MORE DONATIONS

We've seen school supplies, winter coats, reading material, soccer balls...and now... wedding dresses!

And don't miss the prayers for Soldiers later in the story.

The most special day of a young girl's life is when she gets married. To help make this day even more memorable for brides in the country of Iraq, The Bride Ministries, located in Jacksonville, is sending beautiful wedding gowns and veils to help celebrate this unforgettable event in their lives. What started out as a few wedding gowns and veils has now become an overflow of love towards the Iraqi people.

Up until recently the Iraqi people were not allowed to love and marry those of their choice, according to Debbie Hicks, co-founder of The Bride Ministries.

"America, and our soldiers, have made it so the people of Iraq can now fall in love and marry whomever they please," said Hicks. "Before it was the choice of the Baath party to govern who married who."

"We started off with three wedding dresses and veils from Allure Bridle Shop in Medford. Then, overnight it turned into 100. A private organization has donated 100 dresses and veils that we are now sending to Iraq. This same organization will be adding to this as the need arises," said Hicks.

When asked what lead to this idea, Hicks said, "The name of this campaign is called 'Love Never Fails'. We felt impressed that since the Iraqis are now free to get married, and how our soldiers have laid down their lives for this freedom, the least we can do is to provide beautiful wedding dresses for the occasion."...

In doing this they have reached out to all who are in need of a wedding gown, be it here in the Jackson County or in Iraq.

"We have been reaching out and supporting our soldiers during the whole Iraq war," said Hicks, "You will see this in our website. At one point we made heart-shaped buttons with the American flag on them. On these buttons we wrote 'Support our troops in prayer', and signed a little card that went with the buttons. The card simply said, "Call to Prayer, our brave men and women, who have been called to interrupt their lives on our behalf."

Hicks and the others wish to acknowledge how these soldiers have left their families, homes and jobs to defend other's right to freedom. "By wearing this pin you are saying, 'I too am willing to have my life interrupted. So stop me at any time, anywhere and let's pray for our troops,'" said Hicks.