Yes

Sometimes, I think to myself: what. the. heck. am I doing?  Hi, I'm Laura.  I'm shy.  I like to be independent; do things alone; watch people I don't know, not talk to them.

Story: One time, at the beginning of my junior year, during Vandy Catholic's fall outreach, a friend and I went to the Commons (freshmen housing) during their Movie on the Lawn night to gather some fresh blood... I mean, first years... and invite them to the Ice Cream Social happening at the Frassati House.  We went, spent a good hour or so there, and somehow managed to return to the Frassati House with no less than 15 freshmen in tow.  It was a team effort, really.  You see, my friend did all the talking, and I... well, I held the sign.  That's right.  Oh, I mean, I was a killer sign-holder.  I even drew the sign.  That hand-drawn ice cream cone must have looked pretty appetizing in order to get those 15 young'uns to follow us 20 minutes from the Commons to Frassati.  And the arrow... it was always pointing in the right direction.  Yeah, I was a killer sign-holder.

I tell you this story to give you an idea of where I come from and where I still feel most comfortable.  Behind the sign.  No need to speak.  I mean, didn't Saint Francis say, "Preach the Gospel always, if necessary use words"?  Well, that is too tempting for me.  You think I'll be an effective missionary at Columbia if I walk around all day holding a sign?  I wish.  But that's not what God has called me to do.  He just keeps pushing me further and further.

In the past few years, God has made me ask people for things they don't really want to give and do things they don't really want to do; knock on strangers' doors, disrupt their day, and ask questions they don't really want to answer.  Now, I've said yes to a job that asks me to invite myself into others' lives in an endless variety of ways and not leave them alone until they start doing the same.  Not easy for someone who just wants to be a people-pleasing fly on the wall.

What. the. heck. am I doing?

... His will, I guess.  And by 'guess', I mean 'know'.  And, I suppose, I really don't need to know anything else.

Brother

This is Daniel.  He is my brother.  My one and only sibling.  Being at home has allowed me to spend lots of time with him, which is the thing I was looking forward to the most.  My mom's been out of town a lot, so it's just been the two of us.  It seems that's how it's always been, and that's the way I like it.

Daniel and me at our uncle's wedding

Tonight, for instance, we sat on the couch and ate leftovers while watching the Women's World Cup, trying to figure out whether or not Japan had actually already won and we were just watching a repeat, as I attempted to convince him that sweet potatoes are, in fact, delicious while we reminisced about that time that our dad got my mom's birthday confused with my step-mom's.  Haha, whoops.

Good times.  How I love this kid.

Home?

I just arrived back in Louisiana to spend some of the summer.  I used to call this home, and I guess it always will be, since I grew up here, but after spending so much time in Nashville and finding an irreplaceable community, I oftentimes find myself feeling more at home up there than down here.

Warning: This is another "Goodbye" post, this time to Nashville (and Vanderbilt).  This one is a bit harder than the NST one, because these past 5 years in Nashville changed the course of my life entirely.  God blessed me so much.  Here are some of the highlights:

2006

2010

These girls were my best friends for the first few years of college.  We all lived with or next door to each other as sophomores.  We called ourselves, "The Six of Us" (creative, I know...).  They'll always hold a special place in my heart!

Famous and extremely talented friends - Colleen McCarron Nixon, to name just one!

Fainting Goats and Pumpkin Picking 2009

Crazy choir people

Halloween 2009

 

 

The boys won't admit it, but this was a wonderful prank

Although theirs was pretty good, too...

Confetti eggs at BYX Formal 2010

... and again at graduation (*note- the score is Girls: 2; Boys: 0)

The opportunity to go to Honduras

... and France

Holy friendships

My sweet sweet frin, Cristina

The beautiful Treehouse girls (not pictured: Niki)

The Sundanese Community Center

My frins are weird

Beach Week 2010

My Totus Tuus team

I had no clue how much that summer would change my life!

These funny people - this year would not have been the same without them.

SO fun!  And there's so much more!  What a wonderful 5 years.  Thanks to all those who helped make it so memorable.  And most especially... Thank you, Jesus!

Goodbye NST 2011

Yesterday marked the end of FOCUS New Staff Training 2011.  And all I can really say is... whoa.  I am utterly blown away by God's love for me and the honor He has given me in allowing me to be a missionary for Him.  I am so grateful!

But, really, these past five weeks were C-R-A-Z-Y crazy.  New friends, new mission partners, new ideas, new revelations, new experiences, new perspectives, new challenges, new life!  My life is in such a different place than I thought it was going to be just one and a half months ago.  God has a plan that I cannot even begin to comprehend.

Some highlights:

The girls in my college (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)

 A "college" at NST is the group of men or women with whom you spend more time and are more intentional in your relationships.  We lived together or next door to each other and shared our stories and did fun things together.  Each college is named after a saint, and ours was Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein.  What beautiful women!

Jeff Cavins

Jeff Cavins is a well-known Catholic speaker.  He put together a pretty well-known Salvation History Bible Study that he walked through with us in just one day.  All of Salvation History in 5 hours.  It was intense, but so interesting, especially since I've never really studied Salvation History before but have always wanted to.  The Second Years were kind of obsessed with this man.  It was a little scary.

L'Angelus came to play for us

 They finally dedicated their song to me!  This was a great night with lots of dancing.  One of the workers at the bar where they played said that he had never seen so many people have so much fun without being drunk.  I think that is a great witness to the world that you can practice temperance and still have fun.  Lots of fun.

Mass in a beautiful chapel

It was so wonderful being at Mass with so many people who strive to immerse themselves so totally in it.  Also, you can see some Dominican Sisters in the congregation!  It was such a treat to have them come visit!

 

Grace, Kathryn, and Father came to visit

... Need I say more!?

There is so much more I could talk about- that was just a glimpse into my past 5 weeks.  And now, FOCUS is launching their missionaries into the world to fulfill the Great Commission that Christ left us.  But before I get down to business, I've come back to Nashville to celebrate two great friends who are getting married tonight.  Reunion time!  I can't wait.  Life is good.