Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Summer update

I can't believe it's already the beginning of July. In just a few short months I'll start my final year of college, and in less than a year, I'll be leaving my beloved alma mater.

This summer I have the opportunity to work with a group of wonderful ladies at the Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (http://www.cblpi.org/) in Herndon, Virginia. CBLPI is a women's organization that works to promote strong women leaders with strong values. This organization has been so supportive of Women of Worth over the past year, and I am just elated to be here.

In my free time, I am working very hard to establish Women of Worth as an official non-profit organization so that we can go national. Please pray for me and for the organization during this time. There's so much to be done, and there never seems to be enough time in the day. God is faithful to those who trust in Him, so let's trust that God will bring everything together within the next year.

Embracing and Preserving Our Womanhood,

Chelsea

Friday, April 11, 2008

A HUGE Success...


























As this title suggests, last night was a HUGE success.

Between 300 and 350 came to the Women of Worth Spa Night event.

The ladies were so appreciative, and we were able to have some wonderful conversations. We even had a visit from Dr. Annie Sprinkle herself. The ladies thoroughly enjoyed themselves.





Thursday, April 10, 2008

The big day...

The rain is pouring and three of our volunteers won't be able to make it, but I'm excited!

Today is the day, and 195 women have RSVP'd as of this morning. WoW!

We still have some major safety concerns, so I ask that you continue to pray. I am now aware as to who is responsible for the poster fiasco and have heard that these ladies may be attending tonight's event. We have taken the necessary precautions, and we are just praying that the Lord will put a hedge of protection around us tonight and allow us to celebrate these women and their worth in Him.

I leave you with this sweet note (written to Heather) from Christian author, Joshua Harris:

Heather,

Thanks so much for the comment and for sharing your story on your blog. I'm so grateful for you and the ladies involved with Women of Worth. Please let them know how much I respect the way they're shining forth the gospel at Northwestern.

Sincerely,


Joshua

WoW!

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Last minute call for help!

Tonight, three of our volunteers had to cancel for tomorrow. If you are able and willing to come down to Evanston tomorrow night to fill in...we really need the extra help! Men or women, we can use you! We need people to be on clean-up duty so that our ladies can focus on spa services, we need people to help at the prize table, and we need people to help out with paraffin treatments. In addition, if you know of anyone who might be willing to come and do hair styling on the fly, please let us know!

If you would like to come down and help, please email us at wownorthwestern@gmail.com with your name and contact info.

Thanks!

Chelsea

A new day...

This morning I checked to see how many ladies have pre-registered for Spa Night.

Drum roll, please...

176 ladies!

And again I say, "WoW!"

Tomorrow night, we will be handing out pamphlets to each lady in attendance, and atleast 176 women will receive this message:

Dear ladies,

Welcome to the second annual Women of Worth Spa Night! We are so glad you’re here.

At last year’s event, several women asked me, “Chelsea, why are you doing this?” The answer is simple: you’re worth it. As women of worth, the value we place on ourselves is nothing compared to the value placed on us by our Creator. I truly believe that each and every one of you is a woman of worth in God’s eyes.

I want you to know that tonight’s event is only made possible through the donations of Christians all over the country. The people and businesses who have so generously donated their time, money, and services for tonight have done so because they too believe that you are wonderfully made and that you are precious in God’s sight.

Tonight, we are here to celebrate you. We are here to embrace and preserve the wonderful gift of womanhood that has been bestowed upon us, and we hope that you thoroughly enjoy yourselves. Thank you for coming...you are totally worth it!

Embracing and Preserving Our Womanhood,

Chelsea

I cannot tell you how excited I am!

I don't know if I'll have time to write before tomorrow night, so I want to take the time now to thank you for your prayers and support and to ask you for your continued prayers.

