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 

A Purpose-Filled Life

Xavier Salazar is a student at Grand Canyon University 

in Arizona, where he is earning a degree in Biblical Studies.

 He is on the maintenance team at base camp this summer.

 In his free time, Xavier loves slack-lining, playing

 Frisbee, and hanging out with friends.

I will never forget watching the movie “Kung Fu Panda” for the first time. My cousin and I laughed in unison as my mouth began to hurt from smiling for so long. There are a few memorable moments from the movie, but one specific quote constantly flows through my mind: “there are no accidents”.

For three years I have been hearing about this Young Life camp called Beyond Malibu. From 2013 to 2015 many of my friends have been involved with Beyond, either as participants or as staff. I missed out each year because I either heard about the opportunity too late or other summer plans interfered. However, the more I heard of my friends’ experiences, the more I desired to have some part in this place. This summer though, everything came together, and here I find myself on maintenance at base camp.

Now that I’m here, I’ve begun to ask why? Why now? Why didn’t I go on a trip with my high school friends? Why didn’t I go in college with my friend’s school trip? Why didn’t I apply for maintenance any other year? There have been so many other opportunities and options. In the midst of asking these questions, I remember that quote from Kung Fu Panda, “There are no accidents.” If I took any of those past opportunities, I might not be here right now. I would never have met Skylar, Chase, John Wayne, T.J., or Isaiah, my base camp co-workers who have become like family. I would never have met Cody, my direct boss, who has been like an older brother to me. I would have missed out on growing in relationship with my long-time friend Rick Wilson. I never would have sat next to unique, lovely, and beautiful people while worshiping Jesus around a roaring fire. I would not have learned valuable lessons that will shape me for the rest of my life. Old passions that God placed in my heart would not have been reawakened, and this summer full of life and adventure wouldn’t have existed. God’s perfect planning led to me coming here and experiencing everything that I have. It is clear that I am supposed to be here right here and right now. If you take time to look at specific moments of your life you can see the Lord using them in his plan.

Xavier (left) and part of the maintenance team at base camp

God brings purpose to every moment and decision in our lives. There is purpose in the mere fact that you were created. There is purpose in your community. There is purpose in your job. There is purpose in this very moment as you read these very words.

What exactly is that purpose? Ask God and trust. God has a purpose and a plan for your life.

-Xavier Salazar. 

Summer Home

On May 2^nd at 6 a.m., I boarded a flight in Charlotte heading for Seattle with nervous anticipation. This grand adventure that the Lord had called me to was finally beginning. The plane took off and I felt the Lord calming me as I left my life in South Carolina behind.  My name is Sara Betenbaugh and this summer I'm serving as Young Life's Beyond Malibu Guest Services Coordinator.

I reflected on my Work Crew experience at Malibu in 2010. I was always intimidated by how “cool” and “outdoorsy” the Beyond staff were. When I was on Summer Staff at Malibu in 2012, I heard a Beyond representative talk about staff opportunities and thought to myself, “I would never do that.” Chuckling at my own ignorance, I couldn’t get over the evidence of the Lord’s sovereignty and grace. When I thought I could never serve in that capacity, the Lord opened doors and moved in ways beyond my comprehension. So, as I write this post, I am currently sitting in Beyond Malibu's Base Camp office. Oh how the Lord has His humor!

I spent the month of May helping out in Malibu Club’s kitchen for the pre-season. It was a great month of serving and community, but I felt my heart yearning and longing to be down the inlet at Beyond. On the few sunny days of May, I would try and catch glimpses of the green roofs of Beyond from Malibu’s inner dock. I would search for any sign of Beyond because I knew that it was going to be my new “home.” It would be where I would see the Lord work in mighty ways. I felt so incredibly close to starting this journey with Beyond but June was weeks away and alas, Beyond was two miles away.

One day after dinner, I found myself jumping into a boat with three friends as we made our way down the inlet to explore Beyond. I could hardly contain my excitement as I headed towards Beyond’s small dock and was caught off guard when I remarked to my Malibu friends, “Welcome to my home.”

Home.

This place would become my new home in just a few short weeks. As I bounded up the gravel pathway, I felt the Lord’s assurance. “My child, this is where I have called you.” As we walked around the overgrown paths and tried to find any crack in the boarded up buildings, I couldn’t help but wonder which building was which. Where would I sleep? Where would I work? Where would I worship and spend time with my fellow brothers and sisters? There were cobwebs and fallen branches everywhere and while I knew that the buildings had been boarded up nine months, I could feel that the Lord was present in this place.

