Part of Something Larger

Rain: loud enough to force our voices to shout in order to be heard above the noise.

Wind: strong enough I fear my body will become airborne and swept away with the clouds.

I, a human, am out of my element in the midst of these elements.

Life stories. Questions asked. “In a hypothetical cage fight who are you fighting and who do you want to impress?”

I think this mountain overheard our private McKinley Fly conversation and said, “challenge accepted.”

To the mountain nothing is private. To the mountain nothing is left as personal. My feet are no longer my own. My toes are so cold that I almost feel the mountain might’ve taken them, and will keep them for good.

Then why am I here? Is it to feel small? Perhaps, but not quite.

Not to feel small, but to realize that I am not my own. I am not personal or private, but a part of something much larger. Something that I’m not at the center of. Something more powerful than myself.

And in that realization, once I embrace it, there is peace and rest. An end to striving and the beginning of watching (in awe) as the power moves, and joining with the power in its movement. Allowing myself to be moved. Realizing that I’m not the primary mover. That there is a primary mover greater than the mountains themselves, who even controls their movement. 

-Skye Cornell, Mountain Guide 

From Daredevil to Courage-Taker

To illustrate the difference between my twin sister, Kaitlin, and me, I love to tell a simple story that encapsulates my adventurous spirit and her cautious desire to protect me. One day, Kaitlin, my dad and I were hiking in a neighborhood park, and as I climbed onto a fallen tree to cross the creek, my sister, Kaitlin, anxiously yelled after me to stop. I boldly turned and replied, “I’m a daredevil. You’ll just have to get used to it.” Whether she has liked it or not, that’s exactly what has happened as she’s watched me adventure from one opportunity to the next since our adventures in the park. The most recent “daredevil” move- coming to Beyond Malibu to guide mountain trips- has taken me far from home, but has brought me close to kindred spirits who have willingly embarked on this latest adventure too.

Despite her apprehension at times, to my delight, my sister has grown to accept and support me as I travel. However, if Kaitlin were to reach out to stop me now, I think the insight I’ve gained during my time here would elicit a much different response than that of my childhood self. You see, over the past several weeks, I’ve come to view what it means to be a daredevil in a very different way.

To my eight-year-old self, being a daredevil meant doing things that might be scary to others but weren’t scary to me. After seven weeks of trips with participants and two training trips with guides across two summers, I’ve witnessed plenty of people doing things that scared them; things like crossing glaciers, climbing over ridges, scaling up root ladders, and walking for hours with a heavy pack on. My question about these participants, guides, and at times, myself, is this:  are all of us excluded from the title of daredevil while doing these epic things on trail just because we’ve experienced fear? If we are excluded, is the loss of such a title really something to stress over?

My last year and a half at Beyond has taught me many things, but one lesson that has most recently taken root is centered around the topic of fear. When I was younger, I viewed fear as this negative feeling to be avoided at all costs. Even in scripture we are commanded not to fear. However, there’s a difference I was missing. Scripture doesn’t tell us not to fear because we should never experience fear. Rather, scripture assures us that we do not need to let fear rule over us, because our God is near and will lift us up despite our fears. During two of my trips this summer, some participants encountered new terrain that scared them- lots of snow, icy slopes, root ladders, etc., but upon each encounter a unique opportunity was presented: remain immobilized by fear or press on with God’s peace in view. Fear would have us believe that moving forward is not an option, whereas truth beckons us forward. The choice is this: allow the hand of fear to be your master or force fear to submit to the hand of God by reaching out to Him for the strength and willingness to press on. In choosing the latter, we create a space to allow God to care for us and to protect us. In my old way of thinking, fear was limiting and weak. In my new way of thought, fear is just another place for the Lord to step in and pull me forward by the strength of his hand.

“I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped 

me.” Psalm 118:13

The reality of these words, and the sincere comfort they bring, takes on a deep importance when it can be translated literally to the mountains. But the truth is, we were not made for the mountains. We were made for the valleys where the truths learned in the mountains may take root.

The once cherished daredevil title, held dearly by my childhood self for its sense of adventure and excitement, has now been rewritten to a much stronger, worthwhile title: courage-taker. During the next step into post-graduate life, I may now proceed with confidence. Though I feel fear, I may turn my eyes to the Lord,

“In God, I trust and am not afraid… for you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the light of life.” Psalm 56:11,13

With the same confidence, participants may walk forward in courage and truth as they encounter new terrain and as they transition home following their mountain-top experiences. Now the question is, what about you? Are you striving for the daredevil title too, clinging to the idea that you have something to prove as you force away fear on your own accord, or are you embracing a new identity, courage-taker, by the grace of God’s hand outstretched to you?

-Lauren Bonney 

Sarah Field on Beyond

My entire life I have focused on what I could accomplish and where I would. When I followed God's call to join Young Life staff four years ago, I never could have imagined all the ways God would humble me, and all the things that He would teach me. On Young Life staff I can't measure success the same way as I could in school, and in sports. Too often I find myself focusing so much on the destination that I would forget to look around and embrace the journey. More often than not the destination ends up being a fruitless distraction while God uses the journey itself to lead us towards growth.

