ADDRESS!!!

Paige Laurent
671 Samford rd,
Mitchelton, Queensland 4053

Send me letters and things! we could also be pen-pals which would be a blast! (so you could also send me paper and envelopes) ooo and pictures of you guys!

bib bic bic

Made it here alive! YAY GOD! nobody slipped crack in my suitcase and i didnt get arrested (which was probably my biggest fear of traveling internationally). i also had a very enjoyable ride down to the airport with the most amazing man i get to call my boyfriend. He among many others have been such an incredible support with this trip - that i dont know how i would have gotten onto that plane without the Holy Spirit consistently using them to encourage me in the most oppurtune times.

both plane rides went pretty well! but they were long. quite long indeed that when i finally did start walking around, my legs werent quite sure what to do with themselves. naturally, some stumbling occurred. but God placed me by a very sweet, talkative woman whose son had done YWAM for many years! her and her husband were so kind and just took me in as a daughter for the duration of the never-ending flight. she was just one of the many little blessings God pours onto us each day. 

Fiji was breathtaking! step off of the plane took my breath away and i felt that familiar smack in the face when you somehow forget just how amazing our creator can be. i could have stayed surrounded by those mountains forever! it was intense to see such a beautiful place with people flocking into it! then to pick up the local newspaper and read about the violence and poverty that goes along with it. a woman i met on the plane had just come from there and talked about books she brought to a classroom who literally had none. it boggles my mind how people can be snorkeling and relaxing on a beach where about 40ft away there will be men neck high in the water trying to hunt just so their family has something to eat. if you are reading this right now, i encourage you to pray for Fiji in any way you feel lead.

Australia is beautiful! i am excited to see more of it and will hopefully be going into the city tomorrow! the people are great and i feel as if i have already made friends with the people that are going to be sisters to me these next fews months! i cant wait. the jet lag is ridiculous, so i am going to try and rest. 

i miss you all! please be praying for me - that my homesickness eases and that i can enjoy all the blessings God has in store. please be praying the same for my fellow YWAMers. and dont forget Fiji!

10 DAYS TO GO! YIKES!

Yikes, there is no better word for what I am feeling right now! after anticipating a trip like this for the past 2 years now I am in panic mode! leaving in 10 days... that is basic math I can do in my head and that is when I know its time to worry! Each day I am experiencing conflicting feelings of "When will it come already" to "crap, crap, crap, i am leaving the country!". 

  Isnt it amazing how much of a rock our God is? I have been coming to appreciate that aspect of His character a lot more lately. My rock, my fortress, my stronghold - My God. As I flail about like a fish out of water, He just scoops me up into His hands; not intimidated by the mountains of fear in my life. That feeling in my heart alone makes this entire trip worth it already. Thank you Lord, for never-moving, never-failing, and always loving me. 

 With all my panic, I have just felt so unlovable these past few days and yet He showers me with it. In this frantic state, I have found myself whining to the Lord and as my true Father He just tells me to "Hush child". The idea of silence is a hard one for me and my character, but on this journey I am beginning to appreciate the value of a whisper. And when I finally do "hush up", He whispers His love to me whether its in the breeze that makes the trees blow or the baby in Starbucks smiling at me. 

  So by standing on a rock and feeling the gentle breeze, I could not be more excited for Australia!!! I cant wait to meet the people that will be my family for the next 6+ months, to see the beautiful country, to dance solely for my God, and to rely completely on my Father who loves me. 

Please pray for me fellow brothers and sisters! I could use prayer for my fundraising (I am about $5000 away YAY GOD), prayer for my health that is always a battle, and pray that everything this trip brings knocks me into the arms of Jesus.

Oh, and if you would like to receive monthly emails on my trip please give me your email! And also be in prayer for my friend Kristen who is going to England with YWAM (YAY GOD)!!!    

GOALS IN AUSTRALIA

1. Not get eaten by a giant spider or snake of ANY kind
2. Pet a wild kangaroo
3. Hold a koala
4. Go to Hillsong United Church
5. Go to the zoo
6. Master an Australian accent

more to come...

YAY GOD!!!

Hello! this is my blog in which i will be posting on for my missions trip! I am going to YWAM's (Youth With A Mission) base in Brisbane, Australia for 3 months where i will be doing my Discipleship Training and then from there going to another country and doing a missions trip for another 3 months. I can not even begin to tell you how excited i am for this adventure that God is giving me! if i tried to put my excitement into words it would probably come out a little like this "WWWWEEEEEE!!!!!VNDOAHDLNSRJSLVS!!!!!!!!!!!!" if you know me really well you are probably(hopefully) chuckling to yourself because i was able to so accurately desribe it.
   Currently, my status with this trip is all preparation and a LOT of fundraising! It has proven very challenging so far and i know that God and God alone is going to get me through this. i figured that out in the application progress because every step of the way was some obnoxious battle or work to just get my application in fully!  Now its about disciplining myself to get the things and paperwork done! this has proven to be especially challenging for me because my coping mechanism for overwhelming things is just to ignore it and pretend like its not there. naturally, that is not a good way to try and go about things when it comes to leaving the country. oh well, i am learning at least!
   I think that the fact that i will be LIVING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, not being able to speak or see my friends and family, being away from everything i know, and BEING USED BY GOD in ways that i never even knew imaginable - all those things havent really hit me yet... I am so focused on getting everything together and getting the money that i need in that i have not given myself the chance to thoroughly freak out and scream my excitement yet. (the freaking out/ dancing around/ screaming for joy is all apart of it hitting me).
   My goal and desires for this trip is that my goal and desires match the Lords. that in every part of this adventure; everything i learn and every person i meet is glorifying to my Lord Jesus Christ. i want to worship Him through every second of this and really learn who it is He has made me to be and how i can use that for Hsis glory. my God is AMAZING!!!!!!!! i just know that this entire trip is going to be one gigantic YAY GOD moment!!!!!
   That is where i am at as of now with all this stuff!!!! i promise, the more i blog the more i will become blog savvy. I would like to think that i will be able to fill my blogs with fascinating stories and convicting thoughts, but i am all over the place. I forewarn you; if i am super excited about something then it may come out a little confusing and exuberant. I invite you to follow my blog and see what our God is doing in my life and over seas! Prayer is always appreciated so please be praying! and feel free to contact me over facebook and/or skype, i would love to keep in touch!