a leap of faith & a blurb on life

Just a little reminder if you haven't wandered over here in a while...I moved! Both in the real world and in the virtual one.

I am now living in Australia and am on a STINT. To follow my adventures and to learn about what STINT even is go to The Leap of Faith

I'm also keeping a personal blog, The Sunflower Girl which you should visit too!

Ta & Cheers,

Nicole

new post...new blog

New post on the new blog!

Just a reminder, I've moved over to www.NicoleLaPierre.wordpress.com

But if you are lazy here is the post (but check out the new blog because there is a lot there that isn't here)

Student Life is the Australia’s branch of campus ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. If I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to you about what it is and what I will be doing with them, please explore the rest of the website! For a quick look at the vision behind Student Life, here is a quick video made by the Aussies’ who know it best…Student Life: In Uncomplicated English

moving

I am moving blogs. Loads more options on WordPress and looks a bit more professional. I'll keep this one alive for those who wander over here.

The new blog is at http://nicolelapierre.wordpress.com/

At the moment...

Here is a brief look into my life. This month I am...

-raising support for STINT

-getting excited about Chuck

-growing my hair out for Lock of Love

-considering getting bangs when I cut my hair

-training for the Richmond Marathon 8k

-missing Virginia Tech, my friends and the amazing community in Blacksburg

-learning about the power and importance of prayer

-re-reading all of the Harry Potter books (1/4 of the way through Goblet of Fire)

-cooking and baking heap of new things

-reading A Heart Like His by Beth Moore

-listening to Hamish and Andy podcasts to gain insight into Aussie culture

-trying to find an inexpensive hobby (suggestions welcome)

-soaking up time with friends and family

Briefing

The Melbourne Team

Going to STINT briefing opened my eyes to a lot of things. God continues to show me his vision for the world, and what a blessing it is to be part of reaching every nation for His kingdom. I tend to be a bit ignorant of the condition of the world. There is an outstanding number of people who have never heard of Christ. There are cities and towns who live in darkness where no Christians reside. Lost, following the rules of a world that only brings isolation, pain and sadness.

I often doubt, even as a future missionary, the impact that one believer can make. But one light in the darkness is powerful. With the renewal of a vision for the world, I am even more excited about going to Australia! It is now a little over 4 months away. Till then my days are spent raising support, spending time with family and friends and getting ready for Australia.

Sometimes it is hard to explain exactly what I am going to be doing on STINT. This video gives an insight into the ministry. This video was made by a team who was in Melbourne for 2 weeks. They worked on two universities (we will be on several others) but did much of what we will be doing for a longer period.

Check the video out at: http://www.vimeo.com/13792082

Being a Vagabond

This past month I have been feeling like a vagabond. Each weekend of the month I was somewhere different and spent a lot of time driving in my car. Don’t get me wrong, I loved seeing friends, going to weddings and raising support in other cities. It is really cool to see my support team form and look at all the different places my teammates are from.

For three weeks in July I had an internship with PYE Interiors, an interior design firm located in Charlottesville, VA. I saw this internship as a blessing from God because before this I had no professional experience in interior design. It was theperfect amount of time and since I have longer to raise support than most people I was able to take it. I worked with three amazing women who showed me both the joys and hardships of interior design. I got to design the wayfinding/signage for a medical center and got to watch real clients respond to my design! I am excited to say that there is a huge possibility it is actually going to be made. So in a year or two my welcome wall design, waiting room feature and signage could be what people see in a real building. This is a big deal when you have only ever had imaginary clients who you control their preferences (and of course you imagine them happy with the design). Many have asked what I want to do after a year in Australia and the honest answer is I really don’t know. What I do knowis that God will lead me and this internship granted me insight into the working world.

With the internship, support raising became a bit harder. I was pretty much exhausted after the three weeks and am ready to get back to full time support raising. I have really enjoyed meeting with each potential supporter, hearing their stories and getting to know them better. Each meeting reminds me of God’s calling for me to go to Australia andgets me more and more excited to go to Melbourne!

Here are some sites from July:

My cousin Carter married Sanja this month!

My desk at my internship.

The Jetta didn't survive all the traveling. It died and is being sold for parts.

what's next

Hello! It has been a while since I have updated the blog, but here is a quick recap of what has been going on in my life and where I am headed...

I just graduated from Virginia Tech in Interior Design a couple of weeks ago. It is hard to describe all that happened in senior year but some of the highlights were my Bible study girls, a giant winter storm, thesis project in studio, Chicago service trip for Spring Break and the wonderful friendships and community at Virginia Tech. Right now I am making the adjust from being a student to living back at home and being an alumnus.
After coming home from summer project and back to school I started thinking about what after graduation would hold. God continued to place Melbourne on my heart and after much prayer and thought I will be spending the next year of my life doing ministry in Melbourne, Australia with Campus Crusade for Christ's Student Life.

During college God taught me a lot about Himself, His promises and Christ’s teachings but God also used me to reach others. I was blessed to led a Bible study of amazing girls for the past two years. I got to watch as they grew in their faith and relationship with Christ. I loved being able to reach out to and work with young women on campus.
Another passion God developed was a heart for international students. Last year and last semester I co-led Bridges, Cru’s international student outreach team. I got to see the needs of international students to know both the love of Christ and the love of us Christians as they were far from home, lonely and open to learning new things.

I am excited to see how God is going to use these passions in my ministry in Australia. It is amazing how they match up to the needs in Melbourne. The Aussie culture is one of apathy and is in need of the Gospel. Like in America, many of their physical needs are met but spiritually it is very dry. Thankfully there are some Christians, but many are young in their faith and in need of encouragement and teaching.
Melbourne is unique in that it is a cultural hub. About a quarter of the population is born overseas and there are over 12,000 international students attending universities in the city. It is an amazing opportunity to meet with them in Australia because many of these internationals come from countries in Asia and the Middle East where they are not free to explore and learn about Christianity.

Currently I am at home and raising a team of supporters so that I can report to my assignment in Melbourne in January. I am trusting God to raise up this team and would love it if you could join me in praying for this team to quickly be formed and for the ministry in Melbourne. If you would like to talk more about this or have any questions please e-mail me (lapierre@vt.edu) or continue to check back here for updates!


Cheers,
Nicole