quite awhile about life & I was a real encouragement to her. She was excited I was a missionary and actually thrilled that my purpose at Fashion Week was to reach out to the models. Her husband came over and he was loving it too.

I connected with several models and was able to love on them extra. They are so young and vulnerable, and though they appeared uninterested at first, they were deeply receptive of love. They even asked me after how I thought they did and one girl came back to kiss my cheek and thank me for praying for her. I shared my testimony of being healed of an eating disorder to one of them and she listened to all of it, clearly comforted to hear of God's power.

There was another dresser from Ireland that was terribly stressed because the gown she was working with was a nightmare. Pieces were falling off and it had to be sown onto the model. She also had many people directing her, all saying completely different things and insisting she do it that way. Throughout the experience I was able to help her and invite her to come spend time with us at ABS. I am hoping to see her again.

As I left the show I connected with a make-up artist who was also incredibly encouraged by God's love and thankful that I would talk with her.

Finally, my FAVORITE STORY- I had seen this gorgeous Malaysian model that I recognized from when I was here in February. Back in February I had snuck backstage a few times in an effort to speak with the models, and she was one that I encountered! During the brief interaction with her I had told her I would be praying for her and that I was a missionary, having just returned from Thailand. She was a sweetheart but our time together was so short, today when I saw her again I felt pretty confident she would not remember me. But as I asked her this afternoon where she was from she said, "You are Jessica, the one who was praying for me right?" Ahhh!! She remembered me! Then after her show I found out she went over to the American Bible Society and connected with Leah, the leader of Models For Christ NYC!

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." -1 Corinthians 15:19

I am connecting beautifully with the other people here to minister. They are so faithful, their love for God is overwhelming. It reminds me how important it is that I waste my life for Christ. Nothing else matters. Not my appearance, not money, not success, not my size, not my reputation... it's meaningless... the only thing that is truly worth living for is the one who counted me worthy of dying for. That is what I am doing here, I am wasting my life. I didn't go to college. I got married too young. I don't have a big house. I don't get paid. There is not a lot the world can look at me and say is successful (by the world's definition of "success"), I would be a good example of someone who is wasting her young years. Especially if I died and foud out Jesus was not real to begin with. Then I would be a real waste!

But that is how I want it. I want to get to the end of my life and have wasted it in completely on Jesus, wasting all I am on Him, and others, and you. And ultimately in all of that.. I trust that in losing my life for His sake, I will find it.

Shaun is in Hawaii for a University of the Nations Conference and Jessica leaves Wednesday morning for her Fashion Week outreach in New York City!! Please continue praying for us! Already God has provided flights. housing, and an incredible opportunity for Jess to be backstage dressing models for the runway shows! We are believing God to use her powerfully to bring healing, freedom, and hope to many lives in the Fashion Industry. Please pray for her and the rest of the people involved in the outreach!!