Two summer's ago I had the privilege of taking a group of girls on what would be the journey of a lifetime. I had been dreaming up the idea of taking a girls group to Beyond Malibu. I spent countless hours planning, convincing girls to go, and more importantly convincing parents that hiking a mountain would be an incredible experience for their daughters. This took about nine months. Within that time I had many painful experiences, and some parents proved more difficult to convince than others. One mom even went ahead and planned their European vacation during the week I had reserved, just because she believed her daughter could never do it. Many people were skeptical of these girls making it. When we arrived at base camp and the girls unloaded roller suitcases and pink carry-ons we got some funny looks, and I know people at base camp were questioning how the next week would go. I could hardly blame them.

But we went. On that mountain we experienced God's love and mercy in new and profound ways. One of the things I love most about the outdoors is that there are no social cliques or "chosen" lunch tables to sit at. I watched as girls who never felt like they fit in at school became leaders on the mountain. Lauren spent much of her time at high school feeling alone. She would come to campaigners to feel like she had a place where she belonged. On our Beyond trip, she went from being a loner to a leader within the group. Day 2 proved to be the most difficult, it was a day that we will never forget and many wondered how we would even make it through. I watched as God used Lauren to become the strength for her struggling friends that day. Her constant encouragement had an impact on each one of us, and it was Lauren that became a pillar of strength for our group.

We climbed Frankenstein and when we finally reached the summit we quickly realized it wasn't about making it to the top. As beautiful as the view was and as awesome of an accomplishment, the real accomplishment was coming together, overcoming fears, and learning to believe in ourselves. Beyond wasn't about making it to the top. It was about a group of girls from all different walks coming together to experience God's creation and His glory and gaining a new sense of self. Beyond was about the conversations we had along the trail despite wanting to just sit down and quit. Our Beyond was something we will never forget. It was an experience that forever changed who we are. If I had waited until people thought these girls were ready to hike a mountain we never would have gone. If I had let the challenges along the way stand in our way of going I would never have seen God work the way He did. People often tell me that they want to go on a Beyond trip, but this just isn't the year. My response, "if not now, then when?" Now the ongoing slogan for Beyond at school is, if those girls can do it, we can do it! They are right. Every one can go Beyond. Just don't wait for the perfect time; there is no perfect time. Today is the day!!

Community

Shane Besmer began serving at Beyond when he was just 19. He has worked as the boat driver, male base camp coordinator, a guide, maintenance man, and eventually just as The Shane. He is in grad school now studying third world community development. Here are some of his thoughts on community in the Beyond context.

Living with forty other staff members in an isolated wilderness camp has given me a rare view of what close community can be like. Sharing the most mundane and extreme of life’s experiences, we were given a glimpse of the tremendous possibilities of community.

Beyond Malibu is an adventure camp with the purpose of removing kids from their everyday lives in hopes that they might see themselves, and Christ, more clearly. The staff at Beyond is almost entirely volunteer, and many staffers are required to make a two year commitment. Operations are run out of a small base camp that is accessible only by boat or seaplane. Running water and electricity are very limited. Absent constant contact with the outside world and electronic entertainment, the staff naturally develops a very close community. Each member plays a very important role, serving one another along with our campers, and inadvertently painting a beautiful picture of the body of Christ.

The jobs of the staff range from mountain or sea-kayaking guide, to food packing and maintenance. Each member is completely dependent on the others to continue with his or her job. If one person becomes ill, the impact spreads throughout the community. If two members are not communicating well, the rest of the body is aware of it and often affected. In the evenings when the work is finished, co-workers and bosses become friends and family, and look to each other for the love and support they need. Nearly all aspects of the life of one person are tied in one way or another to the lives of others, creating a micro-example of the definition of community.

I loved the years I spent at Beyond and I cherish them even more now that I am more removed from the experience. I have come to realize that this kind of community is nearly impossible to duplicate in the chaotic obligations of the city, and to attempt to do so can become incredibly frustrating. Despite the rarity of the Beyond base camp experience, it has been a challenging, yet joyful experience to see my community grow and change and settle into the ebbs and flows of community life in the city. We cannot live as in tune with one another, or with God, here as we did so far away from the distractions of the world. Instead, we struggle, and mostly succeed, to intentionally seek out relationship amid the business of everyday life. More significantly, we are challenged to learn and grow through the process of integrating our family of friendships with the various communities we intersect as we go throughout our lives. The result is beautiful and messy. We fail often, and just as often we accept grace, get up, and try again. This is community. I praise God daily for my time at Beyond, and for beginning this life long adventure.

