Beyond Malibu

Sarah Field on Beyond

2012-02-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Spirit Animals

2012-02-04T14:24:00.001-08:00

Kelly Hannah was our assistant cook the summer of 2012. This is a sweet picture of her taken by Brandon Sawaya. Kelly is currently serving as our office administrator. Call the office and say hello; she loves booking trips.

During the summer I spent as assistant cook in base camp just one of the things I learned about myself was that my spirit animal is a seal: one of the many kinds of animal friends that coexist with us at base camp and around the inlet. Like a seal, I am extremely curious, but shy at first. Once I feel safe and comfortable I am friendly and playful. That summer my understanding of myself, my view of God, and my love for those around me changed so much, but so did my appreciation of the seals who shared their home with us.

My first interaction with my spirit animal is entertaining now, but terrified me at the time. It was my first morning in base camp, and I was determined to start the summer with a swim to the rock just off shore from The Point campsite. I dove into the freezing inlet and immediately regretted my decision. But I took a few deep breaths and, stroke by stroke, made my way towards the rock. Halfway there, something caught my eye that made me freeze in mid kick. Just ahead of me was the smooth dark shiny head of a seal. His head was still and his eyes stared directly at me. My heart tried to leap out of my mouth as I tread water but I stared right back. It felt like hours we stayed there with eyes locked, probably with the same combination of surprise, curiosity, and fear. On my part I was terrified that the seal would think my feet were fish and decide to make a meal of them. I waited, and I stared, and nothing yanked me from below. I kept breathing and watched my morning swim companion. He kept breathing and watched me. Finally I turned back. It was too cold and frightening to risk being eaten or getting sick, and besides, I needed to make my way to the barn so I could dry off, warm up, and help get breakfast ready.

Later, as I cut fruit and prepared coffee for breakfast I asked Elisa, the head cook and a former kayaking guide, about seals. Elisa had worked for two summers on the water, she'd have to know if there were killer seals roaming around. She laughed when I told her about my encounter. "No, seals aren't dangerous. They're just curious and playful: like dogs, but they live in the water." Whew. That helped. I was not the biggest fan of the seals at the time, but at least I knew they wouldn't hurt me. As the summer went on, my new aqua-canine friends continued to join me as I swam. I grew comfortable with them watching them play a sort of hide and seek around our watery front yard, or seeing them from a distance as we boated between base camp and Malibu club on laundry days.

Close to the end of the summer, the staff spent a Sabbath day at Malibu Club. I went to the outer dock to read and bask in the sun. I was sad that the summer was almost over, and asked God to help me carry the experience home with me. I had made amazing new friends and with whom I had gone through busy work days, lazy Sabbaths, bed time stories, theme parties, bible studies, and a lot more. Personally I had grown a lot as well. I learned the importance of regular prayer, the necessity of rest, how to give up my own desires to serve others, and how to root my identity in Christ rather than what my own insecurity or or the opinions of others. And then there was the beauty of God’s creation. No matter how many pictures I took or how many ways I tried to describe it in my journal. I didn't want to forget anything but I knew I could not fully bring home the feeling that setting inspired in me. As I sorted through these thoughts before the Lord, I lay on the dock embracing the sun's warmth with my feet resting in the water.

Suddenly, I noticed a strange silence. Then, out of nothing arose a loud, steady breathing that surrounded me. I opened my eyes to see who it was: maybe someone on a run come to say hello? Strange though, since I hadn't heard footsteps. Then I realized the breathing came from the water. Directly in front of me, 20 seals floated. 20 pairs of those wonderfully curious and penetrating eyes floated above 20 pairs of gray-white whiskers. They stared at me as I stared back, in awe of how close and how still they were. I moved to get up for a better look, and as quickly as they appeared, they vanished through the blue surface into their world.

When we asked one another, "What is your spirit animal?" wewere having fun, just one way to get to an understanding of the core of each other's character and personality. As we progressed from being staff to becoming real brothers and sisters in Christ, we helped one another realize the ways in which we have been uniquely created by God. That summer was an amazing time of growth in confidence. I learned to cling to my identity before God. Thinking of that last visit from the seals is always a precious reminder of how I grew and what I learned that summer.

Staff Promotions: Go Big, Go Beyond

2012-01-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, after nearly a year of work, we wrapped up our new staff promotions poster. We are staffing for our 2012 summer and wanted to share this with you.

There's no shortage of these so if you, your college group or YL office would like a few copies, drop us a note and we'll send them right over.

Thanks Becca Williams and Joel Shoop for the design and Steven Gnam, Jeff Milsten and others for the photography.

Leader Interviews

2012-01-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

We recently asked a few Young Life leaders and staff about their experiences with Beyond Malibu. This is what they had to say about the ministry.

Thanks Ben for putting the video together, and Casey Price, Kiki Lund, Mason Rutledge and Sarah Fields for sharing with us.

Snow Day!

2012-01-19T13:38:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been pretty snowy in Seattle. Some people are calling it the Snowpocalypse and the Washington State Governor declared a state of emergency this morning, but really it's only like five inches of snow. I kind of like the way Seattle collectively decides to take the day off. It's like this wonderful pocket of freedom nestled right in the middle of a long winter/month/work week, and for the most part you can't do anything about it. Because Beyond staff sticks together like snowball snow, a bunch of us found ourselves holed up in a house together for the day. It was awesome. We reverted to ten-year-oldness and elected ourselves a snow-day president and vice president. Our activities included the creation of a 6 ft snowman, one snow angel, talk of chocolate flavored snow-cones (that's all we had), a snowball fight (of course), a romp in the "woods" across the street, and the contemplation of a polar bear plunge. We also had our fill of hot chocolate and popcorn. It was an awesome time to strip away all of our concerns about work and money and meaning and just spend the day in community with each other and the rest of God's creation.

This pocket of freedom is kind of the way Beyond trips work, too. They're an entire week away from all of the drama and worries of normal life. For one week you strip yourself of media and work and deadlines and success and failure and just be, be with God, with creation, and with yourself. All of the things that seem so important at home (like "wearing a clean shirt" and "showering") don't even show up on the radar once you get out on the water or up in the mountains.

If you enjoy a good snow day and long for a snow-cone covered pocket of freedom even in the middle of summer, you should check out Beyond; snow cones included.

Letter to Self

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

A lot of people keep journals. They're a nice way to capture emotional and intellectual experiences, to freeze-frame the process of growth. Every now and then I find myself returning to certain journals and reliving certain times of my life. It's great to be reminded of what is important to me and why it has become important, especially after the excitement and emotion of an experience has faded.

At Beyond, we try to one-up the habit of journaling. It has been our experience that Beyond trips can be a tremendous time of spiritual and emotional maturing. It's pretty easy, though, to return from a Beyond trip and have all of those character fortifying moments turn into nothing but sentimental memories. So some guides like to take a freeze-frame of the emotional and spiritual experience of Beyond and have it pop back up in campers lives when they least expect it. We call it "Letter to Self," because that's what it is. Guides have participants sit down at the summit or the end of the trip and write a letter to themselves about what they experienced that week. Then we send the letters out later in the year, usually around New Years. It's kind of a double whammy of awesomeness. First, you get a letter in the mail; who doesn't like that? Then you get this random trip back to a time when the distractions of life had been stripped away and it was easier to see what was important. It's better than just keeping a journal because you are guaranteed to read it. The whole thing is pretty neat.

The picture above is from Joey Leppien. He went on a Sea Kayaking trip this past summer. When he received his letter in the mail this week, he liked it so much that he posted it to Facebook. I like it because it's proof that we really do send out those letters. If you want to receive a letter from an awesome version of yourself next New Years, you should sign up for a Beyond trip now.

Stacks of Packs

2012-01-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

We have a room in our office that is full of packs. At the end of every summer we wash, dry, inventory, and inspect everything that Beyond owns. The packs in the room are the ones that were in need of a little extra love and repair. I just started working at Beyond again and I thought it would be cool to move into that room and pretend I had my own office. The moment I opened the door to check it out I was hit by a wave of smell, the smell of pack. Now, some people might use the word stench to describe the odor of compounding BO, dirt, and something somehow sweet, but to me it just smells like memories. These packs have worked hard for the privilege of their smell. They have hauled dozens of pounds of gear up countless mountains on the backs of campers of all shapes and sizes. A Beyond pack gets used eight times more than a pack owned by your average Joe (or Jane) Shmoe. They get drenched in sweat, thrown on the ground, sat on (I mean wait, that doesn’t happen), stuffed until bursting, dragged through the mud, rained on, and then scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. If you’ve been to Beyond, you can imagine the smell. If you’ve ever worked at Beyond, you're probably like me and have come to love the smell. When I leave the door open the whole office wreaks of nostalgia and some of the best times of my life. In fact most of the clothes I wear in the mountains smell the same way when I take them out of the drier.

