Red Boxes & Finals & Details

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I am going to Guatemala this summer. I leave in less than a month, and I will be there June and July of this year.

I am writing this blog because I want to keep people updated, and I want to become a better writer. Both those things are important! :)

I don’t want this blog to be my online diary, because the internet is not the place for a diary. I have a journal at home, and I will take a journal with me. But this blog will be different.

Finals are coming up close (why do I start my blogging during finals week? I had my only other blog posts during last semester finals week too. ) Oh well. This season can get me distracted and discouraged with all the things that need to get done. But God is always faithful, and it always gets done.

We are learning about the theory of relatively in physics, and I think college and life has decided to go at warp speed, but time does not slow down, it just goes faster. (I apologize to my physics professor because this is an incorrect use of physics, but just go with me.) I am trying to wrap up the semester, and finalize details for this trip which is going to be awesome, but now it is a lot.

I am going to Guatemala with a program called Red Box Missions program through Grove City College.  (and I will try to explain more later) But we had the commissioning ceremony this past Sunday which made this summer seem so much more real. There are eight other Red Box volunteers are being sent by the body of Christ to go proclaim the name of Jesus. I just humbly hope I can be a light and a blessing to the people I am serving, and love them with Christ-like love.

Please Pray for us.

Pray for the college students wrapping up the semester.

Pray for the other Red Box volunteers and other people going on summer missions trips as we try to be faithful and prepare, and gather last minute details.

Pray for a spirit of Joy! May we glorify God through all things, and rely on his strength not our own.

Blessings,

Lauren Gillespie

P.S. just so everyone is clear, the last time I posted I was in the middle of Dressember. I did successfully finish Dressember even though I forgot to take pictures/ post pictures of the last days. I look forward to doing it again next year. :)

Dressember Finals Week

Hello Friends:

Here are the pictures from finals week.
They are nothing spectacular at all.
In fact- these all go as a series:

"Lauren Crushes Finals"
...and does not get a lot of sleep

December 12, 2014 

I love Biochemistry! 

Thank you Rachel for letting me borrow your dress! 

Friday I prepared for my Biochemistry and Microbiology finals! 

December 13, 2014

This is what I wore as I took my Biochemistry and Microbiology finals! 

December 14, 2014

Sunday reprieve! 

December 15, 2014

Took my C.S. Lewis Final on Monday! 

December 16, 2014

Took my physics final on Tuesday, and flew back to Denver! 

I flew in my favorite Levi's dress, and a large sweatshirt :)

Elated to be with my sweet momma!

My brother! 

I look exhausted.

 

 I am so happy to be home with my family for Christmas! 

I have had a restful break thus far. 

In my next post I will show you all the dresses I have worn since I have been home! 

But- let's remember it's more than a dress. 

It is creating beauty. 

and standing up for people around the world that are exploited

and saying that is not okay. 

If you want to join me in my fight-  please check out:

http://www.dressemberfoundation.org/legillesp

Glad tidings of Great Joy. 

Peace & Blessings, 

Lauren 

Dressember Week 2

Hello friends!

I apologize for the break. I was kinda busy finishing up the semester with finals and everything. And even thought I did not blog everyday (or very often for that matter) I still continued Dressember. :)

It has been really great being able to tell people why I am wearing a dress. There are people now that are oppressed and in chains, and Jesus came to set the world free, both spiritually and physically. It is more than a dress, it is proclaiming liberty and freedom and embracing the inherent dignity of all people. People are beautiful, because they are made in the image of God. Every different person reflects that image of God.

On a purely aesthetic level, Dressember has also been a fun way to wear crazy combinations of clothes and get away with it! :)

Here is my progress from where we last left off:

December 6, 2014

After the Christmas party at Grace's House. 

Even though you can't see my dress, I am wearing my black and green checkered Levi's dress. 

December 7, 2014 

 This is Mary Grace's super comfortable dress. :)

And it pains me to post this, but I am just going to embrace the mirror selfie. It happened. 

December 8, 2014

I love flowers :)

December 9, 2014

And I love my roommate! 

December 10, 2014

It's right side up!

This cute dress is from Rachel! 

December 11, 2014

We wore Christmas colors!

HAPPY STUDY DAY! 

I feel like Study Day should be/is a holiday. 

It is very festive and lovely, and a free day to hang out with your textbooks. :)

That's it for this post. I will continue more later! 

Peace and Blessings, 

Lauren

Dressember Week 1

Hello friends!

Since the last post, I have enjoyed Thanksgiving break at home, and have returned back to the Grove. It is good to be back for a little bit before Christmas. Christmas in college is full of Christmas music, parties, dances, gifts, adventures, and finishing up the semester. :) 

It gets a bit crazy, but I have the best friends to enjoy this ride with!

I want to document my adventures this Dressember.

The challenge: Wear a dress everyday in December.