Freedom of the Hills

Sabbath- a day at Beyond set aside for staff to be still and seek the Lord, process the past week and prepare for the week to come, to find joy in fellowship and in play. Fourth of July sabbath- a day that included all of the above, plus a rare sustained ability to bask in the sun all day and bellow patriotic songs over a dinner together on the dock. Being part of the 5% minority (yes, this is the exact math) of Canadian staff at Beyond, it was fortunate that the other Canadian and I were well versed in the ways of America and were proudly able to holler the anthem, those “bright stripes and bold stars, through the dangerous night,” declaring the independence and freedom of America.

Freedom was something that had already consumed my thoughts that day, before I had even realized that it was the fourth of July. I had just returned from the mountains. For me, the mountains have been marked by reoccurring encounters with the Lord teaching me what freedom in Him looks like. Last summer, I spent most of the summer in the Wyoming wilderness and it was there that the Lord freed me from lies and bondage that had held me back from confidently coming near to Him. I returned from the summer clinging to two truths that had become real to me, “now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17)... “let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).

As I prepared for another summer in the mountains, I began to pore through the technical mountaineering book “Freedom of the Hills” that we had been assigned to read. I think that the title of the book points to one aspect of the freedom that is encountered in the mountains, a removal from distractions of everyday life that consume- the cell phone, the internet, the seemingly never ending list of things to accomplish. The mountains are free of these things that bind. The hills stretch out before you, inviting you to explore their vast expanses. Yet, I have come to realize that there are other things that bind- thoughts, conceptions, and feelings that can't be left behind like a cell phone can be; the towering peaks and expanses of land point to something much more than the idea of freedom. It isn't the wilderness by itself that has brought healing and freedom in my life, it is God who has used the mountains as a space that I've been able to come away from the busyness of life, come to the quiet and seek Him. It is here that He has renewed my focus, softened my heart, stirred my affections for Him, renewed my desire to pursue Him, and brought freedom from the lies and burdens that keep me from approaching His throne with confidence.

God has been so faithful in reminding me of His goodness, His provision, and His sovereignty. As guides, before each trip we are given a sheet that fills us in on what each group wants the framework of their trip to look like. Skimming over the folder of what would be my first trip guiding at Beyond, the leader had written her desires for spiritual content: Freedom in Christ. That week we grappled with what it really means to have freedom in Christ through the trials and challenges of the trip. Our girls were able to recognize the lies that they were enslaved to, surrender them in a new way, and claim the truth of who they are in Christ. It was through this week in the mountains these girls were able to see a glimpse of their strength and beauty as they overcame challenges, redefining over and over what is possible through Christ who lives in them.

Now that we are back from the mountains, I want more than ever to continue to claim those truths for myself and those around me. Truth: it is only through Christ that full and complete freedom can come. Truth: because of Him, the power of sin over us is broken. Truth: because of these truths, we can freely come into the presence of the Lord with confidence. Truth: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

-Rebecca Chin, first year mountain guide,
never without her stellar and smokin guide partners Taylor Rice, and Whitney Agassiz.

Mid Summer Update and Poll

Wow, the Beyond summer is flying by.  Our third week of mountain trips is already hiking into the heights and our first sea-kayaking trip is completing its final paddles.  It’s only Week 3 and our summer has already been chock-full of adventure and growth. We've already had WAFA for 1^st Year Guide Staff; Sea Kayaking, Mountain, and Base Camp 10-day training; and two weeks of crazy mountain epic-ness, and we're just getting started.

Surprises abound this summer.  First off, so much snow!  For those that are familiar with Chatterbox, the guides on 10 Day began kicking steps before Log Cabin Pass.  Base Camp wildlife expanded from the usual otters, rats, squirrels, and birds to include two fawns, Phil and Bill, that have made Base Camp their home.  Our fearless leadership staff—GTL’s, base camp and food service coordinators, and Rob-- are working hard to keep up with the changes and surprises of life in the Princess Louisa; they're doing a great job.  

We have trips out this week on Frankenstein, Pearkes, Long Pearkes, One Eye, Zion, Albert, JJ, and Sun Peak. You counted correctly, that's EIGHT trips, and we have seven coming up next week.  We are so excited about everyone that's coming up.  Our guide staff is not as big as it could be so if you are an ex-guide with current first aid certification, and a week to spend in the inlet, you should give Mike and Alissa a call.  If not, we'd love it if you would lift up and celebrate all of these folks in prayer-- guides, participants, base camp, and leadership.

That's all from Beyond for now.  Hopefully we'll have our first round of Base Camp blogs within the next few days.  Until then, please keep us in your prayers.

We want to share everything that's going on in and around Base Camp, but so much is happening we hardly know where to begin.  So...

What do you want to know about Beyond this summer?

• What did the cooks whip up this weekend for Celebration Breakfast?
• What was Rob’s favorite thing about Week 2?
• How do the sea kayakers make pizza on a trip?
• A tour from the current White House residents, the Sawayas (yes the White House is still standing)?
• How many scruffy men we can fit inside the new Long House?
• What we will be naming the new boat?
• Why is there so much snow this year?