I was trying to come up with some analogy for these packs and the Beyond experience. I guess like the packs you might get roughed up a bit if you are willing to head out on such an adventure, and what seemed before like the stench of struggle and challenge and dirt will change to the sweet aroma of deep relationship, satisfaction, and beauty, and probably some of the best memories of your life.

Too much? Well it’s true even if it is a little sentimental. So go on a trip or apply to be on staff already. Then you too can smell like the packs, and like it.

Happy New Year

2011-12-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone had a truly merry Christmas. The coming new year has us quite excitedabout another summer of ministry. A few quickyear end reminders for everyone:

We’re still booking trips so if you’ve beendreaming about bringing a trip in 2012; we can help make that happen. Give us a call - (206) 525-0791.
Guide staff applications are due January 1^stand basecamp applications are due January 15^th. If you or someone you know would be anawesome guide at Beyond, now’s the time to get your applications in. Link to applications is here.
‘Tis the time for year-end giving. If you’d like to financially support Beyondin 2011, follow this link. Your support of Beyond Malibu is appreciated.

360 Degree View

2011-12-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

The view from Globe Theater. Photo: Alex Herbig.

A Letter From Gail Grimston

2011-12-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Beyond,

I had to write you. Our Capernaum Kids spent the night here after Beyond. NEVER have I heard such clear elations and talk of Christ- you and your staff deserve medals, money, and praise. They loved thier "buddies"- working with them repeatedly was the highlight!!

I have taken kids (like these) and I come home exhausted beyond words and usually crying too. So thank you so much. You won't get any WC or guides from this group but know Jesus is clearer to them because of you.

Blessings and Love,

Gail

Throw Back

2011-11-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

Here is a sweet account of one of the earliest Beyond trips. A lot of things have changed at Beyond over the last 35 years but the adventures and the memories still last a lifetime.

Beyond Malibu 1975!

Awesome trip!

Incredible weather--sun the entire time! One Eye ascent...spent the night of the Fourth of July on the summit and watched the fireworks of the campers down below at Malibu. We signaled the campers with some lights. Our friends down below at camp saw us and all screamed! Their voices were carried up the inlet and canyon and we could hear them!

The day before, we had spent the night on the snow, just above tree line. We were very fortunate to see a copper-colored wolverine drinking water in a pool of ice-blue water just above the tree line after we climbed up out of the mud and rain in the rainforest on the first day!--the only wolverine in the wild I've ever seen!

The next day we summited One Eye and spent the night there.

In the morning we then hiked across a knife ridge, then down onto the BonBon Glacier! Incredible views!!! And that glacier was amazing--so flat!! Spent the night on a sun-warmed slab of granite.

Our last day we traversed the stream above the waterfall at the end of the Princess Louisa Inlet and spent our last night in the cabin next to the stream. It was so powerful and so beautiful.

When we got down to the inlet the next day, we all jumped in for an ice-cold but refreshing swim & bath! And ate a steak dinner! I think the best steak I've ever tasted!

Awesome trip with great people, enjoying the great outdoors made by a Great God. Thanks Young Life and counselor Steve Murray from Willow Glen High School in San Jose, California!

--Dana Schilperoort

Vertical Limit

2011-11-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

I don’t know if any of you have ever seen the movie Vertical Limit. A few months ago after a day of first-aid training a bunch of us Beyond Guides watched the movie again. It was hilarious. A lot of the stunts they pull are so outrageously unrealistic that we all burst out laughing at some of the most intense moments of the film. We felt kind of bad for our instructor who hasn’t spent a lot of time in the mountains and who had never seen the film before. Apparently a lot of our campers have seen the film. It is not uncommon for a group of high school boys to start off snow school by throwing themselves onto the snow clinging to their ice axe screaming for their buddy to help them up. We take snow school pretty seriously so this behavior can get a little frustrating. One guide had a particularly infamous outburst in response to this, shouting, “You will not fall, you will not trip, if you do fall, this is how you will arrest. I don’t want to see any of that bush-league Vertical Limit crap.” I don’t know if all of this means you should watch the movie, but I’m pretty sure it means you should book a Beyond trip. Our mountain adventures are not as intense or ridiculously dangerous as the shenanigans in Vertical Limit, but you do get to use an ice axe. We’ve already started booking for 2012 so give us a call (206.525.0791) or check out our website to reserve your own mountain experience- wicked explosions not included.

Jessica Goes Beyond

2011-11-01T09:55:00.000-07:00

For the past four years we have had the privilege hosting a Young Life Capernaum group from the Sammamish area. For those of you who don't know Capernaum is Young Life for kids with exceptionalities. One of the stars of this year's Capernaum trip was Jessica

Kitz. We recently received an update from YL Sammamish with this note in it and we wanted to pass it along. The following is what Jessica's mom says about her Beyond experience.

Jessica went to Beyond Malibu the first week in August with the Issaquah Capernaum group. Her leaders, Stacy and Scotty, were fantastic. I wanted to tell you one story that was the highlight of Jessica’s trip and I believe has changed her forever! Jessica always has to have two feet on the ground; very insecure on unlevel ground and going up or down hills. One day they were going on a hike to the waterfalls. My understanding was that the walk was over trees, rocks, hills, and not just a nature walk on a nicely groomed trail. Jessica was really scared. With the support of Stacy and Scotty and the other leaders, she made it to the waterfalls and back!! The leaders noticed the increase in her confidence after this little adventure and the first thing she told me when I picked her up was about this hike and that she made it! She kept saying that the hike was the best part of her trip. She is still showing an increase in confidence – nothing is stopping Jessica. Thank you Stacy, Scotty and Young Life!

- Becky Kitz

The New Boat Arrived!!

2011-10-27T11:41:00.001-07:00

The new boat arrived at Beyond Base camp July 22nd, 2011. What a celebration. After several years of fund raising we were able to purchase the new 12 passenger Stanley landing craft water taxi. Production of the boat started at the end of March and it arrived just in time to pick up the week 4 trips from the trail head. After picking up the first trip we knew we had the perfect boat for Beyond. The participants relaxed in the spacious cabin and the backpacks loaded into the open bow with ease. Powered by two 150 horsepower Yamaha outboards the loaded boat cruises comfortably between 27 and 30 knots making our trip pick up and drop off schedule run very smooth. The final test came when we did our first Frankenstein beach landing. The Frankenstein pickup went so well that we also changed the Pearkes pickup to be a beach pick up and drop off as well to avoid the risky dock.

Thank you to those of you who helped us purchase this boat. It is a fantastic addition to the Beyond Malibu ministry.

Sea Kayaking Trip

2011-08-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last week I headed up to Beyond to guest guide a high school co-ed trip from Midland, Michigan. It was quite a group. There were only two guy campers in the whole bunch so I was thankful for my guide partner, this year’s lone first year, Barb. Within a few hours it became pretty clear to me that these girls had no idea what was in store for them, they had no idea how hard it would be. The leaders were relentlessly positive and kept the group afloat with countless rounds of Taylor Swift songs. But the looming clouds and oppressive wind took its toll and eventually the struggle set in.

The second day down the Sechelt Inlet, we could see the first fish farm a few miles off. As we paddle towards it, the green building seemed to never change size. The wind howled into our face, each paddle stroke moved us only a small push forward. To stop paddling meant to actually move backward, away from our camp site and rest. As this was the groups' first day using a new skill, paddling, they all struggled against the wind and waves. One boat in particular, paddled by two younger girls, was having a challenging day. We approached the fish farm, and because of boats, garbage bins, and cables are were forced to move away from shore; to move toward where the wind was stronger. At some point before the fish farm, my encouraging words lost their luster. All that could be done was to ask the Lord for strength to make it around the next point. There we would find rest and delicious snacks.

That day, was harder than any of us had planned, it was frustrating and exhausting, but God is good and God’s strength sustains. In five days time the tide had turned completely. I found myself needing to go full speed ahead to catch those same girls, who were no longer struggling. They were so deep in conversation they did not even realize how effortlessly and quickly they were paddling. As sea kayaking guides, we frequently say the trip is about our journey, not our destination. We have no summits, no cruxes, our routes can be seen for miles, and our view stays at sea level. However, through the journey each person changes. They learn the small changes to a paddle stroke that make a large difference, they grow in their relationships with one another, and most importantly they, we, learn to trust the Lord for endurance against the wind and the waves. Water can take rough granite and make it smooth as glass, but it takes time, as does our journey to become more Christ-like.