After counting down the days, part of my new Beyond family finally arrived. The Beyond portion of this great summer adventure had officially begun. We immediately started hauling supplies and equipment from Malibu to Beyond and with every trip of equipment, more boards started coming down. With each board coming down, more light was finally coming into these buildings that had stood vacant. Our days consisted of scrubbing, hauling water from the creek, sorting equipment, and getting electricity. People started moving into buildings, toothbrushes started lining up next to the main sink, and shoes started to pile up outside doors. Base Camp had finally come to life.

Our first evening as a full staff, we had fifty-five people sitting on two sides of our long dinner table. As we sat elbow to elbow and sang the doxology as a prayer, I truly felt like I was getting a glimpse of heaven. Of true community and fellowship with believers who all had the same goals, serving God and bringing Him glory. What I had first viewed as boarded up buildings with cobwebs had turned into a sacred place full of the true life that only Jesus gives. What a sweet blessing it is to call this thin place where heaven meets earth my summer “home.”

By Sara Betenbaugh
June 2014

Farewell to Friends

Gill and Lynda Fuller

This week we begin our pre-summer base camp work weekends.  The spring is a great time for us to spruce things up and make the major improvements.  This weekend we’re working on our NEW BARN EXTENSION (more on that later). 

For all of our off-season (fall, winter, spring) projects we work closely with and depend a lot on the service of Malibu Club staff.  For almost ten years Gill and Lynda Fuller have been serving Malibu Club, and us, faithfully.  Now they are moving on. Last Friday marked their last day in the inlet and they will be greatly missed.

Lynda ran the laundry and housekeeping for Malibu Club.  She was always tremendously helpful and gracious to Beyond staff as we raided her workspace every week to wash our smelly smelly laundry.  She also did a lot of work serving our staff during these spring work weekends.

Gill was head of Malibu Club maintenance. He helped us solve innumerable problems every summer, gave us access to his shop and extra materials, and was always available to help us with transportation issues.  Both Gill and Lynda have an incredible ability to serve the kids, leaders, and staff of both Malibu Club and Beyond Malibu.

Gill and Lynda, we will miss you a great deal.  We want to recognize your faithful and invaluable service these past ten years.  We send you our blessings and prayers as you continue to pursue lives of service beyond the inlet.

We Need More Staff!

We have hired a stellar guide staff and base camp staff for Beyond Summer 2012. To give a snap shot, the first year women guides will blow your mind with awesomeness and Jeff the jukebox will be back rockin’ the guitar. Our maintenance staff is ready to maintain, and our guy Nate from Wisconsin is taking up the reigns as the assistant cook in the kitchen this year. But here’s the thing. We still have some serious vacancies and we need all the help we can get filling them.

For starters we are still looking for a Head Cook– you’d get to work with Nate– and a Boat Driver. The Boat Driving position requires a special certification so we’re looking for someone who’s willing to hold that spot down for this summer and next summer.

Next up are our coordinator positions: Guest Services and Base Camp (formerly Female and Male Base Camp coordinators). These are base camp leadership positions so if you know how to get things done and know how to get other people to get things done (or know someone who does), you should definitely look into one of these positions. We like to have a balance men and women on our leadership team so we usually hire a lady for the Guest Services Coordinator and a guy for the Base Camp Coordinator, just so you know. Whoever takes these spots will be joining our Food Service Coordinator Amanda, from Virginia, on the leadership team.

Last but definitely not least, we are still on the hunt for two (a lady and a guy) Guide Team Leaders to join Amanda and Co. on leadership. These positions require a hefty amount of previous Beyond experience– like two years as a Beyond guide– and some pretty exceptional leadership skills. We’ve perused all of the usual subjects but feel like we’re forgetting some people. If you are or know some people who fit the bill, we’d love it if you or they were brought to our attention.

Check out our website for more detailed job descriptions and an application. Don't hesitate to call us (206-525-0791) with any questions or suggestions. Our first training weekend begins in exactly one week. We are so pumped for the start of this new season and we’d love it if our leadership team could join us as soon as possible. Be praying for us please.

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.

First Training Weekend

Oh-So-Ko-No, Jeff's favorite.