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I'm sure you have things you're dying to know.  Choose your favorite question and look forward to a detailed, juicy explanation next week.  We certainly appreciate the help.

Paddling Towards Faith

If you missed last weeks quarterly email newsletter,  you also missed this great story.  Justine was a Sea Kayak guide for us the past few years and wrote this for us.

On the first night of most Beyond Malibu Sea Kayaking trips everyone gathers around a campfire and listens while one of the guides shares his or her life story.  Last summer my trip with Emily started the same way.  The first night I shared my story as a way to introduce myself and set a tone of intentionality, vulnerability, and community for the rest of the week.  That first night last August, I looked around the circle and every kid seemed intrigued and present.  Every kid except Emily.  Emily sat with her ipod headphones “secretly” slipped into her ears and annoyed expression resting on her face.  She clearly did not want to be there.  I immediately liked her.  Not surprisingly, Emily had the hardest trip of anyone that week, but she also had the best.

After that first night we loaded up our kayaks and set out along the mighty Jervis.  As we paddled along the coastline I found myself asking God what He had prepared for this week, and for this girl.  I paid close attention to Emily, in my head I wondered what kind of person she was.  By the way she was paddling, determined and quiet, I assumed she was strong-willed, stubborn, but also precariously independent. As I got to know her throughout the week, I realized that she was indeed all of those things… but for good reason.  She had come from a difficult family background. Her father wasn’t around, her mother was decently stable but often left her daughter to fend for herself, which left Emily to be raised largely by her emotionally abusive grandmother. I found out she worked at Dairy Queen for months just to afford this trip. She came hoping to connect to this youth group that invited her.  Emily came pretty much as a loner. She hadn’t yet developed friendships with everyone on the trip. She was guarded against their genuine love because these kids had a faith she did not. As far as Emily was concerned faith was beyond her comprehension.

I was thrilled to spend a week with brave, independent, tenaciously authentic girl.  I admit my excitement didn’t come because I felt she had “things to learn,” or because “this could be her chance to experience God.”  God works in His own time, and I trust that.  I was just so excited to spend a week with a girl that reminded me so much of myself when I was her age.  We noticed our similarities right away, and found ourselves talking every chance we could.  She admitted to me that she has gotten used to doing everything for herself for so long that she rarely accepted anyone’s help.

I am always amazed by Beyond trips, how beautiful and intentional and downright unpredictable they always end up being.  This same girl who worked so hard to get on this trip, who was excited to develop some real friendships, who had spent the first couple days opening up to me, suddenly had everything cut short.  We had stopped at a beach for the afternoon and on her way up to a waterfall she slipped and dislocated her shoulder.  This girl, Emily, had worked harder than anyone around her just to be there and suddenly she had to be whisked away to base camp, separated from group.

It took us two days to paddle to base camp, a standard campsite for this route, where we finally got to meet up with Emily. We planned to stay for just a day so we took advantage of our night with Emily and had her tell her life story. So we gathered around the campfire in the stillness of the inlet and let her speak.  When she finished, her need for this group of friends that encircled her was astonishingly clear.  We had to find a way for her to finish the trip with us.  The problem was she couldn’t use her left arm to paddle. My guide partner, her leaders, and I spent the evening and the next morning talking with the doctor going over our options and just praying.  Finally we decided to put her in a double kayak with a guide.  She obviously wouldn’t be paddling but the guide would do the work, with a little help of some towing by the stronger paddlers in the group.  The result: the girl who never relied on anyone for anything had no choice but to let people take care of her for the rest of the week.

It was beautiful, and let me tell you, Emily did not always like it.  For me it was awesome.  The experience allowed her to open up in ways that I had never seen before. I paddled her to our next campsite that first day, and she poured out every question that she’s ever had about God, parents, life, pain, friends, everything!  She couldn’t name it but she slowly began to realize that something bigger than her was going on.  She wanted a part of this Love that was so unexplainable. Still, she was afraid to trust something so unknown to her.  So we kept the dialogue open and just continued to care for her.

Emily, despite obvious difficulties, had one of the best weeks of her life.  She learned that if a loving community is worth trusting, maybe God can be looked at in a similar light.  She went home with that group feeling  love from people and from God, knowing that her life had been changed.  I have kept in touch with Emily a little bit. She still has her questions and doubts (like everyone does), but she has fallen hard into this crazy thing we call faith.  She started a dialogue with God, attends church, and was even baptized with all of her Beyond friends surrounding her.  The story of Emily reminds me how incredible Beyond trips are.  I am so thankful for the way this experience truly creates an environment that lets kids feel comfortable and safe to ask questions, to search, and to feel loved by God.  Everyday I am blown away by the ways in which God works and breathes into our lives. I’m grateful for having seen this through Emily’s story.

