bigger than a box

Hello anyone who is reading:) I'm really excited to be able to blog again, but a little bit overwhelmed as to what to say. So I guess more than anything- I hope that what I share with you encourages you and helps you to see God in this crazy thing we call life. And maybe hearing some stories from a different place can remind you of the summer and its inevitability.

I'll do my best to give you a glimpse of summer in NZ thus far with 2 stories/ things I'm processing through-

First has to be my time in Nelson for summer project. For 2 weeks I lived along one of thee most astounding, yet peaceful beaches I've ever seen. I spent lots of time in the kitchen and on the beach. But spending time with my Bible study women- Bexs, Beth, and Lauren- was such a gift. The point of us gathering in Nelson was to grow in our faith and to see others begin living in faith. So... as we met people from all around the world on the beach, we asked them what they thought about God. May seem a bit difficult-- but actually it is absolutely amazing to hear people talk about something that most people avoid. People have much to say. And people have experienced many things that shape who God is to them. Two girls from Switzerland thought that the sun was God. A woman from England thought science was the answer to it all, a student from Germany told us she had never thought about God. And person after person from NZ told us stories how they have never been to church, and do not understand who Jesus is. My favorite part of these conversations is after you listen to people and you actually value what they have to say-- they start to ask you questions. The girls from Switzerland asked us "Well then why do you believe in Jesus?" High school guys from NZ asked us, "Well if going to church and reading the Bible isn't what it's about, then what is Christianity all about?" And still another woman from England asked if we would pray for her- to give her faith that God does forgive, He does love. These conversations may seem crazy, way beyond what you'd ever talk to people about-- but I continue to be amazed at how God is working in the lives of people from every nation. My prayer as I left Ohio was to see that God was bigger than my life, bigger than the walls I build around Him-- and man-- He is. I continue to pray that the people we talked to on the beach will be encouraged to keep asking questions, and keep finding God.

Nelson was wonderful. And after Nelson, our team then took 6 days of "time off" to drive around the South Island. I'm really not sure that any words I could say about this trip would do any better than the pictures. And the pictures are only the beginning. But seeing the beautiful landscapes on the South Island was worth every second of the trip. I'm still praying that God would remind me of what I saw and that He would keep reminding me of His beauty and power.

Last lil bit of update (it's amazing to me if you're still reading). So... some thoughts on what's going on since we're back in Wellington now. Our team has been talking a bit about the US presidential campaign. We have been talking about what it looks like to live in faith- do we vote? do we care? who do we vote for? It is so easy for each of us to say, "Man I'm so overwhelmed, I have no idea how to pick a candidate and how to get good info about each of them. I'm just going to not care." I know I do it. But reality is, choosing to not care is a huge decision, with big consequences. To keep this short- I decided that Jesus cares and so I'm called to care. And not just to care, but to get off my butt and maybe put a little effort into such things. So I found this quiz- http://www.gotoquiz.com/candidates/2008-quiz.html -which you can check out- where you enter what you think about issues and it helps you pick a candidate (I do not yet know if this is the best quiz, alls I'm saying is start somewhere). So just last night, we were talking about this quiz and politics when I asked my friend next to me who is from South Africa, "Hey Jared, you're from Africa how would you answer this question about what the US should do in places such as Africa?" This question grew into something much bigger to me. As Jared answered the question I heard him talk about his family, how the gov't where they live is so corrupt his Dad's business may go under in the next month, how the gov't has taken away electricity b/c they didn't care to conserve it and now they are out of it for 5years, and how thousands of people are getting murdered-- in SOUTH AFRICA. Which is supposedly a 1st world country.

So I stepped back a moment to think about what is going on and how much I've cared in the past. Now I've got a friend from this place, 5 friends from this place, and I want to know why I think I can choose to not care. I'm not trying to overwhelm or to guilt-- I'm trying to get us to care. I'm trying to listen to what God has to say about this world and what we can do while we're here. There are no perfect answers. No president will fix everything. The problems in Africa are not easy. I'm just trying to learn and hear that God does have something to say about this. He does care. And it doesn't matter if it's going to take a lil effort on my part.

So yes NZ is a tiny country-- but I can't get over how many countries are represented here. And how much the Gospel changes everything in every place. I'd love to hear from you guys-- and let me know if you have any good info about the elections-- I love to hear what others are learning on their journey.~ Lacey

ps please join with me in praying for Jared and his family- we are praying right now that his Dad would get enough electricity for him to call NZ.

eye candy

I'll make it even easier for you.... here's the amazing slide show which Justin made...kind of makes the photos I posted below unnecessary... but he's just good like that.

