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The Isaiah 117 House Girls Night Out event had a spectacular turnout Friday evening as women of all ages came to show their support for the cause.

Lines wrapped around the building as people waited to purchase tickets, enjoy food and place bids in the silent auction.

As soon as you walked into the building you could feel it brimming with activity and a welcoming, positive energy, but a closer look at everyone mingling as they enjoyed their meal and fellowship would reveal dozens of volunteers bustling behind the scenes.

Individuals in shirts with the Isaiah 117 House slogan, Love, You’re Not Alone, could be seen enthusiastically serving in any way they could to ensure the evening went as smoothly as possible.

Volunteer and former foster parent and now adoptive parent Michelle Rosen holds the Isaiah 117 House project dear to her heart.

She was there serving with her family.

“Foster care is special to our entire family, these kids who enter the foster system need to be shown the love of Jesus. It was an amazing event, it was awesome to see the community come together through sponsorships, donations and all of the ladies who came out despite it being a cold rainy night,” she said.

Once everyone had enjoyed their meal they settled in for the evening’s entertainment. Isaiah 117 House founder and director Ronda Paulson kicked off the speaker portion and talked about her personal experiences with the foster care system that inspired her to begin the project.

Paulson then introduced Dr. Edie Wadsworth and attendees were treated to touching and entertaining personal stories from both speakers.

Stifled cries could be heard between bouts of laughter from the hilariously relatable tales of woe about motherhood and childhood trauma.

Wadsworth concluded her talk by expounding on compassion and offered this quote by Frederick Buechner, “Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it’s like to live inside someone else’s skin. It’s the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy for you, too.”

The audience was left deeply impacted so Paulson took the stage again and offered a brief intermission.

Everyone was eager to place their bids in the silent auction and lines wrapped all around the auditorium as people shopped the auction tables.

Once the intermission concluded it was time for the night’s grand finale, singer Emily Ann Roberts.

Roberts took the stage and her beautiful voice and charming personality immediately won the hearts of every single individual in attendance.

She sang songs she had written herself as well as a few country classics from favorites such as Dolly Parton and Hank Williams Sr.

In between songs she expressed her gratitude to be there and shared personal anecdotes about life.

Before the show Roberts shared her personal testimony about how Isaiah 117 House project has touched her heart.

“I was really excited when I heard that Isaiah 117 house had reached out to me because I am so passionate about the ministry that they have for these foster kids,” Roberts said. “I found out about Isaiah 117 House project from a friend who is a foster parent and she was telling me about all of the work this ministry does and how it gives these kids a safe and comfortable place to go to during transition.

“Knowing this and having my eyes being opened to what their circumstances were without this ministry is devastating. I told my husband I want to be involved somehow, and it wasn’t a couple of months later that I got an email that they wanted me to come and sing for this event. I feel really honored and I’m excited to hear more about it tonight and how I can be involved.”

Roberts concluded her concert with a song called “The Building” that wrote about her church home, and after that there indeed wasn’t a dry eye in the building.