Life as a Beyonder

It's hiring season here at Beyond. We have a huge summer coming up so we need a large staff for 2011. I've found it difficult to put into words why people should be on staff. Being on Beyond staff was an epic experience for me and it's been hard to convey that epic-ness in small get-the-word-out posts. So I thought I'd get a little more in depth. I learned so much about God, myself, community, and service at Beyond. Here is a snapshot of what Beyond staff was like for me. Maybe it will encourage you to serve with us this summer

I was a mountain guide for three years (that's right, I liked it so much I came back for an extra year), and I have to tell you, there's nothing like it. I loved guiding because it demanded everything of me and more. I loved planning our weeks, setting up our route and then poring over God's word with my guide partner. I loved reading about the group we would spend the next week with, throwing ideas back and forth, thinking outside of the box, and inevitably being drawn back to the outrageous mystery of God contained in the simplicity of Jesus' words. I loved jumping up and down on the dock on Saturdays as the Papoose came in and having to be on my gregarious A-game as we greeted the campers with skits and ice-breakers. I loved sitting around the campfire that first night, our stomachs over full from the delicious juicy hamburgers we just inhaled, listening to each other as we talked honestly about our fears and expectations for the upcoming week. Beyond taught me a lot about listening, about putting my own fears and expectations aside in order to serve and connect with each kid in each group. It was such a privilege to be brought into the story of each of my campers' lives, to be able to ask difficult questions and have them respond with honesty and vulnerability. I learned the real meaning of authenticity when I saw it on the tired faces of fifty-year old men and sixteen-year old girls who trusted me to take them up a mountain.

Beyond was physically challenging in a way that was also mentally challenging. I never knew how many miles I hiked in a week or just how heavy my pack was when I had to carry water up to our first night campsite. But I grew to appreciate the sometimes inexhaustible strength in my legs and the immediate presence of life that greeted me with every heaving breath I took. I loved the puzzle of high school girls and finding the right words to convince them that they will make it, and it will be worth it, even though it's only the first day and they already want to sit down and never move again. I also loved the puzzle of figuring out a route in the thick fog of a white-out. I felt like I was the best I could possibly be when I guided Beyond trips and I was never more aware of how much I was dependent on God. I was my most confident and simultaneously utterly filled with humility.

Every other week I had to come down out of the mountains and work in base camp. My second and third summers, once I got the hang of guiding, I preferred the mountains to base camp. But my first summer base camp was the best. Even on the summit I would look down at base camp and long to see the smiling faces of my friends and community. Six of my closest friends are the women in my guide class. I have countless more from the base camp and guide staff of the years I served at Beyond. At base camp, we rose early on Saturday mornings to share coffee, laughter, and tears on the dock before we headed up to celebration breakfast. We dragged ourselves out of bed "before" the 7:15 breakfast bell and staggered down to set the table, satisfied despite the sleepiness because we were beautiful and we were together. Every morning we took an hour just to sit with God. I have felt God's presence more distinctly in those hours than in any other time of my life. God dripped from every branch and saturated the air as tangibly as the rain. And we worked. Hard! But that was good too, because at 4:30 everyday I could relax and swim knowing that I had spent my time well, I had served people, and I had worked hard.

Life in the community of base camp was not always easy. We, forty of us each summer, for all intents and purposes lived on an island. We ate together, slept together, and worked together and we did not always get along. The thing about an island though is that you have to figure it out. It would not suffice to let conflicts go unresolved. More often than not those conflicts ended up being the fertilizer to deeply rooted life-long friendships, and in some cases even marriages (wink, wink). Oh, and then there was the singing. Crazy, raucous and hilarious, or quiet, beautiful, and reflective but always a capella at celebration breakfast. Evening dishes usually included an ad hoc band which usually included a dance party. Either way, I learned a lot of Pearl Jam and Canadian folk music and we all pretty well figured out how to harmonize with each other.

These were my experiences as a guide at Beyond. They changed my life. They showed me more of who God created me to be than I had ever seen before. They showed me how great it is to give that me freely in service to others, both campers and fellow staff. Most significantly, through my experiences I knew God, and because of my experiences I know God more. If you want to see what your experience would be you should start by sending in an application. Click here to get started. It's worth it.

40 Years in a Nutshell

Our 40 year reunion gave us a great opportunity to reflect on our exciting history.  Here's a brief look at where Beyond came from and where we are going.

Beyond Malibu began in the early 1970s when Barney Dobson, a Vancouver, B.C. Young Life leader, caught a vision for taking kids into the mountains surrounding Young Life’s Malibu Club in the Princess Louisa Inlet.  Barney wanted to take kids “beyond” the normal camp setting.  In 1970, the Beyond experiment began when three groups each climbed what would eventually become the One Eye Route.  Those first three trips were a great success. So the following summer Beyond kicked off its inaugural season.

