Impossible? ...No such thing!

Did you set any goals for 2013? I haven't yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something. I have already set plenty of goals for myself for this school year, so I didn't think it was too important to have new ones. And with the lifestyle I'm living I seem to do things that I only think of afterward to put on a list to cross off. Let me tell you about today…

Today I walked across an entire nation. That's right! I did it on foot! Okay, okay, New Zealand is pretty skinny but it was still quite the adventure! I wasn't sure we were going to survive (slight exaggeration included here, but not much)!

The adventure began at the Auckland Zoo (which is one of the best I've been to) where Amanda and I found a bus and climbed on. We told the nice man driver that we were trying to get to the Viaduct and so he told us how much to pay and then dropped us close to there. 

 From the Viaduct we shopped all down Queen Street which has all the touristy stuff so we could give Christmas presents to our families when we see them. Then with all our bundles we set out to cross the country. From one coast to the other. This was a challenge we were ready to tackle…sorta. 

We started in good spirits. Amanda was happy to see some beautiful Palm Trees and even posed for a picture with them and all her bundles. But at this point we weren't actually on track…see our map didn't have the first 3 street names…I had copied it from one on a computer, and did as best as I could, but the one on the computer didn't have all the street names either. So we started out lost and asked a stranger for help, but his advice didn't make sense, so we ignored it and kept going. 

When we got to a park we thought it was a good excuse to stop and have a snack and a drink. I am constantly pushing for drink breaks, because I don't like carrying the water bottle and the more we drink the lighter it gets!

This was a really exciting point where the curve in the road seemed to match the one I had drawn on our map…a very rare moment. Because just around the corner the road name changed on the road, but not on our map…round two of being lost.

At this point our map was useless. We were very confused and could not seem to find any of the streets that we had on our map. We tried to use the sun and land marks we had seen this past week, but we are both quite directionally challenged, so we just sat and fussed for a minute and then kept on walking. 

I had chosen to wear my jandels (flip flops) which was not the best option and got a blister on the bottom of my foot, so I took them off and was walking barefoot...

And then a mean old bee stung my foot and it hurt so bad I was fussing up a storm and Amanda was laughing at me. That stung my left foot and I got a thorn or piece of glass or something in my right foot and I was limping like an old lady! But we persevered! 

We asked for the 3rd or 4th time for more directions and figured out that we were way off track. We were supposed to follow the roads drawn on the map and we were somewhere close to where my finger was…but we decided to "bushwhack" through the city instead of back tracking. 

We finally came to street on our map! 

And there were pretty flowers there so we posed with them…they had bees buzzing around them so I was a bit nervous, but I braved it and didn't get a second sting. 

Our first view of the opposite coast! We were almost there! yay! yay! yay! 

Amanda at the "finish line" 

Me and my map made it to the finish! woooo-hooo!

Making it to the end called for a celebration of snacks! Thanks to Grandma Velting for sending these gummies out to me! After our crazy walk in the heat, this pack had turned into one giant gummy, but it tasted delicious!

And to finish off the adventure we were sitting at the park waiting for Jo to come pick us up and a man was playing with his dog and he hit a tennis ball WITH HIS RACKET and it hit me in the hip as I sat not even facing him on the grass! Then his dog came bounding towards me and I thought it might run me over! ahhh…so many crazy moments in this day! Too too funny! Such a great 1st day of the year. Hope yours is spectacular as well! 

It's Been Far Too Long!

Oh my oh my! I'm sorry for my absence, see, I've just been having the time of my life, and sometimes I forget to update you all. Let's see...I guess that means I owe you lots of stories and pictures...

The last "roomie pic" of 2012 was us doing "Tim Tam Slams" where you bite the ends off these yummy cookies called Tim Tams and suck coffee through them and then devour them...quite delicious!

Dec 20, Holiday Day 1: Geraldine to Christchurch

We hitch hiked quite successfully on both days 1 and 2!

Dec 21, Holiday Day 2: Christchurch to Akaroa

Akaroa is stunningly beautiful!

And these dolphins were there just off shore to welcome us.

Dec 22, Holiday Day 3: Akaroa

See those little rock islands sticking out in the middle...you guessed it...we went out there!

Dec 23, Holiday Day 4: Akaroa - Christchurch

The touristy shopping and pictures with statues day.

Then I took the bus back to Christchurch. It felt very weird to not be with at least part of The Crossing family for the first time since mid-September!

Dec 24, Holiday Day 5: Christchurch - Auckland

These lovely ladies (Carmel, Amber, and Jo) called my name out of their car window at the airport, so that's how I chose which car to get in (they are friends of a friend)! We had never met each other, but have become great friends now!

Saw Santa! Poor guy must have been so hot in that suit! 

And saw my first black sand beach...which came with a car stuck in it!

Dec 25, Holiday Day 6: Auckland

Amanda flew in on Christmas day! From China! 

My wonderful family sent me heaps of presents with her! 

We kept her up all day and did many fun things...one of which was a great game of croquet! 

So happy to have her here!