It’s spring here in Seattle and training has officially started for the 2011 Beyond guide staff. We kicked off the season with our first training weekend March 24-27. As usual the returning guide class showed up early Thursday evening for a fun reunion and a few extra sessions on leadership training. They locked themselves in a room, caught up on their adventures from across the country, and went about setting their goals for this upcoming summer. After a day and a half of work, our newly fearless leaders had developed a their own mission statement, “Cultivating encounters with God through worshiping together,” and were ready to greet their partners, Beyond’s newest class of sea kayaking and mountain guides.

By Friday evening the new guide staff had arrived at Concordia Lutheran Elementary school to a warm welcome from the returning staff. We have fourteen new guides this year who traveled from all over North America including New Jersey, Southern California, and even Canada. The excitement from the welcome, with the help of plenty of coffee and animal crackers, carried on throughout the night. After plenty of get-to-know-you games, the great Beyond historian Jim Caldwell graced our presence and filled the guide staff with a sense of eagerness and anticipation for the joys of weather and surprises of the wilderness that the mountains and inlet holds for them this summer.

Jim Caldwell back in the day. Not much has changed.

Saturday, too, was filled with some amazing guest lecturers. Sarah Field, a Young Life leader from Tacoma, shared about the Beyond experience from the leader’s perspective. She spoke about her trip last summer with 14 high school girls and shared some valuable insight on the goals, expectations, and experiences of a trip leader. Dudley and Kathleen Miller returned again this year, too. These wise counselors have given our guide staff instruction the past few years on interpersonal communication. The skills they teach our staff consistently prove to be invaluable tools on almost every trip. We so appreciate their willingness to serve us, plus that egg toss was totally epic.

Of course the weekend was littered throughout with instruction on hard skills and opportunities for physical and spiritual development. We want to send out a huge thank you to all of our trainers. I won’t list them all by name because I’m sure to forget someone but we are so grateful for your continued support of our program. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you too to the guide staff for your sacrifices and commitment to serving God and serving kids. We’re excited for the ways in which God will work and eagerly anticipate the new Beyond season.

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.

Make Your Summer Count

The 2011 season is shaping up to be an epic Beyond summer. Our trip calendar is full and growing and we are bursting at the seams with people signed up for an adventure of a lifetime in the mountains and on the water at Beyond. With all of these trips we need a pretty large staff to put it all together. We're still taking applications for mountain guides, sea kayaking guides, base camp staff, and leadership. We're looking for people who are adventurous, passionate, and committed to living out God's love through service to others. If you or someone you know fits this description click here for more information and to fill out an application. You can also click on the "Meet Our Staff" tab above to learn a little bit about people who have been on staff before, and even some people who will be up there this summer. Serving a summer or two at Beyond is one of the best things you can do. You will change lives, yours included.

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

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. 

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

College Week at Base Camp

Two weeks ago I spent an amazing week at Beyond Malibu Base Camp. Since we began planning this trip I've been super excited to see how it would all pan out. My wildest expectations didn't even come close to the experience we received. I think the way one of my friends talks about Beyond Malibu sums it up nicely. In his words, "[Beyond] Malibu is a very thin place" a place where the Lord's voice is clearer, louder and more frequent. We all need that, don't we?

We played hard, worked hard, ate like kings and queens, laughed, lounged and simply enjoyed life together and it was amazing! We were in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We enjoyed silence and the presence of God. We were welcomed with open arms into the Beyond community. We shared our stories, adventure and life and it was a remarkable week to remember forever.

A day in the life at Base Camp started with breakfast around a huge table, followed by a hour of silence with the Lord (AMAZING), work projects, more food for lunch (yummy), some sort of adventure in the afternoon (wake-boarding, visiting Malibu Club, a short hike, sea kayaking, napping in a hammock, swimming with sea lions), more food (dinner) hanging out around a fire sharing life stories and being encouraged by teaching from Bill and Jan Hamilton or singing songs around the fire, then off to bed until the next amazing day.

I will always remember the time (years ago) that I ventured into the mountains at Beyond and now I will always remember the Base Camp of Beyond and how it impacted me in different but equal ways to an epic trip up into the wilderness of Beyond Malibu. One of the coolest things about this opportunity is that it served college aged students so well. This trip is perfect for anyone who is leading college students and I believe will bless them in ways you could not have imagined. Thanks Beyond Family, you blessed us.

-Jason Rinne
 Area Director
 YoungLife Northern Arizona