Marshall Potter was a second-year sea kayaking guide and assistant to the operations manager for the 2010 summer. We’re glad he was able to join us again for a trip this summer.

Freedom of the Hills

2011-07-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

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...
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.

Summertime at Last

2011-06-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

The summer has finally arrived! The last month has been full of first aid trainings, base camp set up, and tons of travel. By June 13th all but a few stragglers had arrived in base camp and we were ready to kick off our last round of training. This year the sea kayaking guides were available to join the mountain guides on their training trip up Sun Peak. With everyone, including the sea kayakers, in base camp at once, we were stuffed like sardines in the back of the barn those first few rainy meals. That didn’t last long though. The guides only had three days of training in base camp before hitting the trail.

With the guides, the sea kayakers, and the trainers there were thirty-three people who headed up the mountain last Thursday. To make things a little more manageable, everyone split into three different groups, Safety Third lead by Abbie and Yonkers, the Bleating Fawns lead by Jeff and Becca, and Doyacopy lead by Joe and Alissa. These names may sound a little weird but they’re an indication that there was a lot of laughter ringing through the mountains this last week.

Day one up Chatterbox was obligingly sunny for the intense 4400 ft hike up to Sun City. Unfortunately that was the last we would see of the sun for several days. We woke up the morning of day two in a cloud that stayed with us until we climbed down off the summit four days later. But we weren’t too bothered by the mist, or the snow we hit at just 2800 ft. Days 2 and 3 were a pleasant mix of snow rotations, life stories, sneak leaps, Bible studies, epic snow ball battles, and a quick hike up to Contact Lakes.

We woke up early on day four, packed up camp, and headed to the top of the moraine (the west lateral moraine of the JJ glacier). Three of the trainers headed out early and trekked across the glacier to find a spot to practice crevasse rescue. Their recon was successful; they located a crevasse large enough to send four people in at once. It was a cold and rainy day but the weather is hardly noticeable when you get to spend the whole day jumping in and rescuing people from a sweet crevasse. By the time we got back in our rope teams and slogged back across the glacier to our campsite we were all totally exhausted, but it was a good day.

Day five was summit day and the tough ascent conditions had been on the minds of the trainers the whole week. The heavy snow threw our original plans of summiting Sun Peak into question. This week the usually steep and rocky ascent route was now steep and heavy with snow. Last year the snow was lower but there was still enough to keep us off Sun Peak and move us over to JJ. We didn’t give up that easily though. First thing that morning Jeff, Joe, and Yonkers headed up Sun Peak to see if they could find a route up and over. The snow was deep and steep but our fearless trainers managed, with the help of five hand-lines, to make the Sun Peak knife ridge passable. It took the thirty of us nine hours to clear the summit- a trip that takes less than two under different conditions. It was late, raining, and windy when we finally rolled into Miners Rock and Maurie’s Mound, but we’d made it and it was worth it!

The next morning, day six, we were rewarded for all of our hard work with a view that would take your breath away. We woke up to partly sunny skies, which after the weather we’d had felt like a blue bird day. We yard-saled all of our gear hoping the sporadic sun might dry things out, then we sprawled out on the rock ourselves and settled in for a morning of hot bevies and life stories. A quick rock climb, rappel, and first aid scenario broke up the afternoon, and we were all full from dinner when we finally packed up and headed back down into the forest for our last night on the trail.

Throughout the week, with rotating Leader of the Day teams facilitating spiritual content and the delegation of daily responsibilities, we focused on Romans 15:1-7. Within our groups we processed how Jesus gives us the kind of hope, endurance and encouragement that allows us to live in harmony as a community. Authentic conversations ensued about how we feel most connected with the people around us and how to truly accept ourselves, and those we are in community with, as God has accepted us . We tried to define what glory actually is, how to give that glory to God, and how to become “little Christs”. Sitting on the side of a mountain, in the freezing rain under the McFly, we realized how much this experience, with these people, feels like home. Our common struggle, our shared moments of weakness, and our ability to be strong only as one united body, brought the scriptural content alive for all of us as we paralleled the mountain with our lives.

Now, we’ve made it back to base camp and have even headed back to the wilderness again. Our first trips are out in the mountains experiencing that same sense of common struggle and drawing the parallel between this mountain experience and their lives at home. We’re thankful for our training, for the ways our lives are changed through struggle, through community, but mostly through Christ. We pray for continued transformation, for ourselves and for our participants, throughout this summer. Thanks for your prayers and support for this adventure.

Snow Weekend

2011-05-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Lauren (left) and Alaina (right)

We are just flying through our training season here at Beyond. We finished our weekend trainings with an overnight excursion on the snow near the Mt. Baker ski area. We spent the days practicing building anchors, setting up belays, perfecting our self-arrest technique, and working through our crevasse rescue system. We have less than two weeks before we all head up to the inlet for our last week of training, and then trips arrive! Here are the thoughts of Alaina Sawaya, a second year mountain guide, as she reflects on snow weekend and the summer to come.

Journal Entry *Snow Weekend 2011*
God is good. He has given me the most extraordinary group of individuals to be in community with and working along side. I am so stoked for our summer!!
I often feel as though I don't deserve this experience, along with so many other such moments in my life to which I feel unworthy. I am floored by his grace. My life is good because of him and all that he gives to me, and I am so thankful!

It is because of, and not in spite of, the snow and the rain and the cold and the exhaustion, we grow closer. The skills begin to solidify in our minds and the friendships take a deeper place within us as we dangle ourselves off of snow walls in harnesses and hurl them down steep slopes with ice axes flailing to "gain control before we roll"! Between rotations we challenge each other to deep snow frog-jump races and push-up challenges on foamies and ice-axe sculptures. It's all part of the madness we call Beyond. And we love it. We crave it. We anticipate it and tell stories about it. And now we are about to experience it all summer! This crazy bunch of imperfect but wonderfully made people become a working body of Christ! It's a miracle and we are part of it! We have been chosen to come together for his purpose, and as we approach this summer with enthusiasm, we should take an attitude of humility and responsibility for the work we have been given. He has great plans for us as we are woven into the lives of one another and the participants we encounter at Beyond. My hope is for us all to be fully present, fully engaged, fully aware of and fully thankful for each moment of those plans. Here we go!!

"For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13

"Yes a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth, but not have a rich relationship with God." Luke 12:21

Lord, let there be less of me, and more of you! Amen.

Water Taxi Update

2011-05-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is so exciting. Here are the most recent pictures of our new water taxi! We’re obviously cruising along with the production of the boat itself. It is really the perfect water craft for Beyond. Like our current boat, the Laker I, our new water taxi will comfortably seat twelve passengers. But, this new boat has the additional awesomeness of a large cargo area, for all of those packs, and a landing craft design (the front part lowers down) to facilitate trip drop-offs even at points that do not have a dock. The one thing this boat is missing is it’s engines! We currently have roughly 36.8% of the funds needed to purchase the “engine package,” that’s $12,900 out of $35,000. You can help us fill that 63.2% gap by clicking here and making a donation of your own.

Big or small, every little bit helps. We appreciate your support so much.

All-Staff Weekend

2011-05-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

We are flying through training season this year. Two weeks ago we had our all-staff training weekend in Anacortes. It was a blast. We e-mailed our new Female Base Camp Coordinator Robyn Zachry to get her take on the weekend. Here is her response. Check out our Staff Profiles page to read up on the rest of this summer's crew.

Howdy! I’m Robyn Zachry from Midland, Texas. I’m 21 years old and I’m heading into my senior at Texas A&M University as an Education major. I’m also a Young Life leader at Bryan High School.

As a Young Life leader, I have always heard about Beyond Malibu, but have never really given it much thought. Then earlier this Spring, a local YL staff person called me up out of the blue and told me that he had recommended my name to work at Beyond and I might be getting a call soon. Sure enough, a few days later, Holly called me and said that I should apply. I thought about it and realized this is a once in a lifetime chance for me to do something like this. It would be silly for me to pass up this sudden opportunity.

So I sent in my application for Female Base Camp Coordinator. Someone asked me “why that position,” and honestly the requirement 21 and up just caught my eye. I thought “Oh, I’m 21! I can do that for sure!” I saw that it is a leadership position and just felt the Lord tell me, “Ok Robyn, it’s time to step it up. Do you trust me?” So, I went for it! I did not have a clue where I was headed or what I was going to be doing. I had never been to Beyond before, so applying for FBBC was just me trusting the Lord. He is so faithful and good all of the time, through any circumstance, so I trust that He has a perfect plan to carry out at Beyond.