In these last hours, please pray for the following:

1) Praise God for creating us in His image
2) Praise our Heavenly Father that we are able to find out worth in Him!
3) Praise God for taking care of our every need
4) Pray for safety in travel
5) Pray for the women in attendance
6) Pray that God will allow for opportunities for our volunteers to speak truth to these women
7) Pray for the women not in attendance. Pray that God will soften their hearts and that they, too, will realize that they are women of worth.
8) After yesterday's poster fiasco, we have legitmate concerns about the safety of the young women participating in tomorrow's events. Pray that the Lord will protect all the women involved and will keep us safe.
9) Continue to pray for the future of Women of Worth. Pray that the Lord will rise up women to lead this organization in the coming years.
10)Pray that the Lord will allow the Spa Night to run smoothly, and pray that we will never take our eyes off of Him. Pray that all glory and honor will be given to Him.

What an exciting month it has been for us! I am so glad to have been able to share this journey with you all. I cannot wait to tell you all about it!

Embracing and Preserving Our Womanhood,

Chelsea

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Not for little eyes...

I received a phone call this morning.

"Chelsea, it's John. I just wanted to give you a head's up before you went outside...someone has done something to your Women of Worth posters. I don't think you'll be too happy."

I called my mom so that I could stay calm when I saw what they had done. And boy was this one a biggie. As I walked around campus, I found flyers covering all of the flyers that I had posted on Monday. Each one had a picture of a combat boot instead of our signature high heel. They read:

"Womyn of Worth...being a womyn of worth doesn't mean you have to wear stupid f***ing high heels or go to a wacka** spa night! Amen....F*** macho bulls*** forever...because you're worth it."

I have tried to censor as much as possible for little eyes.

When I called the Student Affairs office they actually said to me, "Honey, it's probably just some neighborhood kids."

Yes, that's what it is. A bunch of 15 year old kids had the time and money to design these oh-so-clever flyers, run to Quartet Copies to print off 50 copies, and flyer in the middle of the night. Makes perfect sense.

Judicial affairs was a little more understanding. I spoke to a very nice man who said that if he only knew who was responsible, he could do so much more. As it stands, I guess I don't have too many options.

"Consider it pure joy..." These words keep ringing in my head. Let us rejoice that we have spoken out boldly enough for Christ that people have taken notice! Let us rejoice that our God is in control! Beloved, let us rejoice!

A successful evening

Last night, Heather 'Paulsen' Patenaude came to speak about her book, Emotional Purity. I was really worried about the turn out, but God, as always, had everything under control. Twelve (12) women came, and we received very positive feedback. "It was just so...refreshing," one of the girls wrote me afterwards. The girls asked lots of questions, and everyone was so excited when we handed out free copies of Heather's book.

Thanks for your prayers.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Emotional Purity

Tonight, Christian author, Heather 'Paulsen' Patenaude will speak on her book entitled Emotional Purity at 7:30 PM. Please pray for Heather as she travels to Northwestern, and please pray that the Lord will bring ladies to this event. The response hasn't been great so far, and she has such a wonderful message to share.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

What we're up against...

Please be advised...the following may not be appropriate for little eyes.

I just received a schedule for Sex Week 2008. Here's what's going on Thursday night during the Women of Worth Spa Night Event:

THURSDAY, APRIL 10TH
Dr. Sprinkle is in!
3:30-5:30
Women’s Center
Meet and greet with artist/sexologist, Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D. Stop by and visit with this unique, wise woman in an intimate, informal setting.You can:- Bring your work to share with her. - Receive a quickie sex life tarot reading from Annie- Ask Annie any questions you have about sex, or art, or love, or whatever. No questions are off limits!- Interview or just chat with Annie- Just come say hello- Have a cup of tea and peruse her books and DVDs- Ask Annie for advice- Teach Annie something!For over a quarter of a century, Annie Sprinkle has explored sexuality in all of it’s most glorious (and inglorious) forms. From her beginnings as a sexually curious sex worker to her evolution as a groundbreaking performance artist and sexologist, she has shared what she has learned through filmmaking, writing, photography, visual art, teaching workshops. She’s done theater and performance art about her life around the world for twenty years. For more about Annie visit www.anniesprinkle.org, and www.loveartlab.org

You’re Worth It! Movie Night with Annie Sprinkle
7:00 PM
Tech LR 5
The famous psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich said, “The orgasm is no longer a mere biological function used in procreation, nor the side effect of casual pleasure… It is the very center of the human experience and ultimately determines the happiness of the human race.” Annie will screen her latest film, Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasm. It’s an experimental documentary and poetic homage to the Big O featuring interviews with 26 orgasm experts. READ: Artistic sexually explicit documentary. This film explores how to tackle a subject such as orgasm as an artist, and is a collage of artistic work otherwise known as edu-porn or as an alternative sex film. The film is one hour, then there will be a fun and informative conversation. After you see this colorful, educational, thought provoking, sometimes sexy, film, you will very likely see your own orgasms in a new light!

