At the end of each summer, Beyond Malibu's staff takes one night to scrub the dirt off, comb their beards, sit down to a feast and exchange gifts. The night is often full of laughter, singing and overstuffed bellies. It is Christmas in August.
As tradition has it, this is the time when gifts are exchanged. Don't be fooled though, this is no ordinary gift exchange. Without a shopping mall near by, most of the gifts are created in Base Camp by hand. In the weeks before "Christmas", you will see staff carving the word "Beyond" into a rock, fashioning a box out of scrap wood or knitting a wool cap by hand.
The remoteness of Base Camp gives us the opportunity to view a simpler Christmas time. Not having to worry about the price of gifts and the busy shopping season allows time to enjoy those around us and focus on how faithful God has been. And when all the pies have been eaten, gifts exchanged and the night finally comes to an end, we find a similar feeling within ourselves that we experience at our December Christmas; a feeling of gratitude and remembrance of the year gone by. Our hope is the same for you this Christmas.
As the next summer approaches, we're getting excited about new staff and new trips in the mountains and on the water. We're looking forward the coming year and trust that God will continue to faithfully walk (or paddle) along side us.
(Here's a little Christmas wishing from some of our better behaved staff.)
1 comment:
I love the stockings hung in the Green House!
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