Before the first training weekend, I was definitely nervous about going to the opposite side of the United States, into an already close-knit world not knowing a soul! Not going to lie, I may or may not have Facebook creeped on the names that were on the Yammer website and memorized the pictures off of the Beyond Blog. Don’t judge! I was definitely intimidated because it looked like everyone could step out of their back yard and climb a mountain. In Texas, you have to drive hours to reach even a small foothill. I probably emailed Holly 5 different times leading into the weekend. But again, I heard the Lord say, “Robyn, do you trust Me? I promise that I am sovereign.” So I got on a plane headed to Seattle. When I stepped off of I met my first friend, Mercedes. I am so thankful for her! She calmed so many of my fears and brought peace to my frantic and scatter-brained mind. The training weekend was great. I instantly fell in love with all of the people there, and I was welcomed with open arms. Everyone was so encouraging and assured me that it is going to be a wonderful, Christ-filled summer.

The hardest part of the weekend was getting my job description. Before the weekend, I was nervous about the unknown. Now I am nervous about the known! The job is definitely way bigger than what my strength can handle. The FBBC position is overwhelming, and I am anxious because I know how inadequate I am for the job ahead of me. There is absolutely no possible way, depending upon my own strength, that I can do any of it well. But this word from my devotions the other morning has really encouraged me,"I am a mighty God. Nothing is too difficult for Me. I have chosen to use weak ones like you to accomplish My purposes. Your weakness is designed to open you up to My Power. Therefore, do not fear your limitations or measure the day’s demands against your strength." The Lord is so gracious to me. He will give me the strength I need for every moment of every day. I had a great training weekend, and because of God's promise, I know I will have a great summer too.

Despite my anxiety about the position, I am really looking forward to encountering the Lord in a way that I never have before. The verses that He has put on my heart the past few weeks are Hosea 2:14, 19-20.“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her…” Reading that fires me up! I can’t wait to go to the wilderness and listen to the Lord speak tenderly to my soul! My greatest desire is to serve and love on others unto the Lord. He is sending me to Beyond for a reason and I pray that I can be a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing in His sight.

Paddling Towards Faith

2011-05-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

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.

Staff Needs

2011-04-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

We are still looking for an Assistant Cook this summer!

We are looking for an individual 18 years or older to come and spend the summer serving in the Basecamp kitchen! Responsibilities include working with the Head Cook to prepare meals for staff and guests, and managing campsite meal preparation for hiking trips. This person should be hard working, detail oriented, and have a passion for serving God by serving others.

Spread the word!

If you know someone who would be a perfect fit for this position, please encourage them to apply. For application materials and a detailed job description, check out our website: http://beyondmalibu.younglife.org.

If you are interested in applying for an unforgettable summer of serving, call our Seattle office at (206) 525-0791. Thank you!

Map and Compass

2011-04-15T09:41:00.000-07:00

I just got home to Bend Oregon from map and compass weekend in Seattle with the rest of this year’s Beyond guide staff. I’ll try to describe it in a nutshell… We were privileged to have Dave Taylor instruct us in the ways of the map and compass, with patience and humor . He has been faithfully training Beyond guide staff for many years. We felt particularly honored to receive his instruction this year because he informed us that this would be his last Beyond training. That's right, Dave Taylor is moving on to serve God in other ways and other places. We just want to thank Dave for serving so many generations of Beyond guides. He is one of the highlights of every training season.

We began the weekend with an intro to map reading and a group activity of designing clay landscapes and drawing our own topographic maps of those landscapes to better understand topographic lines on a map. The next day, after spending some time learning and reviewing declination and compass techniques, we headed to Woodland park in Seattle to practice taking compass bearings. We broke up into teams and worked on triangulating known features on the map to determine our exact location.

On Sunday, after working on some Bible study skills, we we headed back outside, this time to Hamlin Park, for a “non-competitive” (yeah right!) orienteering race. Teams of two scoured the park with a map and compass and raced to be the first to find 11 points marked on our maps and return to the starting point. This was a super fun activity that really tested our skills under pressure. I love orienteering!

All in all this was another great weekend of fellowship and learning. Next up is All Staff/Rock Weekend, I can't wait!

Gracie King is a second year mountain guide who never gets lost.

First Training Weekend

2011-04-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

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.

We Want to Know

2011-03-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone. We here at Beyond have an ongoing debate. It's tearing us apart and we need your help to resolve it. For years there has been a strong contingency among us whose knees buckle with joy when the twisting and twirling of the the knotted black meal bag suddenly stops and it's calorific contents empty onto the lap of the eager guide to reveal the ever longed for framboise etched across the otherwise pristine packaging of our most beloved beverage. Others scream with triumph and delight when it is Peche, the most wonderful Peche, that greets their anticipating eyes and their tantalized tongue. Still others despise these supple fruits of Canada's powdered beverage bounty and wait patiently for the otherwise monotonous wasa meal and it's promise of sweet and sour blended so perfectly into the rosy crystals of Pink Lemonade. Our camps are clear and our passion is real. Save us from our own intractable taste buds and cast your vote for your favorite flavor below:

Beyond Sea Kayaking: The Depths of Adventure

2011-02-25T12:41:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for freedom, flexibility, and depth in your next outdoor adventure, you should check out Beyond's sea kayaking program. Enjoy the freedom of paddling some of Canada's most beautiful inlets and exploring the wilderness that skirts their edges. Sea kayaking trips offer an extreme amount of flexibility in both the length of the trip and the size of the group. Spend the day spotting God in the wildlife around you and in the conversations you share as you paddle. Enjoy streams and waterfalls and water that literally glows at night. End your day cozied around a beach campfire listening to the stories of the lives of your fellow travelers and sharing your own. Sea kayaking is a challenging but low-impact sport, making it an excellent choice for participants of all ages. So get a high school group together and ask a couple of moms or dads (or grandpas) to join you. The best part is, we're still booking trips for this summer. Check out the calendar below and then click here to get your trip planning started.

Life as a Beyonder

2011-02-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

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.

Make Your Summer Count

2011-01-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

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.

New Beyond Video!

2011-01-25T14:58:00.001-08:00

Check out our new promotional video and be sure to share it around to all your friends and family!

Profiles Profiles Profiles

2011-01-24T20:50:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, we put a few new staff profiles up. Click on the "Meet Our Staff" tab above for first hand accounts of what life is like at the landing and up the inlet. There's a little something from everyone, base camp staff, sea kayakers, mountain guides, and leadership past and present. If you like what you read, click here for your own Beyond staff application. Enjoy!

Journal Entry August, 18, 2010

2011-01-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

A Prayer from the Summit:

Week 8: JJ Summit after a 5am sunrise glacier crossing and climb, 8am mountain mexi mocha and granola/fig celebration breakfast .

"Tears at the top after a treacherous trek on our ropes and up the ice that has yet to melt.
Lord, I can't take one more step but with you all things are possible, please help as I look to you for help, my prayers are heard.
One more step is provided every time in our daily manna on the ice and abundant life on this trip. Lord, I pray to journey closer to you, open to you and yielding to you.
May my life be a response.
You are the creator of majestic mountains, giver of undeserving love and grace that cost your life.
You are God and I am not; grant more childlike faith and less prideful plans.
I brought a rock to represent my pride...of liking my ideas and putting up walls when you try to change me.
I try to be God and I am not.
May I live to love you and love others in your will...
Your mountains come alive; the map comes alive as I walk in your mountains.
May you come alive in me and our lives as we walk closer to you."  

Rachel Longton

Celebrate with Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-18T11:35:00.000-08:00

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.

Trips, Trips, Trips!

2010-11-17T22:25:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving may be just around the corner but now is the time to start planning your next Beyond trip. We are currently taking reservations for Summer 2011. Both our sea kayaking and mountain programs are filling up quickly so book today to guarantee the week that works best for you. Check out our schedule below and then click here to get started.

Hiking Dates

Week #	Dates	Status
1	June 25- July 2	1 Spot Available
2	July 2- July 9	3 Spots Available
3	July 9- July 16	Wait List Only
4	July 16- July 23	2 Spots Available
5	July 23- July 30	1 Spot Available
6	July 30- August 6	1 Spot Available
7	August 6- August 13	2 Spots Available
8	August 13- August 20	5 Spots Available
9	August 20- August 27	tentatively scheduled

Sea Kayaking Dates

Week #	Dates	Status
1	June 27- July 3	Open
2	June 29- July 6	Waitlist Only
3	July 4- July 10	Open
4	July 6- July 13	Open
5	July 11- July 17	Open
6	July 13- July 20	Open
7	July 18- July 24	Waitlist Only
8	July 20- July 27	Waitlist Only
9	July 25- July 31	Open
10	July 27- August 3	Waitlist Only
11	August 1- August 7	Open
12	August 3- August 6	Waitlist Only
13	August 8- August 14	Open
14	August 10- August 17	Waitlist Only
15	August 15- August 21	Open
16	August 17- August 24	Open
17	August 22- August 28	Open

Staff Profiles!