The Sex Week Carnivale
Come See What’s Under Our Tent Tonight
9:00 PM
Patten Gym

Come one, come all to the Sex Week Carnivale. Step inside our big top and try your hand at fun, kinky games cooked up by the frats… you might just win one of our many prizes from local sex toy shops or our sponsor, Trojan. Student groups will also compete against each other: the group with the most carnival-goers will win our grand prize! The Sex Week Carnivale: all the fun of a sexually-charged circus… minus the carnies. Co-Sponsored by the Interfraternity Council and Trojan Brand Condoms.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Three more join the ranks

We have three more "WoW Warriors" who have decided to join us for the spa night. I received word this week that we have secured a hair stylist, another makeup artist, and another masseuse for our spa night. WoW!

I was talking to a gal out in Virginia last night about an internship that I might be doing out there, and halfway throught the conversation she paused and said, "Wait...are you the Women of Worth girl?" I laughed, "Why yes I am." When people call me that, I was always think of the Morton Salt girl for some reason. Then she told me that she had graduated from Northwestern five years ago, and we talked about how hard it is to be a Christian on this campus. She said she wished WoW had been around when she was here. She asked me about the spa night and about how I got started with it in the first place, and I told her the story. "It's bigger than I could have ever imagined," I said. "I started out last year trying to put together a small-scale event for 10-20 girls. But I guess God had different plans for me." Yesterday was a tough day, and when I spoke to this woman, my conversation with her reminded me that I am mere clay in the Potter's hands. When I'm making dozens of calls each week and checking hundreds of emails and going back and forth with catering managers about linens and candles, I sometimes want to say, "Lord, I seriously only wanted to do this on a small-scale." Even when I think I have enough people and items and prizes and funds, God just keeps on saying, "No, I think I'll make it just a little bit bigger." When people ask me how I manage to raise all this money and secure all these specialists and wrangle in all these volunteers, the only answer I can give is "It's God." It's totally God. And it's only by his grace and through the love of his people that I am able to offer this alternative to the women of Northwestern.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

Praise God for his provision!
Please pray for our WoW warrior who is having surgery this morning.
Please pray that the weather holds up as we flyer the campus.
Please pray for me as I am trying to juggle WoW with the first week of Spring Quarter classes.
Please pray for the women who will be attending next week's events.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Urgent Prayer Request

I just received word that one of our volunteers is undergoing an unexpected surgery tomorrow. Please pray for her and her family. Pray that the Lord will give the doctors wisdom, and pray that the Lord's healing hand will be at work.

One more week!

The funds, the items, the prizes, the prayers keep on rolling in! Our God is THE provider.

To date, we have raised a whopping $1,340 for next week's events. WoW! It's amazing to me how God can combine all of our small acts of service for something bigger than we could have ever imagined. Thank you to everyone who has contributed financially. The bulk of this money will be used for the spa night--for hotel fees, parking costs, spa items, thank you gifts,etc. In addition, I have been specifically praying that the Lord would provide us with enough money to buy books for each girl who comes to the Heather Paulsen event next week. I am happy to say that with the extra money, we will be able to give a copy of the book "Emotional Purity" to most, if not all, of the ladies in attendance. WoW! And finally, some of you may know that my desire is to make WoW an official organization with tax-exempt status, and this can be a VERY expensive process. If we have money left over from the spa night and speaker, we will then use this money towards becoming a full-fledged organization. Again...WoW!

I wish I had taken pictures of my dining room before coming back to school. It was literally a sea of pink. With your generous prize donations, we were able to put together over 50 prize packages for the ladies in attendance, and by next week, we'll probably be closer to 75! WoW! I had so much fun assembling the prizes for these ladies, and I'm sure they will greatly appreciate them.

