Ora Et Labora: Nicole Horstman

When Nicole Horstman was in third grade, she accompanied her father to his choir performance at Mel Trotter Ministries, which serves people experiencing homelessness in Grand Rapids.

“I grew up in a stable, loving home, so it was the first time I remember realizing that others lived differently than I did,” Horstman said. This experience left her with a desire to serve others through non-profit work. 

Horstman shared her journey toward realizing this dream with the Kuyper community on February 16 as part of Ora Et Labora, a weekly time where speakers come to campus to talk about their work and how their faith impacts that work.

“When I came to Kuyper, I enrolled in the Business Leadership program because I wanted to prepare for administrative roles within non-profit work,” Horstman said. After graduation, she enrolled in an applied linguistics master’s program, with the goal of serving others by teaching English as a second language.

It was then that an old friend from her days volunteering with PRC Grand Rapids, a reproductive health clinic, presented her with a job opportunity. “He suggested I apply for a job scheduling their education program in local schools,” she said. 

While working for the PRC, Horstman realized that this was her true calling. “God opened my heart to serving others through providing compassionate pregnancy and reproductive care,” she said. 

Over the years, Horstman has grown in her role at the PRC. “As my needs and life situation has changed, God has opened up opportunities for me at the PRC. He has continued to tug on my heart and tell me that this is where I’m supposed to be,” she said.