2010-11-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

We have a new feature on our blog, staff profiles! Just click on the tab labeled "Meet our Staff" for bios of Beyonders past and present. Get a glimpse of what brought them to Beyond and gain some insight into a summer in base camp, on the water, and in the mountains. We'll keep a rotating line up of different people from different positions and different years so keep coming back. Enjoy.

We’re hiring for next summer. If you like what you see and want to join us click here for more information and an application.

Oh the Things We Learn

2010-10-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

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!

BEYOND'S ARTISTS: Featuring Steven Gnam

2010-10-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Steven Gnam started taking photographs as an eight year old. In high school photography grew into a media that allowed him to share God’s Spirit revealed to him through creation while exploring the woods and mountains of his native Western Montana. Steven served as a mountain guide from 2005-2007, where he also met his wife Aly. Meeting Aly, broadened the scope of Steven’s lens to Seattle and then to Guatemala where he worked with Agros International photographing the day to day life of the families in various Agros sponsored villages. Back in Montana, Steven works with conservation magazines and other organizations. His current focus is working on a book sharing conservation issues in the Northern Rockies, telling the interrelated stories of Grizzly bears, the Whitebark Pine and other species. To see more of his work please visit, http://www.stevengnamphotography.com/.

Here is some of his shots from his years at Beyond:

Mountains above the Jervis.

Mt. Pearkes from Beyond Heaven.

Hiking to Kingdom Come.

A few of Steven's photographs from his time in Montana.

Cottonwood leaves and dew drops.

Aly Dimmit-Gnam in the Mission Mountains Wilderness.

Grizzly sow and cub standing up for a better view.

Yellow-Headed Blackbird singing at sunset.

A LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM

2010-10-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

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'S ARTISTS: Featuring Brandon Sawaya

2010-09-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

It is no secret that Beyond is a beautiful place. After sifting through thousands of photographs taken throughout the last four decades, we have found it takes considerable talent to capture the essence of Beyond in a photograph. In the next few weeks we're going to highlight a few artists that have spent some time at Beyond in the mountains or on the water. Take a look at Beyond (and more) through their lenses.

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Brandon Sawaya is a professional photographer with a BA in Photography. He specializes in (but is not limited to) outdoor lifestyles and lives actively by rafting and swimming in scenic rivers, trekking trails and guiding at Beyond Malibu. Brandon lives in Redmond, WA with his wife Alaina (also a Beyond guide) and spends most of his time snapping shots and honing his skills in the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest. Brandon will be back at Beyond for his second summer of guiding in 2011. Here are a few of his shots:

A beyond trip climbs the JJ Glacier Moraine.

Rope Teams on the JJ Glacier.

Jeff gets his summit ridge stoke!

Sea Kayaking in the Princess Louisa Inlet.


A Beyond group and the sunrise over the Princess Louisa.

A light ride!

Check out his website to see more of his work.

Website: http://www.sawayaphotography.com
Blog: http://sawayaphotography.com/blog/

Bee-yond Song

2010-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

If you've visited Base Camp in recent years, this will be a familiar tune. If not, then the lyrics of the current "Beyond Song" should give you a nice chuckle. Enjoy!

BEE-YOND

These mountains don’t mess around,

You’ll probably wet your pants when you hit the shore.

You’ll struggle through the forest and the streams before us and get Christmas toe.

You’ll try to climb these rocks and rappel these drops in your pink swamis.

Thank God for Mom and Dad for letting us be here so we can hang with Jesus.

Bee-yond (x4)

You think you got it-ooh you think you got it.

Just cat clawing in your helmet when you start to fall.

We get the cheddar, ooh we get the cheddar.

Mexi-meal always beats Taco Time at the mall.

Enjoy yourself, trips don’t last forever.

What makes (x5) this the exception!

So why oh, why oh are we so in denial when we see that our God is here?

Bee-yond (x5)

Leader: Alright now fellas.

Guys: Yeah!

Leader: What’s cooler than being cool?

Guys: Glacier pools!

Leader: I can’t hear you, what’s cooler than being cool?

Guys: Glacier pools!!

Leader: Alright, alright now ladies,

Ladies: Yeah!

Leader: I’m about to break this thing down for ya… Now hike it, hike it, hike it. Now hike it, hike it, hike it, hike it like your mamas stairmaster.

Bee-yond (x4)

(To the tune of Hey-Ya by OutKast)

Base Camp is closed for business

2010-08-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

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

8 Weeks gone by.

2010-08-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

It is really quite hard to believe, but yesterday we let go of our last week of trips. This was an action packed summer for both the Mountain and Sea Kayaking programs. We took more participants on more trips this summer than in previous years; meanwhile finishing up some substantial building projects and hosting a ton of guests in Base Camp. It will be 10 months before we send another group of participants into the hills or onto the water but you can bet on this: we're looking forward to it already.

The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
Psalm 65:12-13

2010 Staff Photo

2010-08-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

"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

Eye Candy

2010-08-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

Just a few fun photos I ran across.

Expanding Beyond

2010-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

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.

What a Place to Sit.

2010-07-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Back to Beyond after 30 years

2010-07-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

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

Updates from Base Camp and Egmont

2010-07-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

We blinked and suddenly we are in the middle of week three. Time flies when you are having fun. So far we have had two great weeks of trips in the mountains and on the water and we want to tell you about them.

We doing our best to continue posting stories and updates from trips and Base Camp as the summer continues. Be sure to check back each week for more.

College Week at Base Camp

2010-07-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

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

Training Complete - Let the summer begin!

2010-06-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

In June, I participated in my 4th Beyond Malibu 10 Day, this time as a trainer. My first go-around with 10 Day was frightening. The hike up Chatterbox was endless. My VW Bug-sized backpack toppled me like a house of cards as we swung under logs, crawled through Caldwell's Corridor, and kicked steps up the... snow!?!? (I'm from Arizona). One reason I think God placed me at Beyond Malibu as a camper, then as a guide, and now as a trainer is that being in His creation allows change, growth, and hope in the face of discomfort and fatigue and fear. Making myself available to RISK makes room for God to do his thing. Climbing up Chatterbox will ALWAYS be a challenge, but the difference this time around is I understand what we're aiming for-- geographically and spiritually.

A few days of mountain life shared with fellow guides is SO fun. This year on 10 Day we shared life stories, led one another in Bible studies, talked about mountain metaphors, practiced self-arresting with ice axes, followed the leads of maps and compasses in white outs, roped up on a glacier, and as the song proclaims: hiked it like your mama's stairmaster.

Here's the rundown of our week on Sun Peak & JJ:

Day 1, teams “Risk-Eh?”, “Boot Axe”, and “[Whistle]” (pronounced, “brackets whistle”) said "packs on!" and began hiking on the boardwalk at Chatterbox Falls; which soon turned to something more closely resembling a staircase. As the day turned to evening we reached Panorama Point, and as the sky began to sprinkle our muddy knees clean we finished the long trek to Sun City for the night. The rest of 10-Day -can you believe this! - it didn't rain or snow!!! Some people were bummed about this "less-extreme-weatherless-experience", but I was elated to sleep in a dry sleeping bag.

On Day 2, we found Rock-'N-Roll rock covered with snow and proceeded down to Contact Lakes where we got to camp on ROCK! The guides then practiced their rope skills of fixed handlines, anchors, and belays.

Day 3, piled with sunscreen and polypro tee's, we focused on map and compass, rappelling, and self-arrest. That night, the guides and mice alike breathed in the delicious aroma of Mexi-Meal.

On Day 4, a nimble rope team tracked down the perfect crevasse for "Hurk" and "Z-Pulley" rescue system practice. Gallons of "Ricky" were guzzled, numerous up-the-nose sunburns were acquired that day and spirits were high as we withdrew from the glacier and headed back to the Moraine to camp.

Day 5, we compass marched across the JJ Glacier amidst huge, rolling clouds with intermittent glorious views of surrounding mountains and valleys. All 3 groups summitted that day... Happy Snickers to all!

Day 6 commenced our commute home. By this time life stories had been traded, mountain treats devoured, and skills polished. Talk began of upcoming trips - kids and adults were on their way to Beyond for week #1 already! Excitement stirred as we all contemplated what was waiting for us in the Valley below.

Day 7: Each team awoke early to retrace their steps back down towards the inlet. Upon our return to base camp, we thankfully pulled off our boots and sock liners, dried out the tents and flies, shared stinky hugs with gracious base camp staff members, and sighed with relief as we donned cotton shirts and bare feet.