We are almost set as far as items go. We have received almost every item on the list. So many people have generously donated items, and a nail salon even donated 30 bottles of OPI nailpolish and a brand new paraffin bath. WoW! We are still in need of a few things, so if you know of anyone who would still like to help out, please pass this list along:

1) Vanilla scented paraffin wax
2) Disposable mascara wands
3) High quality makeup brush cleaner
4) Disinfectant for combs/nail clippers
5) Mirrors for makeup application table

In the service department, we currently have an eyemakeup specialist, a waxing specialist, and two massage specialists. We possibly have a nail specialist as well. This is always the hardest task, so if you know of anyone who would be willing to offer their services, please have them email wownorthwestern@gmail.com or call me (you should have that number from the emails I have sent out). We also have a dozen or so women who are going to serve as "spa assistants," and I'm very excited about that!

People have been asking me what they can pray for, and I have a few prayer requests that you can pass on:

1) Praise God for his provision!
2) Continue to pray for the women in attendance
3) Continue to pray for the women NOT in attendance
4) Continue to pray for Heather as she prepares to speak with these women
5) Continue to pray for the future of WoW
6) Please pray for the safety of the spa specialists and assistants as they travel to Northwestern
7) Please pray for me and the other students who are involved in the planning process
8) Please pray that God will make his name known and that these women will realize that they are precious in his sight
9) Please pray that the weather will let up so that we can go out and publicize!
10) Please pray for the Northwestern campus

I think that's about it for now. Thanks for your support and for your prayers. If you think about it, listen in to the Sandy Rios Show WYLL1160 on Friday between 3:00 and 5:00. I'll be on the air with Sandy discussing the "hook-up" culture on college campuses.

Embracing and Preserving Our Womanhood,

Chelsea

Monday, March 24, 2008

WoW Update

I continue to be amazed by the generosity of God's people. We are two and a half weeks away from Spa Night, and God has provided for almost every need.

Here's what we have:

Approximately $950 in monetary donations--WoW!

Two (2) massage therapists, a makeup design specialist, a waxing specialist, and a photographer--WoW!

A dozen spa assistants, or what I like to call WoW Warriors--WoW!

A basement full of prizes and spa items--WoW!

A grand ballroom for one fourth of the actual price--WoW!

I could keep "WoW"ing all day, but this should give you a good idea of what's been going on. If you still would like to help and pray, here are some more of our needs:

PEOPLE:
If you know of any spa specialists, please pass on the information. Services we would like to offer include waxing, hairstyling, manicures, pedicures, and facials. We have five (5) specialists as of now, but we would like to add a few more.

ITEMS:
Vanilla-scented paraffin wax (5-6 blocks)
Pink Decks of Cards (5-6 decks)
Fingernail clippers and nail files
1 gallon plastic bags (twist-tie)
Makeup brushes (for eyeshadow)

PRIZES:
A gift certificate for our grand prize package
Any other items you can think of that might make cute raffle prizes

BOOKS:
Christian author, Heather Paulsen, will be speaking on Monday, April 7th. She wrote the book "Emotional Purity," and we would like to hand out a free copy to every woman at the workshop. If you are interested in designating funds for this purpose, please email wownorthwestern@gmail.com.

OTHER:
We would like to have 4-5 paraffin baths this year. If you have one that we can borrow, please let us know!

PRAYER:
Continue to pray for the ladies in attendance and those not in attendance
Continue to pray that God will provide our every need
Continue to praise God for already providing us with so much
Continue to pray for the women who are offering their time and services
Continue to pray for Heather Paulsen who will speak on her book "Emotional Purity" on April 7th
Continue to pray for the future of WoW and for God to provide us with the people and means to make this an official non-profit organization

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support!

Embracing and Preserving Our Womanhood,

Chelsea

Friday, March 21, 2008

Spa Night






















Dear friends,

In the 139th psalm, David writes, “I will praise you Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” As you may know, last year, I founded a student group at Northwestern University called Women of Worth (WoW) which is dedicated to helping young college women embrace this biblical truth and biblical femininity. WoW works to promote a type of feminism in which biblical femininity is embraced and values are upheld by serving as a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual resource for young women on college campuses.

