destination

Hello again everyone! 

It is approaching midnight here now and I am so so so turned around about what time it is! 

I thought you all might be interested in a full recap of my journey, and of course my initial impressions of the city :)

Here we go... 

The friend I made on my super long flight was asking me some general questions about what I was doing this year, and I told him that I was working with a human rights NGO. He has been in the US for the past 8 years but was returning home to South Asia for the first time to see his family and be where he grew up. Anyways, he was super nice and gave me the lowdown on a lot helpful things. He also bought me a Swarovski crystal pen from the Sky Mall to have as a token of thanks for coming to his country to help people. It was really kind. 

I got to my second city inside the country and had an 11 hour layover in front of me. I had a little scare basically getting scammed into giving this man money at 3 am who made me get in a car with him to go to an ATM, but crisis was averted and I got out alive. I can give you a better explanation via email if you're interested. So for the rest of my layover I got eaten by mosquitos, sat on top of a cart on top of all my bags, checked out the new kind of bathroom (an experience in itself) and then I saw this sign in front of me and knew that the day was going to get better: An Airport Spa! I made the judicious decision to get a facial because it had been like 3 days since I was able to wash my face and I knew it would help pass the time and make me feel cleaner. Best decision of the day hands down. My last flight was only 2 hours and I slept through the whole thing. When I landed, I couldn't believe that the day had come, I was here, and that I wasn't leaving for almost a year. Both bags came in fine (slash RIP the side zipper of one of them Mrs. Arrington..) and I had no problem contacting the other girl intern who was picking me up. The office driver took me to the flat of two other interns, where I am staying for 2 weeks until my roommate gets back so that I am not alone at the beginning.

My first impressions (I am definitely going to get photos up of all these things as soon as I can)

-People who warned me about cows walking around everywhere were NOT kidding. We passed about 100 of them on the street/sidewalk just coming back from the airport

-The driving is RIDICULOUS! There are no side mirrors really, no lanes, no organization whatsoever, and the taxi drivers just go in and out like maniacs. I hear you get used to it

-It is extremely hot!

-I keep getting the feeling that I am on a jungle safari trip, I'm not sure why. I also feel like I am in a dream and I am going to wake up in Greensboro tomorrow.

-Also, as far as a visual of the city, all I have seen so far is crazy lanes, buildings everywhere, carts/tents/TONS of people sitting on the side of the road selling things. There were also a few babies walking around in diapers or naked just playing in the mud on the street

-The food is extremely cheap- I went to a restaurant and got a sandwich for like $1.30 or something

-Everyone in the office, Katherine and Aimee are all extremely nice. I am getting excited about my first day of work on Monday. More updates to come! Tomorrow I am going to go around and sort of get acclimated and begin my search for a blow dryer! Obviously.

Love you all so much. Thank you for your prayers! This jet lag is going to be intense..

xoxox

halfway!

Hello from what my computer says is 3:53 am but what is I think around 10 am in Brussels. I AM SO TIRED! I didn't initially realize that there was a layover in Brusels (refueling probs) and that I was going to kiiiind of be in Europe too! So far the journey has been very smooth and I am hoping that I can survive 12-13 more hours tonight on a plane and then another 10 hour layover before my last flight out. Needless to say, I already feel disgusting and am dying to shower. I have to hurry because my 6 Euro Internet sesh is going to expire here pretty soon. Special thanks to everyone who came to the airport and made an effort to call me to say goodbye, to pray with me, to see me off, etc. I am so excited to almost finally be here!! 


Some highlights from the past few days (I wanted to include my pics of these things, but I am running out of time and they keep making announcements for things like drink vouchers and stuff?)


-A weekend in Asheville with Alyssa

-A most delicious final American meal prepared especially from my sweet mama

-A visit from my pops

-About a thousand calls which have definitely made me feel super loved and slightly celeb status
-Only going $100 dollars over on overweight luggage charges. Respectable!

-The send off group at the airport and all the goodies and notes I got

-This deserves it's own category: The Sour Jelly Beans from Steph, which are sadly almost gone. oops!
-My final Starbucks frap

-The super friendly guy I sat beside on this first plane overseas who graciously invited me to stay with his family overnight for my extremely long layover (Don't worry mom I kindly refused), but he was being super hospitable and I appreciated that of course!
-The first ethnic meal I ate on the flight- and I could aaaaccctually kind of handle the spice! It was fruit, rice, some kind of smashed up bean sitch, wine and this really yummy bread-ish thing! I did it!