That first summer in 1971 Beyond set up a base camp on the Jervis Inlet at the mouth of Potato Creek.  They had a small staff of pioneers, enough to lead just one trip each week during the summer, so some trips had as many as 20 campers.  In 1972, Beyond more than doubled its staff and with it the number of trips into the mountains.  This growth allowed Beyond to shrink the size of the groups and begin to customize trips to the unique dynamics of each group.
That same summer, 1972, Beyond left Potato Creek and transformed an old logging camp in the heart of the Princess Louisa Inlet into its new base camp.  Today, nearly forty years later, that same small strip of land continues to serve as the home base for Beyond’s mountain ministry. But a lot has changed since 1972.  In 1998, after leasing the property for twenty-six years, Young Life purchased that old logging camp.  Since then we have remodeled the barn, torn down and rebuilt the red house and the long house, added five new buildings including the sauna and the luggage shelter, dug too many biffs to count, and completed three of seven campsite structures.

And Beyond continues to grow.  In 1998 Beyond added a sea kayaking program and with it a new base of operations in Egmont.  Today, Beyond has as many as eight mountain trips and two sea kayaking trips exploring the mountains and inlets of British Columbia’s wild coastline each week.  With improvements in the Princess Louisa base camp came the opportunity, beginning in 2008, for some midweek base camp service trips and rustic camp experiences for Capernaum (Young Life’s ministry to special needs populations), college, and adult Young Life groups.  In the next few years we hope to increase the size of our staff and the number of our trips, purchase a new water taxi to better facilitate transportation in and out of the inlet, build four more campsite structures, extend the roof of the barn, and so much more.  The history of Beyond is most easily tracked through these tangible growths and changes.  But the real history exists in the lives that have been moved and utterly transformed by God’s presence in these mountains and on these waters.  Come be a part of Beyond’s history.

Celebrate with Cinnamon Rolls

I love sharing meals. It's a unique opportunity to fellowship, to bring people together, to share in life, to experience the gift of community. Meals at Beyond are no exception. They are gifts, times when we all come together, regardless of our jobs, to share a meal. We enjoy being filled, not only with food, but also with fellowship. The dishes spread across the table are as diverse as those eating off of them, but all are united in their purpose: celebrating Christ.

As the cook this summer I had the joy of seeing this gift come together around the meals I made three times a day. It was powerful to witness the community of Acts 2:42-47 come to life in the faces gathered around the long table under the trees.

The Fellowship of the Believers
"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
Around the table at Beyond people brought coffee, blueberries, Tony's, chocolate, fruit, smiles, and stories to share. But most importantly, they brought themselves. Each person from a different place. Some having sat at the table longer than others, some there for the first time, some returning after many years. Yet for that meal we are all reminded that we are united in Christ, even when we are apart.

So, with joy I share with you a recipe from this summer. Each week on Saturday morning, there is a meal that is special because it is a celebration of another week of God's work in our lives and in our ministry, from basecamp to the mountains to the water. For this one meal each week we are all- every guide, every base camp staffer, every guest- together. It is a grander version of what every meal is. Its a feast, we sing, we share stories, and we rejoice together. Each week delicious cinnamon rolls made their way to the table early on Saturday morning, baked with love. I pray that you enjoy them as much as we did. While you devour the sweet cinnamon and lick the frosting from your fingertips, remember God's faithfulness. Celebrate it!
Celebration Breakfast Cinnamon Rolls (from Uprisings: Today's Classic
Baking Book)
1 1/3 cups Warm Water
2TBSP Yeast
1/4 cup Honey
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup dry milk
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
Sprinkle yeast on water and stir in 1/4 cup honey. Allow to bubble up. While waiting, measure and stir together dry ingredients. Crack the eggs and beat them well in a separate bowl. Stir in the flour, dry milk and salt into the sponge, until it begins to look evenly balled-up. Add eggs. Mix or knead until it looks even then add oil in a steady trickle. Keep mixing to get oil evenly distributed-doughwill be tacky. (Keep total mixing time around 5 min to prevent dough from getting tough) Turn dough into an oiled bowl. Shape quickly into a compact ball. Cover and allow to rise 30min or so. Meanwhile melt butter and whip with honey. When dough is puffy, don't punch it down. Roll out on a table, shaping it into an even log withyour hands, until close to desired length. Then roll out 20-22'' wide with a rolling pin or other cylinder (like a bottle). Dough should be about 1/3'' thick. Pour a small amount of whipped butter and honey over the length of the dough and spread it until it is a thin film, set the rest aside for thetopping.Sprinkle with cinnamon and raisins. Roll dough up into a log again, trying to wind it upfirmly and evenly. Cut log into 3/4" wide slices and place in oiled pans. Let rise in a warm, moistplace until they begin to fill the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes til they are golden. Take out and pour leftover honey butter over the top. Enjoy with friends and family!

Elisa served for two years as a guide for our Sea Kayaking program, where she also provided excellent meals for the whole crew in Egmont. She had so much fun she came back

for another summer to try her hand at feeding the hungry mob up the inlet. We are so thankful she did. We left every

meal with our stomachs full and our taste buds satisfied. Her

cinnamon rolls are truly legendary.