Not enough hours in the day.

Well... I at least got some photos added for all of you to check out of our South Island travels. Our team is driving to Auckland tomorrow so I won't be able to really write about the trip until we get home..... but you just wait.... lots of good stories and things to recap for you! Until then... have fun with the photos:)

Love and miss you all. Can't wait to blog some stories and talk/ write to you guys individually!
--Lace

Date night

Justin's guys made us a surprise breakfast, got us some gelato for the afternoon, and took us for a picnic/ bonfire on the beach at night. That night was my favorite. I even ate a grub... like the ones on Lion King!

Amazing people, amazing memories.

Our whole project on the last night. 40+ of us spent 2 weeks in Nelson together-- brought back all my Va Beach memories-- and now I have more amazing summer project friends.

Lanarch Castle

I think I'm becoming my Mom... I made the whole team go see this castle- but yes Mom it was amazing. The only one in NZ and wow- were the views spectacular! We have great photos from the gardens outside.

Baldwin Street

The steepest street in the world! Justin jogged up it, I took my time. One guy even died trying to go down this in a wheelborrow. Min- I'm gonna learn how to go down this on rollerblades- you just wait!

Moraki Boulders

Our team enjoyed this stopping point in our drive-- these boulders and their roundness are loved by NZers. What a beautiful day.

Queenstown

This is the view of Queenstown from the top of the mountains. It's a town very much like a ski town in Colorado. We were only there for about 15 hours-- but it was pretty.

photos can't do it justice

Really huge waterfalls! We took a 2 hour boat ride around Milford Sound- we saw dolphins and seals- and could still not take in the views. Imagine huge mountains on both sides of you, a waterfall up ahead, and mist all around you.

Drive to Milford- which I actually drove!

For 2 hours we drove along this view- rainbows, waterfalls, and tall mountains- to get to Milford Sound- what some call the 8th world wonder. Most majestic thing I've ever seen.

nice faces guys

This is the before photo. I think I'm exaggerating a lil bit... but I was freaked that I was about to jump from a plane. Justin and Kara were excited, I was scared. But afterwards those 2 didn't feel well and I wanted to go again.

flying people

That's me on top with the yellow, Justin next with the blue, and Kara on the bottom with the pink-- flying through the air. At this point I'm screaming-- "It's soooooo cool, everyone needs to do this!, is that Justin?" And all the while- Hank is letting me steer the parachute.

best part of the trip!

Yeah I know the outfits are attractive. But check out Hank in the white... he's the guy I jumped with and was my new best friend... at least when we were 12,000 feet above the earth falling down towards it. So fun! So worth it!

I love waterfalls

Waterfalls were all around the glaciers. But my favorite part of the waterfalls was the sound! Power & beauty!

love the glaciers

It was even warmer at Franz glacier. We walked around all of these rocks to get as close as we could. And yes, I did steal a little rock for Grandma and Jake- I thought you guys would appreciate one:)

beauty at its best

This is a real picture. I can't really even believe it and I was there. In the distance is Franz Joseph Glacier... the 2nd glacier we stopped at-- gorgeous!!!

glaciers to top it all off

This is Fox Glacier... the 1st glacier I've ever seen! The colors were so fun! It really wasn't too cold even when we were standing next to it.

still eating good

Out for a team Christmas dinner... we got Italian in honor of our Italy Stinters:) Or just because we like it. It was delicious and I made cut-out cookies for dessert- yummm!

lime green... the new black

My Mom got me a full set of lime green pj's... what did your Mom get you? They are way comfy Mom and the color is delightful.

Christmas morning!

Us girls with our gifts sent from Mommy & Daddy. Thanks Mom & Dad! Notice the tree behind us.. it was small, but it was pretty!

They even have Christmas here!

I promised to try and keep you in the loop of how Kiwis celebrate Christmas... and I don't want to let you down. So here are some of the best moderations from a Christmas in the States that I can think of....
1. Instead of the song "let it snow" they sing "It'll never snow, It'll never snow"
2. barbeques... not chestnuts by the fire.... steaks on the grill
3. not Santa Clause most of the time... Father Christmas
4. the day after Christmas is not just a busy shopping day... it's a National holiday called Boxing Day (no Kiwi even knows why or what this day actually is)
5. and best of all..... Christmas is a day earlier here:)

Christmas came and went

I think most of you have seen the first Home Alone-- the scene at the beginning when everyone in the house is running around getting ready for their trip-- that is what my day has been like today. Ahhhhh our whole team leaves tomorrow for a 3 week trip and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the details that need done before we leave.

