The NEW Beyond Trail Manual

This year, the Beyond Malibu Guide Staff was handed the new Beyond Malibu Trail and Sea Kayaking Manuals printed on sweet waterproof Rite in the Rain paper and bound in 6-ring binders.  

The 3rd edition of the manual was in serious need of some updating after being last printed in 1997, so after months of effort by dozens of people the manual is now in the hands of the guide staff.  

The hope for this manual is that it would help the guides learn the skills topics we teach during the spring trainings better and that, it would in-turn, yield better, more meaningful trips for participants during the summer.  

Meet Beyond's New Guide Staff

As always, the training season snuck up on us again and here we are, going into the third training weekend. At each training weekend both Sea Kayaking and Mountain Guides gain the skills needed to lead trips on the water and in the mountains for the up coming summer.

At the last weekend, guides learned the skills necessary to navigate the Beyond wilderness. Guides fine tuned skills on using a map and compass and how to read topography. A great weekend.
On May 1st, the whole staff for the 2009 summer meets for the first time in Anacortes, WA. We're very excited to see how the community begins to form itself again this year. Sea Kayaking Guides will spend their first training days on the water while the Mountain Guides will spend the day honing their rock climbing skills on Mt. Erie.

Alumni Memories

• fond memories of community life
• a desperate prayer for direction in a whiteout, followed almost immediately by a small break in the clouds which allowed me to see some mountian goat tracks leading the way over a rocky trail
• the people and relationships from Beyond that have profoundly affected my life
• mounatin top sunrises
• participants growing in love with God
• faith stretching moments in our journeys with God
• banging my head on the beams in the upstairs of the barn
• Cafe Beyond
• my favorite times at Beyond were the hurried prayer meetings when a need or crisis came up. To see everyone drop what they were doing and lift up a need to God was very encouraging.
• swimming around the island
• singing around the table
• stretching myself
• findig more of God
• sharing in creation
• laughter
• tears
• simplicity of life
• the thing from Beyond that has most affected my life is the opportunity to be able to know Christ as He expresses Himself in His body and through the incredible majesty of his creation.
• rescue trips

The Gift

Dave Taylor (Guide) 1978

Reflections broken by a soft wind,
as I try and understand.
Mountains and the lake before me,
offered as a gift to Man.

Heather Meadows flecked with color,
ice blue sky and sky blue ice.
Silver water on a boulder,
peaks which mirror the evening light.

No shame I'd feel if I deserved them,
bought them, owned them, paid the price.
But Creation is not mine to purchase,
no more than the grace of Christ.

Interested in Being on Beyond Staff?

Are you or someone you know interested in being on staff at Beyond Malibu?

We are still accepting applications for the summer of 2009 for guides and base camp staff. We need mountain and sea kayak guides. Qualified guide applicants are 21 or older with two years of ministry experience. We also need base camp staff who must be 18 or older. Being on staff at Beyond is an incredible opportunity to love people and serve God while living amongst a Christ-centered community in the midst of his glorious creation.Consider this opportunity and tell others about it too! If you or someone you know may be interested, check out the website and contact the Beyond Malibu office.

A Note from the Office...

By Tessa Thralls, Beyond Malibu Office Manager

Greetings from the Beyond Malibu office! This is my second year working in the Beyond Malibu office, and I am constantly reminded of what a blessing it is for me to work in this place. Part of my job is promoting the ministry of Beyond Malibu to others who may be interested in going on a trip or being on staff; I have found it is never hard to be excited about the ministry and encourage others to become involved. I had a passion for Beyond Malibu and loved the work of this ministry even before I began working here. However, over the last year, I have gotten the chance to learn so much more about the ministry; I have talked to dozens of trip leaders and heard the stories about how lives were changed on trips; I have served with other guides and seen how God uses their service to change their own lives; I have lived in the midst of the Beyond Malibu community in Seattle and witnessed how its members support each other incredibly well; and furthermore, my own life has been affected greatly through my time with Beyond Malibu. It constantly gets easier to promote Beyond Malibu’s trip and staff opportunities to others because I continually experience God working through this ministry in the lives of his children.

Not only does God choose to work through the ministry of Beyond Malibu but he also chooses to bless the ministry. One example of his blessing this year is the new office space that we moved into. We are thankful to Concordia Lutheran School for the office space they provided for us over the past few years. However, this fall we needed to move out of the space; it was a stressful time searching for a new office; Rob sent out countless letters to churches and surveyed Seattle for any place that might work. Being rejected time and time again, the process became quite discouraging. However, suddenly one week before we needed to move, we discovered the opportunity to move into a church in NE Seattle. The staff at Discovery House church graciously allowed us to move into their office space and have supported us throughout the process. We are now located in a prestigious corner office overlooking Hollywood Video and Dicks, and it is an especially good situation for me because I live one block away from the church.

So, although the summer is the season that we are able to see God’s work in and through this ministry most clearly, Rob and I are also reminded throughout the year of his blessings and provisions, and we are thankful to be involved in the ministry of Beyond year-round. During the long winter months, it can be easy to lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing; however, through conversations with trip leaders, alumni, current staff, and friends of Beyond, I am convinced that every minute I spend serving this ministry is valuable, and for that, I thank God daily.

2009 Staff Application Time

It's hard to believe it's already here but we're already in December and just a few months away from the next training season. December is the month to apply for staff positions, and January we will begin to assemble the 2009 Team! Join us for the adventure.

Beyond is now taking staff applications for the 2009 Summer!

Do you know someone who would be a good fit for Base Camp Staff, Mountain Guide Staff or Sea Kayaking Guide Staff? Call them and encourage them to apply.

On second thought, are you interested in applying for staff for this summer, have you turned in your application?

Click here to get more information on applying for staff.

If you are considering applying, applications are due soon so please act now!

Guide Staff Applications are due January 1, 2009.

Base Camp Staff Applications are due January 15, 2009.

We're excited about another summer of leading kids in the mountains and on the water and we're equally excited in spending another summer as a Beyond community.

If you are interested in applying or know someone who might be, contact the Beyond Office at (206) 525-6147 or email our office