Oh the Things We Learn

A big THANK YOU to all who participated in Beyond this past summer! Last week, Jenny (Head cook, 2008 and Guide, 2009-2010) went through all of your participant evaluations to see what you had to say about your week long adventure. It is truly amazing the impact that God has made in each one of you. One of the questions that you were asked was, “What did you learn from your trip that you can use in situations back home?”

Here is what you said:

• “I learned about perseverance. And that God rewards those who faithfully persevere. There were so many times I wanted just to go home but I knew I had to keep going and it was so worth it in the end.”
• “God has provided people in my life that will help me even when I won’t help myself.”
• “So much – I can’t write it all down. But I am going to reach out, pray about and follow God in my community of women.”
• “I learned to take initiative while serving others. And I really learned how to love others sacrificially.”
• “God will never leave or forsake me, ever! And because of that, I can take on whatever comes my way with God.”
• “Life can be lived wonderfully and simply.”
• “It’s okay to ask questions and still be a believer.” 
• “I feel better in knowing a group of teenage Christian girls because normally I feel very alone.”
• “I learned to pursue people the way God wants to pursue me. I want to allow people to see more of me, and open up.”
• “I learned what is actually important in life. I learned tolet go of things, including pent up emotions and insecurities. I learned to seek answers, to learn peoples’ stories before judging them, to forgive…and so much more.”
• “The entire climb paralleled life for me and all its challenges. So I will always use the strength I learned here in life.”
• “God is faithful and it takes me deciding that I am just going to keep walking through the crap till I get in the clear and see God.”
• “The trip had me reflect on what I believe, question God’s existence and love, learn why I want to be a Christian, and learn about Christ-centered relationships.” 
• “There is so much beauty in the scars because they are an integral/joyful part of the journey.” 
• “Nothing will be as challenging back home as climbing mountains.”

Thanks for sharing with us, and thank you for everything you taught us this summer!

A LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM

Forty years ago Beyond Malibu was born out of the idea of going beyond the resort camp setting into the rugged outdoors where more situations exist that afford the opportunity to go beyond one’s self physically, mentally and spiritually.

This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to take 9 teenage guys from Birmingham on the Beyond Malibu backpacking expedition into the rugged Western Canadian Coast Mountains surrounding the Princess Louisa Inlet in British Colombia. The trip was by far one of the most relationally enriching experiences I have ever encountered in my time pursuing kids with the extravagant love of Jesus Christ.

At the end of our trip, I huddled the guys together and asked, "Can you imagine trying to do what we did without our guides to lead us through the mountains?" They emphatically responded, "No way, we would never have made it!" I then replied, "Fellas, life itself is a rugged wilderness and Jesus Christ says, 'Follow me.'"

May we follow Him together in this grand adventure, pressing on, full of hope and abundant love. Thank you for supporting this mission and allowing trips like this to exist.

Much Love,
Jason Zinn

Birmingham Young Life
Alabama

"That you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever." Psalm 48:13-14

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.

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

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. 

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.

 

Rain Drops

Blue skies turned to a grey wind-blown canopy above our campsite at Morrie’s Mound, and not only was the wind blowing in rain clouds, it was making our task of setting up the tents difficult.
The eight guys from Tuscon and Seattle were out on an overnight solo, to experience the most quiet, still hours some had ever felt. Ryan and I, as guides, kept a watchful eye on the campers and the weather. Dark clouds to the west had pushed in. We had a great vantage of each individual, as we were able to monitor their safety from a distance. Our hope was that rain and wind would not be a limiting factor in their solo. As we were having trouble with the tents, and drops started to smatter the rocks, we called everyone in for dinner under the McKinly Fly, our community canopy.

The fellas wandered in one-by-one, thankful for warm food and dry shelter. As the storm calmed, Ryan sent the participants out again, this time for the night. We knew it would continue to sprinkle but prayed that God would change the winds and allow blue skies beyond the Albert range, the direction from which our foul weather was generated. And God did just that.

I sat up for a while longer watching the clouds pass, revealing white pinholes in the night sky. And when I slept, I felt cool rain on my face for a few minutes, but continued to sleep.

In the morning, Kurt, the leader from Tuscon, mentioned that the night was a great parallel to how God cares for people. He sends us out, allows some storms to pass through, but is always watching for our safety. Then, when the circumstances are too stormy, he calls us in, provides us shelter, feeds us when we are hungry and sends us out again.

Psalm 36:5 – 7 ‘Your unfailing love, O Lord, is vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

We still encountered rain, but was refreshed by the reminder that cares to know us. He wants our attention, and that night He had 11 undivided hearts and minds. Some were fixed on His amazing display of beauty in the mountain peaks, some on from the stillness during a star-studded night, and others asking if there is He is really there at all. I was encouraged that we didn’t have to call it off, that it didn’t rain or blow too hard.