Justin and I will be spending the first 2 weeks in Nelson (a sunny city on the South Island) helping lead a beach project of 40 other staff and students. And after project, our team is going to join up and drive around the South Island for 6 days. I'm really excited about both parts of the trip-- but I can't help but feel like my life has suddenly torpedoed into a whole new speed. And I don't see it slowing down any time soon.

Life seems to feel rushed all too often. My solution is to make a to-do list-- I write down every possible thing I need to do and I keep track as I go. I've got one sitting next to me right now (yes blogging is on the list). It is a very efficient way to get things done and not forget what comes next. Crossing off things gives you a great sense of accomplishment, too. I live by to-do lists.

Only problem is, is that I don't know how to escape to-do list mode. I treat every part of my life this way it seems-- my morning routine is a mental check list, steps in life feel like a check in the box, my friendships can feel more like to-do's, and so often... I try to figure out how to put my relationship with God down on a to-do list as well.

1. read my Bible
2. go to church
3. tell other people about Jesus.
4.
5.
6.

I'm pretty good about filling in the numbers... I'm just not sure where they get me. I really started to think about this when I was planning our South Island trip. Every person I've ever talked to who is acquainted with New Zealand raves about the beauty and wonderfulness of that part of the world. They call it the 8th world wonder, the Lord of the Rings haven, the best part of this country. So of course we had to put a South Island trip on our to-do list. Where did I go from there-- I talked to as many people as I could about what we needed to do when we're there. I made a list of the things I wanted to see. I found a driving route. And now we are going to systematically drive for 6 days to see and do everything on the list.

But why? If I go to each of these places and complete the list- then what happens?

I'm not so sure. And I'm afraid I don't know how to treat the trip not like a to-do list. And I'm afraid that if I treat it like a list, I'll miss so much, I'll turn it into something that it's not. What does life look like without the list? If my relationship with God is not a to-do list, then what the heck is it? I think this is why I have trouble understanding or enjoying some games, ideas, and experiences. They don't follow a pattern, a list, or an equation. I try to make them.... but this makes it worse.

I think I even make Christmas out to be a list.

Oh Merry Christmas by the way:) I hope it was merry and bright!

But yes... Christmas on a to-do list... buy some presents, make some food, think about the manger story, spend time with family (or call them on the phone), and wha-la...you have Christmas. Except it doesn't feel like it. Oh I must have forgot the snow. Nope still doesn't exactly feel like Christmas. Oh I must have forgot the carols, or the candy canes, or .... It doesn't matter, Christmas won't be put on a list. I try to do it every year. And trying to make it into a list, makes it worse. Makes it feel less like Christmas.

God didn't start with a list. Jesus wasn't on most people's list. Nothing is on God's list, but nothing is off of His list either. He's way outside of such a list... and I want to try and be there, too.

Well, that's where I'm at right now, and those are my Christmas thoughts. I'm feeling a bit tired, a bit excited, and a bit unsure.

It wasn't too bad spending Christmas away, but I wish my family could have been here with me. Our team exchanged gifts, made a delicious meal, saw lights, went to church, and thought about our Savior coming as a baby. It was a full day.

The last week or so has been BUSY. Justin and I have spent lots of time preparing for project, my flatmates and I have caught 4 mice inside our flat, our team had a lot of Chritmas-y things to do, and I've spent some of my favorite times with a student named Johnnie:) I can't thank any of you enough for your Christmas wishes, cards, and packages-- they were the highlight of many days. And yes we did feel the earthquake that happened a few days before Christmas.

If you don't hear a ton from me for the next 3 weeks it's because I'm in the middle of the wild, trying to take in what's around me, but not living off of a to-do list. I'm hoping to not chicken out of sky-diving in Queenstown- the adventure capital of the world. I can't wait to share some of our adventures with you:)

Please pray that I can experience the joy of summer project amidst the busyness, and I'll pray that you can slow down and see all the joy around you. New Zealand is beautiful... but not as beautiful as hearing from all of you. All my love.... Lacey

Not so silent night.