Dec 26, Holiday Day 7: All over Auckland

A new friend, Shelly, took us to volcanos, memorials, and the museum. This one was called One Tree Hill.

In the museum.

In the Maori section of the museum.

A really pretty one to Michael Joseph Savage 

Auckland City

A cool chair to hide from the rain in at the Viaduct 

We went to Shelly's parents house for dinner and made this tree out of cookies!

Dec 27, Holiday Day 8: Rangitoto - it's a volcano

We thought we lost the path 

Taking in the view up on the top

Exploring lava caves...super scary!

Floating down on lava...well...it used to be I guess...now it's just sharp rocks

Dec 28, Holiday Day 9: Auckland

We went with even more new friends to a marine reserve. 

We were brave and snorkeled...I was brave facing the icy cold water, and Amanda was brave facing sharks...(there weren't any, but it was the ocean, so you never know) 

Me and Aiden (one of my new friends) tried to build a sand castle, but it wasn't the best sand to work with so we turned it into an erupted volcano. 

Got some yummy kiwiyo after dinner!

Dec 29, Holiday Day 10:

We went Black Water Rafting...super fun!

Coming out at the end of the cave.

We survived!

And then we found a kiwi bird to climb on!

Okay, sorry to shove 10 days all together! It was hard to sum it all up so quick, but just know that every day is an adventure and there are plenty more pics that you will one day be able to see if you'd like to. Merry Christmas every one!

The Holly Jolly Helmet Run

We created our own 5k to raise money for new helmets at our school, because ours are not in the greatest shape. We wanted to have people pay to join, like a normal fund raiser, but our wonderful director said he would be our sponsor! Here's us getting ready.

 

 We even had numbers duct taped to us, but warning...they fall off as you sweat. 

 10 our of the 12 living in our house went. Kelcey stayed back because of her broken leg and was the photographer, and Coley stayed back to be the water girl.

 Us with our numbers. 

 Schaeffer and Davey at the finish

 Josh coming in at the end

Gen 

Jess 

Gen and Drea 

Amy, me, Erica, and Daniel behind her 

It was heaps of fun, and well worth waking up for at 6:30 on a Saturday! 

Learning Heaps

Normally I try to just put pictures up here with a few words and explanations, because I don't like to read, and I figure there must be other people out there like me who enjoy pictures. But sometimes there are no pictures that represent the thoughts. This is one of those days. I want to share my heart with you and tell you what's going on between my brain and my heart. So if you're only in it for the pictures then wait for the next post, they'll be back! 

To write what I have learned is no small task. It is quite impossible actually. But in an effort to try I will look through my notes, Bible, books and memories to write down some of the highlights and quotes for you.

"Actions are simply manifestations of what's in your heart." - Werner Schreiber. So you cannot 'lose your temper', it's just what's in your heart spilling out.

"So often we try to invite God into our story, but really we're being invited into His story." -Louie Giglio

"Until we understand that the passion of the flesh that drives one person to take drugs may be the same passion that drives another to teach Sunday school, we haven't yet understood the Bible's teaching on sin." - Revolution Within, pg 53

"Sin is independence of God instead of in dependence of God." - Charles Price

"God is unbelievably unpredictable. He is unbelievably reliable and loving, but unpredictable." - Lincoln Badger

"Were all human beings suddenly to become blind, still the sun would shine by day and the stars by night, for these owe nothing to the millions who benefit from their light. So, were every man on earth to become atheist, it could not affect God in any way. He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfections; to doubt Him takes nothing away." - A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, pg 50

"Greatness is born of weakness transformed, rather than strength magnified." - Russell Kelfer 

"God doesn't necessarily want you to reach your full potential...Jesus didn't. Jesus fulfilled the will of God instead of being a successful carpenter or pharisee." - Kris Baines

"Peace, love and joy come not with the absence of trials, but with the presence of Jesus." - Kris Baines

"If we were God, most of the things that made the biggest impact on our lives, we would have erased." - Russell Kelfer

"Rest is not a slow, sleepy Sunday. It is the presence of Christ. It is everything right. God didn't need a break on day 7, but He enjoyed creation. Maybe Jesus healed on the Sabbath because hurt and broken people make the Sabbath not what it was intended to be. - Peter Thomas 

"God's holiness demands a payment. His love says, 'I'll make that payment'." - Dale Epp

On our backpacking trip my eyes were opened during a misty day. At first I was sad because we couldn't see God's beautiful creation while we hiked, but then it was as if God spoke to me and said, "Shelby, I made the mist too." It was an amazing reminder to appreciate ALL of God's creation instead of just the 'cool' stuff. And to love all of God's people, not just the easy to love ones.

"You don't have to be the leader to be an influence." - Peter Bichan 

Everyday I learn something and get opportunities to try to apply it. I wish I could share all the teaching around each of those quotes with you, but then you don't have hours everyday to sit down and read this and that's how much teaching I'm getting, so I better not. I don't always enjoy what I learn because challenges aren't always fun, but I still am thankful for them. It has been wonderful to recognize how great my God is and how He really doesn't need me, but He is willing to work in and through me to bring glory to Himself. And that is my life goal...to glorify Him.