In the spring of 2007, the Northwestern University College Feminists sponsored the first-ever Sex Week at Northwestern University. When I heard about this event, my heart broke for the women at Northwestern, and I felt as though the Lord was leading me to offer an alternative for these young women. With no money and little time, I decided that I would try to plan a small-scale spa night as an alternative to the Sex Week events. In just under three (3) weeks, I was able to raise over $5,000 in donations, spa services, and prizes. Through the generous donations of Christians all over the nation, I was able to rent out a banquet room at the Hotel Orrington in Evanston and purchase items for the spa night. God also opened doors for me to appear on The Sandy Rios Show on WYLL 1160, and several individuals and organizations donated prizes for the women in attendance as well.

On the night of the event, I prayed that God would bring at least 25 women, and the Lord multiplied my request by bringing over 100 women to the event, including the entire women’s softball team! The ladies were extremely appreciative of the alternative that we had offered to them, and again and again women were shocked when I told them that everything had been donated by Christians who wanted them to know that they were truly women of value and worth.
This year, I am planning another spa night for Thursday, April 10th, and Christian author Heather (Paulsen) Patenaude has also agreed to speak on her book “Emotional Purity” on April 7th. WoW is in need of several resources, and I would be extremely grateful if you would be willing to help with this year's needs. I have compiled a list of all the needs varying from prayer to manpower to financial contributions to item donations. If you are interested in helping, please choose an area or areas in which you would like to assist and let me know as soon as possible. You can contact me via email at
wownorthwestern@gmail.com. If you would like to make a financial contribution to this ministry, please make your check out to Lakeview Church with a memo that reads Women of Worth (WoW). Thank you for your time, and please prayerfully consider helping with this project. Your support is vital to Women of Worth’s success.


In Christ,

Chelsea Thompson
--

PRAY

Before you consider helping with your time or money, please take a minute to commit yourself in prayer. Specifically, please pray for:

The women in attendance
The women not in attendance
That God will provide us with the necessary funds, resources, and people for the evening
The future of Women of Worth
Heather and her talk on emotional purity
Opportunities to share the gospel

___ I am committed in prayer.

___ I am committed to praying with a group (or by myself) from 8-11 PM on Thursday, April 10th.

GIVE

There are so many ways for you to contribute financially to the WoW ministry. Some of our expenses include parking for our helpers, a small token of appreciation for each of the spa specialists, advertising, prizes, decorations, and, most importantly, spa supplies! If you would like to help cover these expenses, you can 1) either write a check to Lakeview Church with a memo that reads Women of Worth (WoW) 2) volunteer to donate a spa item or items listed or 3) volunteer to donate a prize or prizes for the women in attendance.

___ I would like to financially contribute to the Women of Worth Spa Night. I will send a check to:

Lakeview Church
1821 Sheridan Rd.
Zion, IL
60099

___ I would like to donate an item or items listed below:

Spa Items:
Cotton Balls
Nail Polish (spa quality)
Nail Polish Remover
Bobby Pins
Plastic hair rubber bands
Q-tips
Bath and Body Works Lotions
Vanilla paraffin wax (5-10 packages needed)
Plastic bags for hand treatments (1 gallon)
Pink playing cards (5 decks)
Hershey’s Kisses (3-4 bags)
Women’s Magazines (Used or New)
Prize Ideas:
Hair products
Lotions
Cosmetics
Cosmetic bags
Gift certificates
CDs
Books
Coffee mug
Tea
Note cards
Picture frames
Chocolate

___ I would like to buy ____ books for the “Emotional Purity” talk on Monday, April 7th.

SERVE

We would love to have able-bodied women help us out on April 10th. If you’re a spa specialist, please consider offering your services for the evening. If you’re not a spa specialist, we’d still love to have you! It’s always great to have extra people to greet and assist. Some of the services (hand treatments) don’t require any experience, just a willing and cheerful spirit. The more people we have, the more these women see God’s love. This night is full of opportunities to share the gospel, so please consider serving in this capacity.

___ I am a spa specialist (hair, makeup, nails, massages, waxing) and would like to provide a spa service.

___ I am not a spa specialist, but put me to work! I am willing to serve as a greeter, floater, or “spa assistant.”