10 Day 2010 was a journey of redemption, humility, stillness, and huge leaps outside ourselves. God tugged all 24 of us up and down the mountain to be affected and maybe even changed by what He had made. I am SO thankful to have gotten to join this summer's guide staff at the beginning of their summer pilgrimage with kids and adults into the mountains of Beyond. Let the summer begin!

- Lauren Hamman

Mountain Guide 2006-2008

Guides out on 10-Day Training

2010-06-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

The 2010 season is fully underway. When I boated into Base Camp on Tuesday morning I found a fully functional camp and the final pieces of staff training already on the go. As I write, our sea kayaking guides are on the water and our mountain guides will be headed up the mountain early tomorrow morning for one last week of skills practice. We are less than 10 days away from having participants here at camp and we can’t wait.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the summer.

Visual Reminder 4

2010-06-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Now we're really close to the summer. Looking forward to seeing you at camp this summer. Here's two new desktop backgrounds for you.

(click to view full size image for you desktop)

Looking Ahead to the Summer: Leaving Things Behind

2010-05-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

It is only three weeks until our first group of staff begin the journey up to Beyond for the summer. They are preparing to leave their everyday lives in civilizations and head up to live in community with each other in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Many of them are excited to leave behind pieces of their lives at home. When asked what they were excited to live without this summer, here’s what they said:

Almost everyone said: the world of technology, including computers, electronics, internet, Facebook, e-mail, cell phones.
Paying for things! (like food, telephone, rent)
My car
Makeup
My black dress pants that I have to wear to work
Starbucks
Thinking about 1,000,000 at once.
My autonomy and do as I please lifestyle
I'm pretty excited to live without the future. Not the flying cars, hover boards, and robots future, but the “When is my credit card bill due? What's going on this weekend? Where am I going to work?”. So much of this past year has been preparing for and looking towards the future while also trying to live in the here and now. It will be a blessing to only have the here and now.

Yet, like almost every experience, going to Beyond for the summer is bittersweet. The staff this summer will also miss much about their lives at home. Some of the things they will miss this summer are the following:

Most people will miss their loved ones…

My Family
My parents
My family, but I have a feeling my brothers won't miss me at all because they will get their own rooms while I'm gone....
My girlfriend
My little sister!
Support groups I have at home
Being there 24/7 for those who are closest to me

Some people will miss their activities…

Hanging out with my YL kids.
Long bike rides where I get a little lost.
Making dinner with my roommate.
Climbing.
Being part of the fun things that happen in Seattle during the summer.
Lazy days on the lake.
Waking up with my housemates.
Skiing (this happens every summer!)

And others will miss the luxuries of life in civilization…

Dr. Pepper.
The Sunday paper.
Fruits and veggies while I’m on trips!
My Sonicare (Don't tell my friends and family; they came in a close second),
Sunday morning/evening worship.

Hebrews 12:1-3: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Although a lot of what we are “throwing off” this summer is not sin, we still join the apostle Paul in hoping that it will allow us fix our eyes on Jesus. Our prayer is that what we leave behind this summer will free us to run the race harder, will give us endurance to keep running in the future, and will spur us on to not grow weary or lose heart. May we fix our eyes on Jesus this summer! Join us in prayer as we embark on this journey.

“Let’s pick up that hitch-hiker!”

2010-05-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of our Beyond Malibu hiking trip my YL guys & I were driving to Tacoma to make custom BEYOND T-shirts at Mable design. As we approached the I5 on-ramp a kid in the back seat yelled “Let’s pick up that hitch hiker!” Standing on the side of the road was a goofy looking dude with scraggly blond hair protruding from the coolest K2 hat I’ve ever seen. His thumb was up the air & he held a sign reading ‘TACOMA’. He jumped in the car and introduced himself as Joe. We gave him a ride and he ended up spending the rest of the evening with us. He even made a custom Beyond T-shirt. Joe was one of the coolest dudes my guys have ever met! By the end of the evening we invited him on our Beyond trip, but he declined.

One week later my guys & I are sitting outside the barn at Beyond Malibu as they introduced the guides. One guide walks out with scraggly blond hair protruding from the coolest K2 hat I’ve ever seen AND wearing the custom Beyond T-shirt he made a week earlier. My guys go CRAZY “Dude, it’s Joe the Hitchhiker!” We rushed him and tackled him with a hug. My guys quickly learned Joe is one of my good friends and we set the whole thing up. Joe had instant rapport with the guys and we had an epic 7 days on the mountain.

Thanks Beyond Malibu for helping facilitate a lifelong memory for my guys!  Thanks Joe for sharing your story and helping my guys grow in their faith in Jesus Christ!

Casey Price
Young Life Leader, Everett, WA
Trip Leader - 2005, 2007, 2008

All Staff Training

2010-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) We had our all staff training weekend last weekend. All the summer staff who will be at Beyond Malibu this summer came together for a time of fellowship and preparation for the summer. And how good and pleasant it was to get a small taste of the unity we will experience this summer as we live together.

(Guide staff practicing rock skills)

(Guides getting their rope systems down)

(Map and compass skills practice)

(Not a bad place to be)

Thanks to Brandon Sawaya for the awesome pics!

Visual Reminder 3

2010-05-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

We're just weeks away from the summer's start and we're as busy can be. Summer prep is in full swing, the staff training season is more than half over and we are getting really excited. Here's a little visual stimulation for your Monday morning.

(click to view full size image for your desktop)

Beyond Beyond

2010-04-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

A trip to Beyond is a trip to a majestic and beautiful part of our world. The inlet with its jagged guardians is an awesome place. To spend time in those mountains is to spend time in a realm beyond the profane civilized environments where we spend our daily lives. Even by worldly standards, time spent at Beyond is sacred because it is unique, set apart, and so totally different from our ordinary moments.

Time at Beyond is special because it affords a perspective on our lives back home. How rare is the opportunity to (literally) transcend all that we normally do? At Beyond we live in a distant place, with a new people, according to a higher standard. How clearly does this allow us to see the truth of our lives back home? When I first went Beyond, much of my life back home--and most of what I held so important and dear--looked small, remote, and unimportant. It wasn't until I had been set free from my burdens that I saw just how heavy and burdensome they actually were.

But what is most significant about Beyond is that God uses this place. He reveals Himself in this place. He who lives above, before, and after all things; He who spoke all things into being "puts on" the things of this world so that He can reveal Himself through them. God puts on a veil, a veil of things that are not divine, so that He can unveil Himself through them to us. The winds, the waters, the people, the little red bugs, indeed anything; they all become things that God takes on to show Himself to us. He does this for us. He does this because He wants us to know Him. He wants us to know that He already knows us and already loves us. If what you see at Beyond does not show you that God loves you, then whatever you have seen, you have not seen God at Beyond.
And God’s love is wild. He doesn’t stay put. As soon as He shows Himself to us, He is gone again. This is not because He likes to play hide and go seek. Seek as we might, we could never find Him. It is because He wants us to follow. We are not meant to sit and observe Him. We are meant to follow Him. This is why Beyond is so perfect: it is a journey of faith. And this shows us that faith is a journey. We must always take another challenging step forward. And when we do, God shows Himself again. This is His promise to us. He does not stay hidden. He wants us to trust Him fully so that we can see Him clearly, again and again and again.

But this then shows us that the significance of Beyond is precisely that Beyond, all by itself, is insignificant. Special as it is, Beyond is not heaven. Awesome as they are, the mountains are not God. In the end, Beyond is still a realm of this world. What makes Beyond special is that God faithfully comes to it. He shows up. In doing so, He shows us that He is not bound or caged even by the wild and vast lands of the Canadian wilderness. He is free. This God who repeatedly uses Beyond is the God whom nothing can bound, nothing can cage. Because this is the God who was Jesus Christ. And since this Jesus was raised from the dead, this is the God who is Jesus Christ. He lives yet. The same Jesus who came to Jerusalem comes to Beyond. And it is this Jesus who wants to guide us in the wildernesses of our lives.

And so every divine trip that starts at Beyond does not end at Beyond. For Jesus does not hike in the inlet alone. He hikes there so we can see that He actually walks in all places. He journeys there so we may journey with Him beyond Beyond. There will be other Beyonds in our lives. And Jesus wants to guide us to them and through them.

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Mark became a Christian on Mt. Zion, guided at Beyond in '98 & '99, and was a GTL during the summer of '06. He is now pursuing a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary in Philosophy & Theology. He is happily married to Janine (Guide '95 & '96) and they have two kids.