-The extremely presh flight attendants- they were way sweeter than American ones I thought! And were decked out in these official looking uniforms.


Ok... there is definitely more, but I have to bounce over to South Asia. The time has come and I can't wait! Talk to you soon!! Love you all!


abbreve of the day/morning/night/whatever time it is right now: Unfortch. Stephanie Gray special. Love it!


xoxoxo

bedazzle

The most recent packing hurdle I have been trying to jump over is how to minimize and pack my footwear.  You can probably imagine it being a challenge for me to narrow down my colorful and fabulous fifty (plus) something options down to a reasonable few to take with me to the third world. In the spirit of being natch, slightly crunchy and investing in a worthy cause, I decided to do something I have never considered before. AND NO THAT IS NOT CHACOS. I went to toms.com and perused the online selection. I figure they are comfortable, earthy, good for when the weather is a little cooler, and will match with most of my clothes. After spending some time weighing my options and oscillating between green and dark grey, this is the pair I obviously ended up ordering:



The perfect pair. Natch with a lot of sparkle- didn't even know that existed! I figured if I can't have a wedge, let alone a heel, then glitter is the way to go. Healthy balance? I think so.

Next post: Things I will miss. Stay tuned :)

preparation

'By our love' by Christy Nockels-

"Brothers, let us come together
Walking in the Spirit, there's much to be done
We will come reaching, out from our comforts
And they will know us by our love.

Sisters, we were made for kindness
We can pierce the darkness as He shines through us
We will come reaching, with a song of healing
And they will know us by our love.

The time is now
Come Church arise
Love with His hands
See with His eyes
Bind it around you,
Let it never leave you,
And they will know us by our love

Children, You are hope for justice,
Stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above
You will be reaching, long after we're gone,
And they will know you by your love."


The last few days have been very meaningful in terms of preparation for this trip. Saturday night I watched the movie "Trade," which, although it is extremely disturbing, paints a realistic portrait of what happens to girls trafficked into the US. It was hard to watch but I think that anyone interested in learning more about this issue should watch it. 


I have some pretty wonderful news. Called I am finished raising support! I can't believe how little time it took to come up with $20,000 and I am forever grateful and beyond overwhelmed at peoples' selfless and sacrificial gifts. It has been a challenge to really put myself in a place where I sent out the letters and trusted God with the response- but of course He has provided for me above what I needed and in His perfect timing. Thank you to everyone who is praying for me and for my experience in South Asia. Please keep these precious girls in your prayers- that God would give them hope and that IJM would be able to rescue them quickly and effectively. 


This is my last week at Lucky 32 and I am really sad about it! It has been such a fun experience (once I got through the rigorous training!) to learn a new skill and work a job that I have always thought would be perfect for me and my personality. The people there have been so friendly and fun to get to know and I am going to miss everyone :( 


Have a wonderful day!! 


Love love love, L

lauraceous

Today in an effort to keep my brain working I decided to move to level 38 on www.freerice.com. If you aren't familiar with the fab and nerdtastic web site, it is essentially an endless vocab quiz. The best part is that it's for a good cause too and every correct answer means that 10 grains of rice are donated to help end global hunger. I highly recommend you checking it out and getting those neurons firing.

Anyways, the first word I came across on level 38 was 'lauraceous.' The answer, laurel-like, made me literally LOL. I officially welcome you to incorporate this incredible new world into your daily vocab. A prime example might include the following scenario: "Did you hear that girl giggling? It was so lauraceous!"

Speaking of giggling, I am excited to have a girl's night tonight with my fellow giggle machine Jenny Mabe. I am making her dinner, except what she doesn't know is that this particular chicken casserole is actually the only thing I can cook. I probably need to work on my domestic capabilities so that someone will marry me one day.. eek.

Less than one month until take-off. So so so excited.

CHAPEL HILL NOW HAS A KRISPY KREME? Right after I left?

real world?

Today everyone at UNC started classes back for the fall semester. For the first time in 17 years, I am not joining the masses of students and something certainly feels off. No what-should-I-wear-on-the-first-day dilemmas, no scoping out the boys students in each of my classes, no syllabi, no finding friends to sit with, no scheduling panics.. nothing. How did this happen?