We had a Student Life Christmas gathering at "Carols at the Basin." We all met, ate dinner, and sang Christmas carols together. It really is fun to celebrate Christmas in the Southern hemisphere-- it felt like a summer picnic. Afterwards everyone came to our house for dessert and stayed until 1:30 am!

stop and smell the roses

Our team had a nice lil photo shoot at the rose gardens in Wellington. There were over 300 different roses there-- amazing!

eating gooooood in NZ

My team lost in miniature golf... so we had to make a steak & potato dinner for the winning team. It was sooooooo good. I got the 1st hole in 1, too and got to pick the dessert... strawberry pie!

Out for Indian for Mike's bday

These are are way cool friends from church-- we have so much fun with them! And some of them are going to the States soon-- Lib they want to stay with you and I told them they could:)

you've all been waiting for it...

Our 1st Lord of the Rings movie sight... right in Wellington... I'm sure there will be lots more to come:)

We joined a band

This is our team CD cover-- we're pretty sweet. haha-- this picture is really from our drive along the Wellington coastline

Ella and Grandma!

How can I not miss her? HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA and GRANDMA SPECK! I loved the pictures of the party and thought I would share one (although I wanted to share them all) with you.

You don't have to read this one.

Hello from Wellington! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend-- I heard there was freezing rain in Ohio-- none of that here-- but if it makes you feel any better it did sprinkle for about 20 minutes on Saturday. It seems impossible that it would be so cold at home. The only place that makes me feel like Christmas time is wintery- is in Starbucks. No joke-- they make no attempt to Kiwi-fy their cafe-- there are snowflakes everywhere and it says on the sign outside "come in for a hot drink." I guess that is why all the local cafes in Welli are more popular.

I guess I'll tell you about the most frusturating day of last week first. On Friday, I woke up in a grumpy, gloomy mood- but decided to clean our flat, bake a cake, and film a short video of our place to send home for ELLA AND GRANDMA SPECK'S BIRTHDAY! It was Ella's (for those of you who don't know her-- she's my neice) 2nd birthday and Gma's 80th-- and I was sad to be missing them. So I cleaned. And I baked. You have never seen such a bad cake before-- not ever. I thought- oh well if I frost it, it will look fine for the video. The frosting made the cake look 5x's worse. So I thought- oh well I'll still make the video with the cake and it will be funny. Bright spot of the day-- the video was great! I filmed our whole flat and had a cute birthday message and cake in it-- lovely. Went to the computer to send the video, and what do you know-- I accidently errase the video. So what do I do-- the mature, loving Christian that I am-who is here to spread the love of Jesus- I stomp into my bedroom muttering under my breath that I do not want to see anyone or talk to anyone- ever. Yes I totally resorted to my 5 year old behavior. It was embarassing. It was frusturating. And I was still so upset about it 2 days later that when I told Steph (Ella's mom) about it-- I cried. It's starting to cross over into the funny side-- but it's still upseting and I haven't brought myself to re-film it yet.

So I'm not sure if it was completely worth your time to read my story-- but that day felt like the topper of last week. There were high spots-- but there was a lot of frusturation for me. The entire week I was fighting myself to do anything. Even though I was getting amazing emails from friends at home- I didn't want to respond to any of them. Even though I'm in the middle of a great book-- I didn't want to read it. And although most of the time I love planning-- I hated the thought of doing all the planning which I need to be doing right now. I felt like I had to be doing everything. I had to put effort into all of my friendships, I had to read my Bible, I had to be livng here-- in my head nothing was a choice, God was controling everything so what did it matter what I did or didn't do. Of course it wasn't until I had a break-down such as the one on Friday (and Sunday for that matter) that I really started to process through what I was thinking/ doing this week. Every time I would get an email from one of my friends at home-- I would say to myself-- gah God why did you take me out of those friend's lives and place me here where I have to befriend people like the good lil Christian does? I didn't feel like making new friends- and since I couldn't be friends with people so far away like I wanted to- I wasn't a friend to anyone last week- not even God. It was a drag even to talk to Him.

I don't know if I've worked through much of this yet. I had really good conversation with Justin and with my teammates here about how I'm feeling-- and I am so thankful for these conversations- but I'm not sure that I'm on the other side of these questions. How do we walk with God and not feel like we have to do things? -like we have freedom to love and to serve the most Holy and amazing Father- yet He requires nothing from us. Or does He?

I sat at a cafe throwing question after question at Justin. He did his best to answer or to question me back. And it was so needed. But really-- it just helped me realize how much I am in a relationship with God. I have some of the same questions I had 5 years ago. I have new ones, too that don't seem to have an answer any time soon. A relationship with God looks much different than I ever thought it did. Just as a relationship with Justin looks much different than I ever thought it would. I can't do the same things every day and expect the same outcome. I don't have to do the same things to get the same outcome. God is not an equation. He is not a system. I have a relationship with Him. My life with Him has a rhythm, but I'm still learning what that looks like.

