The Humbled Homemaker: Ministry of the Month: Dress a Girl Around the World

Welcome to July's edition of Ministry of the Month! On the first Wednesday of each month, I feature a ministry or charity. I hope God will lead you to pray--or perhaps even get involved--with these ministries!

Lisa Ward rarely clicks on Internet articles, but when a Facebook friend posted a story that mentioned “little dresses,” she felt compelled to read it.

The story told about a service project in which Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, N.C. makes and distributes pillowcase dresses for impoverished and abused girls in Haiti.

The story resonated with Ward because she enjoys sewing and is passionate about helping at-risk girls.

“I had been searching for a way I could make an eternal difference in the lives of others globally,” the mother of two boys said. “After reading the article, I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Ward challenged herself to sew 200 dresses by June for Dress a Girl Around the World, the international charity that inspired Grace Covenant Church members to start the project. The charity envisions a world where every girl owns at least one dress.

When Ward asked for supplies on her Facebook page, friends she hadn’t seen in years started sending her sewing materials in the mail.

“Seeing God provide the donations and materials needed to sew dresses has been a life-changing experience,” she said. “I was literally brought to tears each time someone responded.”

Through Dress a Girl Around the World, Ward’s dresses traveled to Haiti in June.

But she has no plans to stop sewing.

A few weeks ago, Ward began a new role as the North Carolina representative for Dress a Girl Around the World.

She will serve as the contact for anyone in her state who wants to get involved with the charity. She also will collect donations and send them to the organization, which will then deliver dresses to girls all over the world.

“Lisa’s enthusiasm and love for Dress a Girl caught my attention,” said the charity’s founder, Rachel Eggum Cinader. “I believe that Lisa’s faith and love will allow her to represent us well. I have a feeling that Lisa Ward is going to cause Dress a Girl to explode in North Carolina!”

Ward has already begun educating others in her community on how to make pillowcase dresses for those in need. She recently held a home-school workshop for teenage girls who wanted to make and donate dresses, and she is available to teach other groups to do the same.

Ward’s husband, Jeff, said he is proud she is making a difference in the lives of girls around the world from their home. Ward will continue her involvement with the ministry until “God says stop,” she said.

“I have prayed over each dress for the little girl who would wear it – that it would protect her, she would feel the love I put into making it and the dress would be a bridge for her to know Jesus,” Ward said. “As I am sewing each dress, I know that I am helping to clothe and protect little girls all around the world."

To learn more about Dress a Girl Around the World, visit their website, here.Check out Dress a Girl Around the World North Carolina on Facebook, here.