Heartwarming Stories

The day after our Night to Shine Prom for people with special needs, the Tim Tebow Foundation asked us to share two heartwarming stories, one from a guest, and one from a volunteer.  There were many heartwarming stories. It was so amazing to see how many new friends were made.  I talked to so many mothers who said their children were overwhelmed with positive emotions; joy, happiness, excitement, none of them wanted to go home.

But one story that touched me was of a young lady Masha Klipach.   She had been writing to me and one of our other staff members Sergei for weeks about how excited she was for this event.  She kept writing paragraphs about how it is her dream to walk down a red carpet, and to attend a ball  and to wear a dress.  Even better she gets to do it without mom!  She is one of the most encouraging people I have ever met, she loves to talk with people and at Night to Shine it was no different.  From the time she sat down in the hair and make-up chair, she was telling everyone how she always watched on TV people getting hair and makeup done, and now she gets to do it, and it was a dream come true to have hair and makeup stylists work on her.  It made all the ladies who were helping out with hair and makeup feel pretty special.

Masha having her makeup done )

The whole night on the red carpet, she was so thrilled to have everyone clapping and cheering for her, she was clapping the whole way down the red carpet back for everyone.  The opportunity to receive a tiara really capped off the whole night for her, while being able to dance the night away and sing was just icing on the cake.  She even shared a poem with everyone during the night, I know this night made her feel special, and she was able to do something that made her dreams come true.

The day after our party, she wrote us again on Facebook.  I wanted to share her words translated from Ukrainian.  “I really liked everything. Everything was cool, It was my dream to go to a ball without mom to have fun, and that my mom wouldn’t disturb me. I dreamed about an enchanting show with cameras and limousines, a cool MC and DJ with lights and music, it was a surprise, everything was at the highest level. I really liked everything, Especially how the MC hugged me at the talent show like I was a star. I liked everything and my dreams came true: I had my hair done, I had my makeup done  and I was without mom. And I also met a girl I know, we use to live near each other, she used to come over and we went for a walk very often. And then I moved and we stopped meeting. And yesterday I met her and squeaked with joy. This prom reunites people. I liked it so much, I am sorry it didn’t last longer!”

Masha’s hug with our MC!

 I also asked one of our volunteers from the night, Hanna Kovtun who has also served as one of our interpreters at camp to write about her feelings from the night.

“Every girl in this world has dreamed to be a princess at least for a day, the same as any boy has wanted to become a king. There is nothing better than to witness the miracle of somebody’s dream coming true. And in one glorious night, almost a hundred people’s dreams were fulfilled at the Night to Shine party. While being there I could feel that strong accumulation of happiness which I believe can make the Earth rotate. It was the most memorable night of all my volunteering experience. All those little beautiful girls and young boys I have known for a long time became such gorgeous ladies and handsome gentlemen that it was breathtaking to be around them. I was a buddy to the most gentle and funny boy in the world who was dancing on his wheelchair non-stop. What an amazing night it was!”

Hanna and Bogdan at the photo-zone!

Every guest received a buddy, and it was so neat to see how they became instant friends.  The buddies really helped make the night special for all of our guests.  I know every volunteer and every guest have a heartwarming story to share, but I hope these help brighten your day.  God is good, and His joy filled the hearts of everyone at Night to Shine.  Please pray the Lord blesses us again to be able to do this amazing event next year with the Tim Tebow Foundation.

God bless,

God’s Hidden Treasures

Night To Shine!

On Friday February 9th, God’s Hidden Treasures hosted Night To Shine a prom for people with special needs sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation.  This is a worldwide movement celebrating God’s love for people with special needs with over 90,000 guests honored in 16 countries.  We were so privileged to bring this celebration to Ukraine and it was a fantastic night of joy, dancing, food, singing, and so much more.  The best part, was at the end of the night, every guest was named the king or queen of the ball and given a special crown or tiara.

The night began with hair and makeup.  Lillia from our office did an amazing job organizing different hair stylists from around the city to come and do free makeovers for all our female guests.  One of our guests Masha Klipach spent the whole time in the makeup chair sharing that it had been her dream to have her hair and makeup done for a red carpet event.  It brought smiles to all the volunteers.  Following hair and makeup everyone took a limo ride to the cafe where our event was held.

 

 

At our location there was a red carpet, with fans and paparazzi waiting for the arrival of our guests.  Every guest was partnered with a buddy for the night.  We had  amazing volunteers who helped make the night extra special.  Each guest went down the red carpet to cheers and applause.  From there we opened with prayer and kicked off our night of festivities.  There was a big dance floor, and a huge buffet table that the guests were free to visit all night long!  Throughout the night of dancing, we would take some breaks where many of our guests shared their talent by singing songs, reciting poems or even playing an instrument.

 

The celebration climaxed with the crowning ceremony.  Romans 8 tells us we are God’s children, and because we are His children, we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.  It was my privilege to announce that they were all kings and queens of the prom because that is how God sees each and every one of them.  As they received their crowns, confetti dropped from above which capped off a night none of these guests will forget.

I am amazed at how God worked through this event.  His love for all people shined. That love was made known to every person who walked through those doors.  New friends were made, old friends were reunited.  An event like this would not have been possible without a lot of help.  God’s Hidden Treasures staff put in countless hours organizing and preparing for this prom.  We had a volunteer chef with a huge group of kitchen volunteers from local churches who helped make all the food.  We had volunteers helping kids in and out of the limos and in and out of the event hall. We had over 75 volunteers who signed up to be buddies for our guests.  These were some of our former campers, who also help with our summer camps, others were volunteers from local churches as well as volunteers from the Red Cross Ukraine.  In all, we had over 120 volunteers.  For them, I am so grateful.

There is so much more to say about this event.  I look forward to sharing more stories from the kids and volunteers themselves.  Please check out our Facebook page to see even more of the photos!

Our first Night to Shine prom for people with special needs in Bila Tserkva Ukraine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow…

Posted by God's Hidden Treasures on Saturday, February 10, 2018

Night to Shine is Coming!!

Hey everyone, this Friday we will host Night to Shine, a prom for people with special needs.    All the preparations are coming together, and the excitement is through the roof.  I’ve been listening to our guests for months talk about what suits and dresses they’re going to where, what colors they are picking.  They are ready for Night to Shine.  We are so excited to work with the Tim Tebow Foundation to bring this event to Ukraine.

Please, be praying for all of our honored guests, as well as all the volunteers who will make this night possible.  I can’t wait to see what God is going to do through this event, to demonstrate His love for people with special needs.

 

 

God bless,

God’s Hidden Treasures