I'm so glad that I didn't have to write this blog. Glad that you didn't have to read it either:) but I'm also glad that I did. For those of you wondering what I actually did last week during all of this-- I read and I planned- even those most of it felt dead. I'm hoping and praying that this week is different. Saturday our team also volunteered for 10 hours at a climate action festival-- it is amazing to learn how everything we do affects people and the world around us. Learning to care about my effect on things is part of the journey God has me on right now.

Hope you're enjoying the part of the journey He has you on right now, too. I'd love to hear from you. But I don't have to:) ~Lacey

ps I'm extremely excited for Christmas season to be here!-- they have some different Christmas carols and traditions here-- I'll try to keep you posted on them. I'm really excited to spend the Holidays with my new friends from Mosaic- we are sharing holiday stories and treats Sunday night! It was weird to do our shopping sooooo early so our presents could get home in time-- and I'm still working on some- sorry if yours is late (of if you don't get one from me:) and of course Grandma Speck's Christmas package has already arrived-- she is so wise and on top of things!

what's an RVR?

This is Pat. We aren't sure if he/she is a van, a car, or an SUV. One of our Kiwi friends says it is a "Mum mobile." It's techinally a RVR. It needs a bit of tender loving care-- but it gets us places for now.

slow sundays

Oh how I needed this morning. It's Sunday the 2nd of December-- but not the December you are thinking of. It's about 65 degrees outside, the trees are in bloom, and yesterday we went to the beach. What a great day of adventure yesterday-- we drove along the Wellington coastline collecting shells and taking in the sights. Somehow we didn't get lost, but made it home in our new vehicle which we've affectionaly named Pat. I'll have to attach a picture of her/ him rather than explain. No worries-- I didn't even put myself on the insurance realizing that I do not concentrate enough when driving to handle the other side of the road.

But today is Sunday... it's just past noon... and Justin and I are taking this time to blog and write our monthly update letters. We decided not to go to church this morning-- but before you think we're sinners-- let me tell you a bit about our day.

I woke up this morning around 8am not feeling all that well. I think my body is still mad at me for the tiring week in Auckland. But I managed the walk to the Farmer's Market downtown to get all our fruits and veggies for the week. I love the market. It is about a 5 minute walk from our place. It's really cheap. It's really colorful. And it's helpful for the famers who don't have to sell their products to the store. This week I bought apples, banannas, kiwis, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce, and a pepper. Plus I love being outside in the city on a Sunday morning. Don't know why-- it's just fun for me.

I came back to our little cotttage-looking flat to make some green tea (Justin says it makes your body feel better) and now I have been reading for awhile. I'm working on a book called "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn-- good read and I'm learning a lot. Today's chapter hit me just when needed. In it he quotes theologian Sam Storms saying, "We will constantly be more amazed with God, more in love with God, and thus ever more relishing his presence and our relationship with him. Our experience of God will never reach its consummation. We will never finally arrive, as if upon reaching a peak we discover there is nothing beyod. Our experience of God will never become stale. It will deepen and develop, intensify and amplify, unfold and increase, broaden and balloon." Man I needed to hear that and how good it is to my ears and soul.

I want a relationship with God like that-- one that deepens, develops, intensifies, and amplifies everyday. Not just on Sunday's. Not just when I'm sitting in church-- but when I'm shopping at the market. And when I'm reading a good book. And when I'm communicating to all of my friends and family at home. Since we've been here, we've been going to 2 church services each Sunday. It has been helpful so we can meet lots of people and discover lots of new churches. I've really enjoyed it. But I also do not want to become a person who thinks I have to go to church 2x's a day to be doing my job. It can be really conflicting to have a job doing ministry. I don't want my team to think I'm a church skipper. I don't want to pull away from the church community. But more than any of that-- I want to connect with God.

So for me.... spending Sunday morning just like this has been wonderful. Maybe I'll go to the little bakery down the street for lunch, go for a jog, and tonight... maybe Justin and I will go to church. That sounds wonderful, too.

Hope you all have a marvelous Sunday- even though it's still only Saturday night at home. Much love--Lacey

Taking it in.

Reflecting on the amazing day in Auckland.

Amazing Kiwis!

Roger and his family.. in front of their awesome Kiwi home. Goooood times with them! Their 2 boys were attached to Justin-- pretty sure they want to come live with him.