Training Begins

2010-03-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Beyond Malibu’s returning guide class has had seven months since they left the inlet last August. They parted ways; some went back to a place they call “home,” others back to school, others embarked on a new journey by moving to Seattle to pursue an adventure, moving to Oregon to serve at a church, or heading to Germany to study. Some of the guides reflected on their year and how it prepared them for the summer:

“Spiritually I have grown a lot in scripture and prayer and by seeing God move in mighty ways each day. I have felt so blessed to be a part of the lives of students here in TN. I have seen so much growth in so many places and seen God show up. I feel more ready spiritually to lead with confidence."
- Annika Lider

“Planning the Bible studies, and using some of them with the Campaigners group I've helped lead has been very useful. I think also having extra time (due to being involved in less) and time to pray about and process the summer, but also learn more about who I am and want to be has been very beneficial.
- Marshall Potter

“This year has prepared me in ways I cannot quite understand just yet. I have grown spiritually and feel more confident in leading content. I feel that with my jobs this past year, I can really step into leadership for this summer. God's timing seems to make perfect sense here. I am looking forward to what this year has done for me, and what an impact it will make on my summer.
- Justine Post

“I have prepared for the summer by studying scripture (Romans) and reading lots of CS Lewis; leading a Bible study and staying connected with some high-schoolers from last summer's beyond trips; being pushed harder physically than I ever have; doing ankle rehab; and living in a house with seven girls.”
- Rachel Longton

This weekend they will come back together to reunite and begin to dream together about their vision for the summer. Join us in prayer for the returning guides and all the new guides as we come together to begin the 2010 training season!

How to Fill a Beyond Trip: A 12 Step Program

2010-03-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Its game time. You are just a few short months from the mountain. We got this today from a leader who has brought a bunch of trips in past years. 12 great ideas for filling your upcoming trip.

1. Pray!

2. Get in the zone: Lace up your hiking boots, slide into some poly-pro, put on your backpack and start drinking from a Nalgene.

3. Get information: Call the Beyond Malibu office (206-525-0791). They will set you up with anything you need and answer all your questions. [Booking info]

4. Brainstorm: Make a list of the kids you want to invite; have a couple kids help with the list.

5. Involve your kids: Think of some kids who you can encourage to reach out to their friends. Read Mark 2:1-12 with them, and explain that they are the mat carriers; ask who they want to carry – aka: invite on the trip, and help them come up with a plan to do that.

6. Promote: Make a Facebook event and post some SICK pictures! (Contact the Beyond office if you need some sick pics).

7. Go Big - Email and call parents: They usually have huge influence over the decision-making in this process. Help them to see the benefits of this trip and ease their fears.

8. Inform: Host a meeting for kids and their parents. Bedazzle the meeting with food, some fist pumps, a Wooot wooot (or another enthusiastic phrase), a short slide show, and a story. Also, give specific information about the trip: dates, itinerary, cost, etc.

9. Connect: Call the Beyond office and ask if a Beyond Guide can come to your meeting and share; this is a great way for the kids to get excited and feel connected to the program.

10. Create some urgency: Set a deadline for a $100 deposit so that you know you have commitment from the kids and their parents. Offer a gift (such as a Nalgene, a pair of wool socks, or a sticker) for everyone that gets their money in within the first week.

11. Take a hike: Invite kids from your list to go on a hike, and after you have an incredible day, pitch Beyond Malibu.

12. Pray again!: This trip has the potential to change your kids' lives. It can't be missed!

Water Taxi Fundraising - Join in!

2010-03-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Join us in a grassroots cause: Beyond Malibu needs to buy a water taxi to transport our participants and staff. I would like to challenge you to consider donating $100 dollars toward this water taxi purchase. If each friend donated $100 ($10 a month) we would raise over $50,000 towards the purchase price of this vessel. Follow this link for more information and to donate.

Why a Water Taxi?

Canadian Maritime regulations require Beyond Malibu to transport hiking trips in groups of 12 or less to and from trailheads. The size and speed of a water taxi makes it the ideal vehicle to deliver trips around the inlet both safely and efficiently.

Currently Beyond shares a water taxi with Malibu Club. Schedule restrictions and increased transportation demands in both camps make water travel a limiting factor in providing a professional and quality experience to participants. This vessel will be used to address all of Beyond's transportation needs and also be available to supplement Malibu's growing need.

Please prayerfully consider partnering with us to continue provide a quality Beyond experience for years to come.

The Adventures of Eight Women

2010-03-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

I heard about Beyond from a friend. My sister and I have been doing adventure holidays for awhile now, and this looked like an adventure we really wanted to experience. So we worked at trying to get a group together. Unfortunately it wasn't going too well, but with the creative assistance from Beyond, we managed to add three women from Minnesota to our group bring us to 6. With the guides we had 8 and were good to go.

I loved the times of sharing, because we were an all women group, the intimacy was great. Everyone felt good opening up and maybe sharing some details about themselves that they had never shared before.

I really felt the accomplishment when we reached the peak. It was incredible! The time of prayer looking out at the mountains surrounding us was breathtaking! For me personally the trip was a great opportunity and accomplishment as I had just recently had surgery for cancer and had just finished my radiation treatments just before leaving for the hike. I had wondered if I would be able to do the hike, would I be strong enough? I had seen some women who were not doing so good during their treatments. But God blessed me richly, I am cured and blessed to have been able to participate in this incredible hike with my sister and niece and get to know some new friends from Minnesota as well as our guides. Friends not only for that season, but to enjoy as friends going into the future.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to participate and experience this hike for myself, my sister and I felt like this could be our Everest, and it lived up to our expectations and exceeded it in ways we never thought to imagine.

Thanks to all of you that work in this incredible ministry, it was such a blessing to us!

Madelaine Snell
Beyond Malibu Trip 2009

Visual Reminder 2

2010-02-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Our year in Seattle is more than half over. Let's just say we're pretty stoked to see this view again.

(Click on the image to get a full size version for your desktop).
[Updated]

Why Beyond?

2010-02-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

We recently asked a number of you the simple question of Why Beyond? Here were a few of your responses.

So, Why Beyond?

There are many reasons why I keep going on Beyond trips. To some extent I know what to expect, but each trip is unique and rewarding in its own unique way. Without a doubt, a week in the mountains on a Beyond trip can be one of our most physically challenging experiences people ever experience. Understandably, some folks are daunted by the prospect of going into the mountains with everything you need for a week in your backpacks. However, we always return to base camp with the same people!

I love all aspects of Beyond – the boat ride to base camp, orientation, putting the pack on and taking it off, hiking, setting up tents, trail talk, the physical challenge, the views, the shared sense of accomplishment when we summit and arriving back at base camp. However, one thing I find extremely rewarding year after year is the community created within a small group of hikers and guides in such a short period of time. Sharing of life stories, laughter, tears and the physical experience creates a fellowship that binds us together in ways we couldn’t have imagined when we arrived at base camp. While I know something like this will happen every year, each time it is difference. In a sense, Beyond is some kind of spiritual therapy or renewal for me.

Ernie Fraser, Victoria, BC
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We started this tradition years ago and it stuck. We start selling it to campaigners when they are freshmen and by the time they are seniors, they cannot wait. Beyond is an amazing experience like nothing else. It challenges them in ways they are never challenged, both physically and spiritually. It provides a way to escape life back home and enjoy God's beauty. We pose tough questions and have great conversations that help them get to know themselves better and their friends, while growing closer to Christ. Beyond also does a great job of preparing them for life after high school. I like to use the analogy of Beyond being a journey, our kayaking is a journey, just like high school, college and life. Beyond is amazing and everyone should experience the realness it provides.

Heather Hene, Atlanta, GA
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The things I appreciate most about bringing kids on Beyond:

It is a chance to take kids completely out of their normal lives and allow them to examine life in a new light.
The long days of hiking allow for plenty of time for significant life conversations.
The Beyond experience gives kids a unique adventure: Difficult challenges in a magnificent setting.
Beyond is a truly new experience for kids who have seen everything Young Life camping has to offer.
The trip gives kids a profound sense of accomplishment.
Without distractions, the evenings are a perfect for long and thoughtful conversations.
Kids come home saying it is the best trip ever. And they continue to say it.
Beyond Bars.

Rick Wilson, Scottsdale, AZ

Photo Contest Results

2010-02-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

We received a bunch of really sweet photos from folks after our last Route Notes email. Here are a few of our favorites. A big thanks to all who submitted.

First Place: Ian Marriot, Livermore, CA

Second Place: Bill Hamilton, Phoenix, AZ

Third Place: Erin Griffith

As always, we'd love to see any more pictures you have. Send any more photos our way to beyondmalibu@beyondmalibu.younglife.org. Who knows, maybe we'll use your submission next.