Looking back on my schooling, I can only feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude to all of the teachers who have taught me and believed in me along the way. I am especially thankful for my wonderful mother's scholastic guidance for the first 8 grades. Without her, I would never know half of the things I know about the English language/writing/grammar OR have aced Calculus so easily ;) She had a way of making me love writing- and I definitely wouldn't have majored in Journalism if it weren't for her influence. I remember Mrs. Kirby's 9th grade English class and the love I discovered I had for reading. I remember Mr. Butlers Pre-Calc class and all of the fun times I had in there slashhhh all the notes I passed to Stephanie. I remember Julia O'Grady's Rhetoric class junior year at UNC and the eye-opening experience that was. I remember how much I hated everything about college chemistry. I remember how much I loved college stats. Last but not least, I have to thank my pops for all the homework assignments he did for me along the way, along with all the poems he wrote for me the night before they were due. Thanks, dad- that A goes to you.

Now begins the rest of my life. Although I won't be in as many classes, I certainly hope that I don't stop learning and that each day I will be more educated, fulfilled, and encouraged in Christ than the day before. Recently I have been reflecting all of the ways that God has overabundantly blessed me in my life, and it makes the tough things so much more bearable when I look at my life through that lens.

Good news on the IJM front- I received my visa today and am officially all ready to go. I had a wonderful convo last night with a girl who is going to the same city the same time I am, and it got me so pumped! I truly can't wait to get on the plane. I decided to change the name of my blog to "Reflections of Hope" partly because my middle name is Hope, but also because I know over the next year I will be able to share some triumphs of hope that these girls in Asia will be able to experience because of the work of IJM and the mighty hand of God.

I am also thinking of ending my posts with an abbreve of the day. I must start with my fav one: PERF. So simple, so concise, so perf.

Love love love, Laurel

I caved!

Friends,

I can't believe that I have been sucked into the world of blogging, but this seems to be the best way to keep up with everyone while I am gone! I am still working on finding the most presh template of course, so bear with me until my blog reaches its full potential! I can't believe that there are less than five weeks until I leave for South Asia! This summer has flown by. 

Things to be thankful for:

-I am less than $5,000 away from my support goal. That means that I am over 75% done! Praise God, and thank you from the bottom of my heart to those of you who have given sacrificially in order to make this trip possible for me. I have been blown away by the responses and the ways God has provided for me this summer. 

-I have gotten all of my shots, medications, paperwork and everything pretty much done in order for me to leave the country for this amount of time. Now I am just waiting to get the green light on my visa application!

-I have been experimenting with a variety of new hair techniques to prepare myself for an extremely natch year to come. The good news is that God has blessed me with curly hair, and with the help of my trusted teasing comb, it looks like I will be able to have some volume without all of my beloved tools. I know you are joining me in breathing a sigh of relief. 

-I have fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams of holding a job as a waitress, and have had a wonderful experience this summer at Lucky 32. If you are in the Greensboro area over the next two weeks and want to experience a fabulous southern meal, stop by and ask for me. The black bean cakes and shrimp and grits are to die for! I must add that you never know how much it means to be friendly to your server until you have been in her shoes. Trust me.


-I have been able to spend some time reading a couple excellent books to help prepare me for my trip. I would HIGHLY recommend reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. It is a shocking, eye-opening and raw expose of the realities of the world of sex trafficking and the horrific nightmare that these girls live in. I have also enjoyed books written by the founder of IJM, Gary Haugen. I'd recommend The Good News About Injustice.

- I have been meeting South Asian people left and right and have been asking lots of questions in order to prepare myself better for living in such a different culture. I recently sat next to a man on a plane who was from a city close to where I will be, and he helped to get me extremely excited about life there. He even wrote down the names of his favorite tourist spots and the best kinds of food to order if I can't handle spicy!


-I have had the privilege of watching God provide not only for me this summer, but also providing jobs for almost all of my friends who have been working tirelessly and enduring rounds and rounds of interviews. PTL! We are literally all over the world. 


Anyways, I plan on keeping you posted throughout this journey and want to thank you again so much for your prayers for me, your kind notes, and your contributions. PLEASE keep in touch.