The solo was a great experience for the guys, and was something they will remember and draw from next year as they go off to their first year in college, where they will be on a different kind of solo. Hopefully they will think back to their time on the mountaintop, where they saw blue skies turn to a grey wind-blown canopy and remember God was there, present in their lives. Maybe they will wonder where else they can experience God if they stopped to listen. And they will know Him.

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 Brandon Sawaya is a first year mountain guide at Beyond Malibu. 

Back to Beyond after 30 years

I hadn’t been back to Beyond in 33 years. Why? Life happened…marriage and moves and Young Life and a child and jobs and, and, and... It had been such a great part of my life story and God had met me there. Ha, maybe I didn’t want to go back because I thought Gordy might ask me to lead a trip and I knew I couldn’t do it anymore (I know even Gordy wouldn’t take that chance!).
 
Then, this summer (June 2010), my husband, Bill, and I were invited to a week in Base Camp to help lead a group of college students from Northern Arizona University.  Bill and I had met at Beyond when he brought up a group of kids from Arizona the summer of 1977. I greeted their trip on the dock covered in balloons which, for some crazy reason, wasn’t initially that impressive to him! Anyway, this summer I was prepared and willing to go be with the college students from NAU; it would be great for them to see life at Beyond and to do a work project, it would be a good experience for them. But, wait a minute…now we’re on the boat and we’re on the Princess Louisa; shafts of sunlight are hitting parts of the ridges and I’m recalling a long ago sense of anticipation that God is up to something. I remember this feeling….looking forward and yet afraid at the same time of the awesomeness of God’s presence.  Stepping off the boat onto the dock at Base Camp was overwhelming for me; I got that “weak in the knees” deal. I was home. I had to walk very slowly back along (much wider and less devil’s club obscured) paths around the place where I was born in so many ways; the place I learned to overcome fears and Go Beyond my own no-risk safety net. It was a place of kindness and quiet and peace. A place of reflection and a reminder of who I was and am at the core.  I returned to this place to lead college students and realized the trip was actually a homecoming for me. A lot has happened in the years between the summers of ‘76-77 and 2010, blessings I never would have imagined, pain I never would have chosen, failures and victories.  But, this was the place where I became convinced that the Creator of this amazing universe loved me, was far beyond all I could ask or imagine and would never leave me, no matter what.

Jim Caldwell has said that Beyond is a thin place; a place where the separation between “I and Thou” is a little more narrow. That is true. For me, I also feel His presence is heavy there…heavy in a palpable weight of the evidence of His presence, beauty and power. His voice is a little clearer. It was a blessing to be back, and a great week with the group we were with. I became reminded of so many truths that sometimes get lost in this crazy world that is not our home. I know we don’t want to get too comfortable here. We need to be ready for that trip someday when we all get to Go Beyond…won’t that be awesome? I think I’ll wear balloons.

-Jan Hamilton
 Mountain Guide 1976-1977

Life Happens in the Journey

My name is Grace King and I’m a first year mountain guide here at Beyond.  I had the amazing experience of going out last week on my first trip of the summer, with a group from Arizona, with the summit of Albert in our sights.  We were a group of fifteen including leaders and guides and we set off with high spirits toward our goal.  It wasn’t long until we began encountering unexpected setbacks. By day three a bout of temperamental weather moved in and we awoke the next morning to five inches of fresh snow. That morning we realized we had to readjust our goals and the High Ridge campsite became our new summit, one day and a thousand feet short of our original goal.  After dusting the snow off of everything, warming up a bit with breakfast and taking down camp, we headed up the long stretch of snow to the High Ridge in near whiteout conditions.

I was praying throughout that day that our participants would get to see the view at some point.  Walking up that snowfield looked endless, step after step, stretching up above and down below us until it disappeared into the fog in both directions.  As we neared the High Ridge, the clouds lifted and suddenly we could see all of the surrounding mountains, the inlet below us, the rocky outcroppings that make up the North and South Sentinels near our campsite, and the breathtaking icefall created by the glacier flowing out of Microwave Bowl.  We were so excited. We spent an hour taking pictures and standing in awe of the beauty of God’s mountains set against the fire of the sunset He painted for us that night.

That evening, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have been willing to climb up all that way had there been no chance of a break in the clouds, no prospect of an amazing view, just fog, fog, fog, all the way up and all the way down.  I posed this question to the group that night and we talked about life and the times when following God seems like walking up a snowfield in a whiteout with no goal in sight.  Sometimes I’m so focused on the goal that I miss the richness of the journey, with all its joy and pain.  God has been teaching me about the value of the journey for the past few years.  So often I get oriented toward the future and I miss the beauty of the life that happens along the way.  The journey often has a greater and more lasting impact on my life than the brief moments of achievement I experience.  After all, the journey is what makes the achievement possible, and what makes reaching my goal so sweet.  I want to be willing to journey with God, not knowing when the sun will break through the clouds but certain in the fact that my heart is being transformed in the process.

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Gracie King is a first year mountain Guide at Beyond Malibu.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left your ears will hear a voice behind you saying “this is the way, walk in it.” - Isaiah 30:21