Rockin’ the Runway

HopeRwanda has three different programs: a women’s, a men’s, and a children’s. We’ve gotten to work very closely with the women’s program, which offers tailoring classes and housing to women stuck in poverty. The girls are absolutely incredible and so very sweet. They’ve overcome a lot of hardships in their short lives and HopeRwanda gives them a chance to learn skills that will prepare them to care for a family while earning an income.

This specific group of women are 9 in total and are getting ready to graduate in May! We first met them a few days after getting here and got to do some incredible worship sessions with them. Then, we found out the news: we would be part of a fashion show with them! Our host, Glenda, had big plans for a final project for the girls. Each one of them would get assigned one of us to make a dress for, then we would celebrate with a Project-Runway-style fashion show.

The girls all got to draw names and I was assigned to work with Denise. She is so incredible! She often leads the worship sessions and Bible studies and does an amazing job at it. She has a wonderful energy that is just magnetic and contagious. You can’t help but dance when she starts to sing. She is also one of the most talented girls in the class (I might be a bit biased here). Her tailoring skills are incredible, and she was even able to teach me the basics of sewing. Getting to work with her on this project was a dream come true and I got to be with her every step of the way:

First, we picked a fabric together. This was by far the most stressful part for me. All 18 of us crowded into a tiny room that was stacked to the ceiling with fabric and were told to pick one. Talk about overwhelming!

Next, the fabric had to be laid out very carefully. Denise spent lots of time prepping this stage and was very particular.

Step three includes loads of measuring. First, Denise measured me and wrote down all the necessary numbers. Then it was the fabric’s turn. After double and triple checking, she marked up the fabric with chalk.

Next up came the careful cutting along the chalk markings. This involved lots of crawling around on the floor.

Finally, the sewing began! 90% of the time, I couldn’t figure out what piece went where on the dress, but it somehow all came together perfectly!

The fashion show was an absolute blast! We got to spoil the girls with some decorations, flowers, and cake. They also got the opportunity to work the runway and show off some of the other clothes they had made during their time with HopeRwanda. Afterwards, we made sure to take lots of photos together. This definitely makes the list of top 10 days on the Race!

I’ve really loved working with HopeRwanda and a big part of it is how fun ministry is. It goes to show that ministry and missions doesn’t always have to be a super challenging experience. Sometimes it can be on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. That doesn’t make it any less powerful or important. I’ve grown to love Denise and the other girls so very deeply and we regularly pop into the sewing room to say hello or hang out for a bit. These are the connections and friendships that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I’m so grateful I got to experience this with my team and our two amazing Squad Leaders! We had so much fun together and Dana made an awesome video documenting the entire process!