There was an 18 year old girl who has been living with a Host Family about a year. We’ll call her Lisa. Lisa has had a life that has been filled with unspeakable trauma. She’s been in and out of foster care because her mom’s struggles with addiction. And she’s experienced things in her young life that would break your heart.
Lisa figured the Host Family’s home was just another scary foster home. Over time, she began to realize that the family really did care about her. In fact, she said she could even tell that they loved her. She said she felt like she was part of a real family for the first time. Ever.
Lisa’s Host Family has taught her about Jesus by modeling their incredible faith and they got her involved in church. Lisa attends church regularly and she even volunteers weekly in the nursery. The other volunteers in the nursery have said that Lisa’s life story and her tenacity for survival has impacted them in countless ways. Lisa recently devoted her life to Christ and she is planning on getting baptized this summer in Lake Michigan.
However, Lisa has had a tough time acclimating to a new high school, as a senior, in a new environment. But she embraced the challenge, got involved in Young Life and has made a few friends. When her classmates were preparing for Prom season, Lisa decided to ask an old friend to attend with her. She was excited to go because she had never been to a dance before. She said she imagined herself in a pretty dress, a tiara, and sparkly shoes for the night. All she talked about was how fun it would be to dance to her favorite tunes all night long.
Her Host Mom got her a gorgeous dress. It looked like it was made for her! Lisa and I went shopping and found a crystal encrusted tiara and some silver shoes that looked like they were from a Cinderella storybook. Lisa seemed like she was floating back to the car after shopping for Prom and she was giddy about the fun night on the horizon.
Sadly, the night before the Prom, Lisa’s date had a personal situation arise and could not attend. Lisa put on a brave face and told all of us that she was ok and she was going to Prom solo. The idea of Lisa being alone for this special night weighed heavy on my heart. I prayed about it. I gave it up to God. I asked God to give me encouraging words for Lisa, but I felt like He was telling me to find her a date instead! It seemed like an impossible task because Prom pictures were at 5:30pm and it was already 1 o’clock in the afternoon.
I thought about a boy who lived close by, who was a senior at a nearby high school. And “Mike” loves to dance! I prayed and then called Mike’s host family and asked if they thought he would take Lisa to the Prom. They texted him at school and he said, “Sure! I’m down with that.” Can you believe it?! God was really doing something amazing here. Now we just needed a tux…
I called all of the tuxedo rental places in a 10-mile radius. One woman listened to the story and felt certain that she could get Mike a tux if we hurried into her store. It was the busiest weekend of the year but she said we could walk to the front of the line because she wanted to be part of this incredible story. I picked Mike up at his house at 3pm, we drove to the tux shop, got him fitted into a handsome suit and then quickly got him back home for a shower.
Mike and I rang the doorbell for Prom pictures at 5:45pm, only 15 minutes late! Lisa and her Host Mom answered the door. They both gasped when they saw Mike standing there in his tux. He looked like a model and had a smile ear to ear. Lisa radiated and looked stunning beyond words. It was Lisa’s night to feel like the ‘belle of the ball’, so off they went to the Prom, and they danced the night away…