Love love love, Laurel

International Justice Mission Support Letter

"He wears a clean white shirt, is 40-something and paces outside the massage parlor in a seedier part of the city. He could be any man. A neighbor. A brother. A co-worker. "Hello, sweetie," the girl greets him from the doorway, as she's been taught. She has a quota to meet. If she doesn't, she'll be beaten or scorched with an iron by the person running this brothel.

The man has no way of knowing—nor does he care—that this girl was trafficked into the city. He also doesn't know or care that this girl is guarded by a man with a gun at all times, is not allowed to speak to others, and is drawn, malnourished and exhausted. He peeks inside. Dim lights. Plenty of girls. What he can't see are the squalid living conditions upstairs, the fetid room with mattresses on the floor, the medication to induce abortions, the drugs to numb the emotional and physical pain of sexual trauma.

"Come on in," she invites him, wondering that if he has a daughter, would he want her far away from home, tricked into prostitution by the promise of a good job? The girl forces a smile, takes him by the hand and ushers him inside. She is only 15 years old" ( “Caged Birds” by Marielena Zuniga).

Dear Friend,

As hard as it is to believe, my four years at UNC-Chapel Hill came to an end in May when I received my degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I wanted to look for an opportunity that enabled me to incorporate both my academic training and my faith. I could not get  the issue of human trafficking off my mind, and stories like the one above made me want to help even more. Various conferences, conversations and convictions led me to discover the work of
International Justice Mission (IJM), and I decided to apply for a Communications internship. I was so happy to receive a twelve month placement in South Asia, where I will be moving in late September to work in the fight against unprosecuted rape and forced prostitution.

It is hard to wrap my mind around these numbers, but the facts are sobering. According to a recent article in National Geographic, there are 27 million slaves in the world today, unseen and unheard by most of us in affluent nations. Worldwide, the total market of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion, more than the annual profit of Nike, Starbucks and Wal-Mart combined
(UNICEF). The brutal act of kidnapping children, some as young as 5 years old, and forcing them into sexual slavery is happening to 2 million new children every year (UNICEF).  Trafficked girls are often allured with the promise of a good job. Some are kidnapped and drugged, only to awaken trapped in a brothel and forced to provide sex to customers up to 50 times a day.  In some instances, these victims are sold by family members in order to pay medical bills or family debts. Police complicity often leaves these girls with no one to turn to for help.

International Justice Mission is a non-profit organization composed of Christian attorneys, social workers, criminal investigators and support staff.  IJM investigators spend thousands of hours infiltrating brothels and uncovering the world of sexual exploitation. IJM staff then works with local authorities to lead police interventions and rescue victims from this horrific nightmare, placing them in safe homes where they receive aftercare and begin new lives of freedom. IJM lawyers work to secure the conviction and sentencing of brothel keepers and other perpetrators involved. The goal is address the root of the problem by prosecuting the perpetrators in local court systems and making a way for communities to make structural changes that can prevent such abuses in the future.

You can help. You can pray for the work of IJM in the fight against injustice and for the victims. And you can certainly pray for me. You can also help support me financially. Because the internship is a volunteer position, I need to raise $20,200 to cover expenses such as airfare, visa fees, rent, meals and transportation—essentially all the costs associated with the assignment.  This figure is daunting, and I would like to ask you to consider making a financial contribution. By making a tax deductible donation, you enable me to work with an organization that infiltrates some of the darkest places of human suffering to bring the light of hope to the desperate and hopeless victims of human trafficking. If you are able, you can mail a check to me, or you can give online easily by going to http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/internshipsupport  and selecting my name from a drop-down menu. Any amount will help me reach this goal, and all the details about providing financial assistance can be found on the following page.

Two years ago I would never have imagined that I would be writing this now. If you know me well, you are aware that this will be a challenging environment for me.  Pray for me as I learn to adjust to life in a new and very different culture and manage my responsibilities there. I see this internship as a huge answer to my
own prayers that God would give me a way to serve Him that would both use my gifts and take me to a place of real need. This is a life-changing opportunity for me to see and experience firsthand both abject poverty and unthinkable violence, but most importantly how God ensures that "the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish” (Psalm 9:18).

If you would like to receive regular updates of my time in South Asia, send your contact info to me at laurelgillespie88@gmail.com. Don’t hesitate to call me at (336) 209-7284 if you have further questions or would like to meet in person to talk about it. I’ll be in touch in a few weeks to follow up with this letter and answer any questions you may have.

Love,  Laurel