For more information- check out my last blog post or dressember.org 

So far so good! It has been fun dressing up, and telling people why I am dressing up. 

But this movement is bigger than a dress. 

This is a choice to dress up to embrace the beauty and dignity of all people.

This is recognizing there are women out there that are exploited for their femininity, and pointing out this issue, and saying this needs to change. 

Here is my progress so far:  

December 1, 2014

 I wore a blue polka-dot dress that my mom made for me. It is one of my favorites!
My dear friend Mary was wearing a blue polka-dot dress as well, so we took a picture of our twinning!

December 2, 2014

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I wore a black dress with a red sweater in full swing of the festivities!

December 3, 2014

photo credit- MGB 

Wore one of my favorite dresses, a cute Levi's green and black checkered number. I love the pair with this necklace I got for Christmas last year from my mom!

December 4, 2014

Got these great plaid leggings from my BFFs mom for my birthday this year!

December 5, 2014

The IJM GCC Campus Chapter is doing a candy cane sale this week! (Continuing to Monday and Tuesday!)

Alex and I at the candy cane table. 

A group of us went to the Crimson Dance Friday night! We had fun goofing around. :)

In South Lobby with dear friends after the dance!

If you would like, join in with me! It is not too late to join and start wearing a dress in December. 

It is fun, and it is an excuse to create beauty and dress up!

I hope by dressing up this month, and by this post, I can be a light. 

 I will take a picture every day and update this blog when I can. 

Blessings, 

Lauren

Dressember

Hello friends!

It has been more than a year, but I want to continue blogging. There are a lot of new things brewing and I want to document them through this blog. Hopefully I can develop this habit, and this will catch on.

One thing that I will be participating in is Dressember 2014. It is a fashion challenge to wear a dress every day during the month of December.

Here is a short video about Dressember. 

“Dressember uses fashion to advocate for women who've been exploited for their femininity. As women take on the creative challenge of wearing a dress for the 31 days of December, they are advocating for the inherent dignity of all women.” (www.dressemberfoundation.org)

It will be a fun challenge for a purpose bringing awareness for women’s rights and celebrating beauty in all people. Dressember promotes the work of International Justice Mission.

International Justice Mission is a wonderful organization that fights injustices towards the poor in developing countries. Headquartered in Washington DC, they work in more than 20 different communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The poor constantly live under the threat of everyday violence. They are exploited and trafficked and have limited protection under their local laws. IJM works to transform justice systems to prove that justice for the poor is possible.

International Justice Mission is an organization that is near and dear to my heart, and is doing great things.

I would encourage you to check out International Justice Mission at www.ijm.org  

I will keep you posted. :)

Blessings. 

-LG

I am beginning this blog. I know this is the sort of thing twenty-somethings do, to pretend that their life is terribly more romantic than it actually is. Or perhaps their life is incredibly romantic and beautiful, and they write a blog to share that with the world! I'm not sure which category I fit into. I'm in college. This immense state of transition.

After yet another Friday night dinners spent watching old television episodes, I decided to do something productive. Start this blog.

People have told me I should start a blog: write my ideas, wishes, goals down online. Perhaps it will be something interesting that I will look back on. I'm not sure how I feel about all this information being open to the world-wide-web. Perhaps I will just write a couple of posts for my own amusement and then tell people about it. Most likely, I will write this, and then tell people on Facebook to check it out. And then if you want to check it out- welcome friend!

I will attempt to record the expedition of my second decade of life. If I go on a daring adventure, you will know. I hope you enjoy my pondering thoughts and goals and dreams and telling people what I am up to.

So, (I know you are not supposed to start a sentence that way, but sometimes I like to :)) Here are some basic facts about me. Just to establish that.
Name: Lauren Gillespie
Age: 20. I just turned twenty. Along with that came alot of realization that I am beginning my second DECADE of life. it's a big deal!
Hometown: The RAD-ARVAD, CO
School: Grove City College. (if you haven't heard of it, like most people in Colorado, it's a little Christian Liberal-Arts college in Western PA. About an hour north of Pittsburgh. It's a gem. that consistently challenges me everyday)
Major: Biology (I'm one of those Crazy Pre-Health students, who takes OCHEM as an elective, and wants to save the world one day, Lord willing)
I would like to do medical missions one day. It's a tangible way to show people God's love. :)
Favorite Bible Verse: John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship him in Spirit and in Truth"
I'm a very passionate person, and I just love this verse. I memorized it at YouthFront Camp in seventh grade. YEA.

I have two younger brothers who managed to pass me up in height this summer. (Well the younger one passed me up this summer, the older younger brother has been SUPER TALL forever)

I also love the mountains, and miss them terribly. I wish I could have the Autumn of Pennsylvania with the Majestic Rocky Mountains at the same time. Oh well. :)

Anywho,
That's all for now. Thanks for reading this.
Love,
Lauren