Thursday, August 26, 2010

Base Camp is closed for business

After an intense summer of nearly 50 trips, we've packed up camp and left the inlet. This week we washed everything, and we mean everything! Every tent, sleeping bag, stove, 2-cup, boot and backpack was cycled through a rigorous washing, drying and inventory process, then packed away into Rubbermaid bins and shipped down the inlet to be stored at Malibu for the winter.

Although the process of closing up camp for the year is often exhausting, it is also a very special time for those of us who have had the pleasure of spending the summer there.  Ironically, Closing is the longest period of time that we have our entire staff in camp at once. Intermixed with the long workdays are many opportunities to enjoy the people that have made Base Camp such a meaningful place and to reflect on where life has taken us over the past three months.
We boarded the boat at the end of the day, tired from a long summer of work.  With Base Camp empty and boarded up, we are thankful for the chance we’ve had to serve in this enchanted place.

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
Psalm 95:1-5

Sunday, August 22, 2010

8 Weeks gone by.

It is really quite hard to believe, but yesterday we let go of our last week of trips. This was an action packed summer for both the Mountain and Sea Kayaking programs.  We took more participants on more trips this summer than in previous years; meanwhile finishing up some substantial building projects and hosting a ton of guests in Base Camp.  It will be 10 months before we send another group of participants into the hills or onto the water but you can bet on this: we're looking forward to it already. 
The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
Psalm 65:12-13                                     

2010 Staff Photo

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Beyond: In the Eyes of our food packers...

Life at base camp this summer has gone beyond what we had hoped for.  I’m not sure either of us fully knew what was coming, but whatever our expectations, they have certainly been exceeded.  Behind-the-scenes work proves to be difficult, although most people may not be aware of the challenges.  As food packers, the two of us (Ellie and Mercedes) live in the pack shack, which is probably the size of your closet.  This is where the magic happens.  Pack sheets, scales and dehydrated foods of every type are the recipe for our work, and dance parties keep our spirits high.  We pack and re-pack every trip with considerations for everything from the number of guys and girls on the trip, to allergies, food preferences, and more.  Nineteen black plastic bags for each trip, full of the food that fuels the experience.  After each ingredient is weighed and the meals catered for each specific hiking or sea kayaking trip, the work is done... or is it?
Dull moments between packing meals don’t exist.  If we have nothing to do, we may dig a biff (bathroom in forest floor- basically an outhouse) while narrating Prince Caspian aloud to each other.  We also find ourselves doing our fair share of dishes and filling other miscellaneous base camp needs.  But no matter what the task- laundry at Malibu, baking Beyond Bars or cleaning to Oldies music- we really do delight in our work.

Every week, we welcome shell-shocked campers onto our dock, and send the same campers out on their trips with pizzazz, jumping fully clothed into the inlet or hiding in the trees along the trail.  But the fun doesn’t end with the campers’ departure.  Let us emphasize: base camp is never boring.  Each week, base camp celebrates in a new way.  For one Bible study we threw “burden rocks” into the inlet to reclaim freedom in Christ.  A week ago we transformed into characters for a mystery dinner.  Last night we adorned ourselves in trash-bag cocktail dresses, and every night this week we are celebrating a different holiday.  Meals are always a time of community and fun and we spend “off” nights with other staff reading aloud to each other or just laughing and sharing in our bunks.
Overall, even if all of base camp staff is fighting for the Chronicles of Narnia books, this place is an amazing place to live.  We can see the Lord’s presence here through the majesty and flawlessness of God’s creation.  The work is hard but it is good.  We wake up each day rejoicing that we are still here and dreading the day we have to leave.
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Ellie and Mercedes are our outstanding Food Packers on this summer's Base Camp Staff.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

THE SPHERE OF EXALTATION

"Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves." Mark 9:2

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God's standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness wants to make them the only time.
We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching, it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz., into character. The mount is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a great snare in asking - What is the use of it? In spiritual matters we can never calculate on that line. The moments on the mountain tops are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God's purpose.

Taken from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Eye Candy

Just a few fun photos I ran across.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Expanding Beyond

Five years ago I had the opportunity to take my 16-year-old son on a week trip with his friends up Mount Albert. It was a powerful time for both of us and a tremendous reminder of how impacted I had been at 16 when I had the privilege to climb Frankenstein Mountain in 1973 with Jim Caldwell as our guide. When we got back to base camp the Lord convicted my heart that He was not done using Beyond as a way to reveal Himself to me. I asked Rob what his vision was for Beyond; what dreams had the Lord placed on his heart in using one of the most beautiful places in the world to reach more folks with the heart of Christ?

Together with other long time committed folks that had walked with Beyond we were able to create a plan that would more than double the use and access to this incredible gift. By upgrading the base camp we could now offer base camp adventures. Groups can now come and stay the week at base camp, doing work projects, day adventures, personal and group retreats, and inviting folks that might not otherwise have the opportunity to access this property. We are now able to extend the window of time we can offer folks the ability to use the property at base camp due to not having to worry about snow in the high country. Also with the addition of the explosive growth of College YL this will now offer a place for groups to come serve, grow and have adventures together that is available for them.

The past four summers has brought a new experience with each group that has come to serve, seek adventure, and have uncommon fellowship with each other and the Lord. Not only is the camp being transformed, but every individual that has come has left a different person than before. The unique thing about Beyond is that it is for everyone. We have had groups of fathers and sons, couples, college groups, and folks the Lord just put together, and in each experience the Lord showed up in powerful ways. Ways that we could never plan or imagine.

The first three summers we built campsites. It was unbelievable to see what we could do as a group in just one week. We would arrive to a cleared out campsite and in just 6 days we would gaze at an unbelievable structure, knowing that kids would have life changing experiences there for years to come. This past summer we had a college group from Northern Arizona University that worked on a water purifying system. To watch as they worked side by side, shared their life stories, worshipped with the guides and base staff around the fire, broke bread together around the table at each meal (like Robin Hood and his merry men), had one adventure after another, and fall in love more with each other and their Lord was a dream come true, an answered prayer.

We invite you to come and be a part of what the Lord is doing here. If you feel in any way that the Lord is not done using Beyond in ways that will reveal Himself more to you or your friends, than come join us. There are plenty of projects, adventures and opportunities that await you. We are currently planning trips for next June and would love to have you join us.

Blessings,

Jay Abraham

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Jay Abraham lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is an active supporter of Beyond Malibu.  For more information in about to trips Jay brings to Base Camp or to learn how you can be apart of the changes at Beyond, feel free to contact him at jay_abraham@cox.net or contact the Beyond Malibu office at BeyondMalibu@beyondmalibu.younglife.org.  Also, read more about the changing plans at Base Camp on our website. 

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Busy Summer for our Sea Kayaking Program

This has been the busiest summer our Sea Kayaking program has seen in the past few years and our awesome but small staff of guides has been working incredibly hard to stay afloat.  We received this short update from Marshall Potter.  We're looking forward to hearing more about how their summer is going. 
If I have been learning anything this summer it is to take to heart Matthew 6:25-34. Between guiding and occasionally the acting Operations Managers, I've had to continually read and pray over those words of Christ. Each day does have enough trouble of its own, and worrying about tomorrow has yet to been useful. Tomorrow has been considered and actions taken for things in the future, but the Lord has provided everything needed. Some things have been stressful and extremely frustrating, but again and again we are provided for. The mission statement of "opening our eyes to the presence of Christ in self, community, and creation" has not and will not be hindered by the challenges we face here in Egmont. The participants are coming to know Christ more fully, and in that I will rejoice.