A few quotes from 2009 Beyond Participants

2010-02-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

“Every trip gets better and better. I want to tell more people about it because there is so much potential and so many people need this ministry.”
-Deon Human, Trip Leader from Powell River, BC, Canada

“The life stories were great! They made us think more of our lives and how God is included.”
-Karl Williams, Trip Leader from Forney, Texas

“The most valuable thing I learned this week is that I am beautiful and people really do care.”
-Camper from Mesquite, Texas

“The trip was a time for us to connect deeper than we could with all the distractions of the outside would. It gave us a time to truly reflect and learn about God; it helped us learn to work as a team.”
-Brittney Kroon, Trip Leader from Wasilla, AK

“I see God in a bigger way after this trip! He says the mountains are good—but we are very good! I have a bigger perspective of God.”
-Monica Zylstra, Trip Leader from Lynden, WA

“I feel like I’ve come closer to God over the past week. I’ve realized his love for us and also the changes I need to make in my life in order to better serve him.”
-Camper from Raleigh NC

“This trip brought me a million times closer to Jesus; before, I never truly understood or cared about a relationship with him. God is an everlasting constant in my life and he will always be there for me.”
-Camper from Donsman, WI

God’s Strength, Not Mine

2010-01-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

At the end of every week at Beyond, we have club: a time where groups get to share about their week, we sing some songs and one of the Beyond staff gives a closing talk. In the two summers I had been a guide, I had never taken on the task of giving a club talk. Towards the end of my second summer, I decided it was time. My talk was about Peter walking on water and how he began to sink; I emphasized that it was by God’s strength, not his own, that he had the ability to walk on the water. I finished the talk by urging participants to remember that we need God to accomplish all good things and that when we get arrogant and think we can do it on our own, we too begin to sink.

I wrote and practiced this club talk over and over, even at the expense of guide planning with my guide partners for the upcoming week. To make a long story short, the club talk went swimmingly, but I entered into the following week feeling, exhausted, unprepared, and all around discouraged. By the second day of the trip I found that it was unexplainably impossible for me to engage--with content, with God, with participants, and with guide partners. During a quiet time on the summit, on a scale from one to discouraged, I felt extremely discouraged. I turned to God and said, “What’s the deal?”

I was instantly reminded of the club talk that I had given just four days prior. I realized that I had stood in front of a crowd of participants and preached on something that I myself needed to hear. I realized that it was I who had been trying to do it myself. That I had forgotten that even as a mighty second year guide, it is God’s strength not mine that makes our trips in the mountains as powerful as they are. It was a humbling experience to say the least. Ultimately I never did engage with that trip the way I usually do, but despite that, it was one of the most painfully beautiful experiences I’ve ever had.

Cole Kopca - Mountain Guide 2008-2009

Together, Anything is Possible

2010-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

By Emily, a participant from Lynden, WA

An impactful part of the experience for me was crossing the glacier; it was also my favorite part of the trip. The day we crossed the glacier was such a beautiful day. To cross the glacier we had to work together as a team and help each other out. Those who were feeling confident about crossing the glacier had to pick up those who were feeling a bit more scared. On top of a mountain the sun was beating down on with nothing but snow around! Throughout the Beyond trip, God taught me that I basically can do anything! If I can climb a mountain and go through all that, not shower and eat out of the same cup for a whole week, there is nothing I cannot do. That trip was physically hard and I did it, I feel like I can do anything! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

Sea Kayaking Trip Story

2010-01-05T15:59:00.001-08:00

After a three-and-a-half hour plane ride, five hours of driving in a packed mini-van, a ferry ride crossing Horseshoe Bay, and the windy roads of the Sunshine Coast Highway, Dylan and his small group from Wasilla, Alaska finally arrived at Beyond Malibu for a seven-day Sea Kayaking adventure.

From the onset, Dylan appeared to be quiet and reserved, yet silently analyzing and evaluating each aspect and step of the details of our trip. Throughout the first day in Egmont while we learned paddle strokes, wet exits, equipment care, and packing fundamentals, Dylan began to reveal his curious, honest, and real personality. It screamed authenticity!

We ended the evening with me sharing my life story with the group on the dock while watching the sunset marry the bright red, yellow, and orange hues beyond the mountain line. Afterwards, Dylan promptly asked me some very intense and candid questions: “How did you handle the emotional stress of your relationship loss? How is your heart not burning with hate and anger over the way you’ve been treated? Have you been able to reconcile and recover any of the relationships in your life that left you with a bitter, sour taste in your mouth?” Dylan was curious why my life didn’t seem to fit into an easily understandable package.

Something inside Dylan was crying out to find answers. By the end of our third day together, he and I were talking through deep theological and social issues; we were exploring the very intricate topics of science- evolution, the Big Bang, etc.; we talked about the Bible and where it came from, its origin, its meaning, who Jesus is and why, and overall, what the Bible is asking of us as followers and listeners of Jesus.

I remember standing in the sand at the beach of our Potato Creek campsite, water up to our calves, 85 degree sun beaming down on us, waves crashing against our legs, we were both lost in conversation as we talked for hours about how science and Jesus can coexist, how Dylan’s understanding and wonder is okay; that questions and doubts are not the absence of faith, but working through and attempting to find clarity and not giving up is the definition of faith.

After reaching Base Camp (the Sea Kayak trip’s “summit”), my guide partner and I sent all fourteen participants on their “solo” (simply a time to reflect on the trip, content, and life in general). Each camper left with a Bible, journal, a letter sent to them from a parent or loved one, and a water-bottle filed to the rim. Five hours later, I had the great opportunity to meet Dylan and hear what, if anything, happened in his heart during his time alone.

What he shared brought tears to my eyes, something so close to my heart, something I’ve had to own and realize in the last few years myself, something so real and true, so magnificent. Dylan looked to me and said,

“I finally feel it’s okay to wonder, it’s alright to question, and it’s beneficial to seek to understand truth, to wade through the swamp of unknowns in the Christian faith. I don’t feel scared anymore. Eric, you’ve shown me that I don’t have to earn the love of God; I don’t have to be afraid to battle the questions- God isn’t going to turn his back on me if I ask them; there is nothing I can do to earn or lose the love of God. I feel my life is going to be moving towards something very different when I get home.”

I’ve never been so powerfully affected like I was that hot mid-summer afternoon. If God speaks, He spoke very clearly to Dylan and to me that day. I left with an ever-increasing excitement to continue navigating life’s questions with young adults like Dylan. I saw how Beyond Malibu can act as a catalyst for growth and understanding; Beyond allows kids to get away from the routine and fast-paced lifestyle at home to slow down and wonder… wonder about the mountains, the inlets, the flowers, the truth, one’s self, and the world that surrounds us all.

There was much wonder on my trip with Dylan. At the end of our week together, during what we call an Affirmation Circle (where each participant, if s/he wishes, can affirm the very beautiful and unique things they observed in their friends during the week) Dylan said to me something that will stand boldly in my heart forever,

“Eric, I understand we’ve only spent one week together, but I want you to know that through our conversations and the obvious honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity we’ve created together this week, I’ve grown to love you, man. This has been a trip I’ll never forget. Thank you.”

Beyond Malibu Summer 2009 left me, as a staff member, deeply impacted and with a clearer picture of how we can walk beside young men and women through the maze of questions and wonder that often arises in teenage years (and beyond), and if unaddressed, can demolish our faith foundation and leave us holding confusion, uneasiness, and suspicion.

Beyond breaks down the walls that many young men and women have built over their lifetime, providing an atmosphere for honesty, vulnerability, authenticity, and transparency so we can work together, united in our cause, to become more ourselves in a world that is constantly telling us to be something we are not.

Go Beyond… it may just change the trajectory of your life.

Eric Mann - Sea Kayak Guide 2008-2009

Still time to submit Staff Applications for 2010 Summer

2009-12-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

Are you looking for an opportunity to serve this summer? What if you could combine that opportunity with the adventure of a lifetime? How does paddling through the coastal inlets of British Columbia sound? Or does climbing to the summit of glaciated peaks in BC's coast mountains sound more like your thing? Beyond is accepting applications for the following positions:

Guide Staff Positions

Mountain Guide

Kayaking Guide

Base Camp and Leadership Positions

Guide Staff applications are due by January 1, 2010 and Base Camp Staff applications are due by January 15, 2010. If you have any questions please call the Beyond Malibu office at (206) 525-0791. More information and applications are located here.

Please feel free to pass this announcement on to anyone you think might be interested.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Beyond.

At the end of each summer, Beyond Malibu's staff takes one night to scrub the dirt off, comb their beards, sit down to a feast and exchange gifts. The night is often full of laughter, singing and overstuffed bellies. It is Christmas in August.

As tradition has it, this is the time when gifts are exchanged. Don't be fooled though, this is no ordinary gift exchange. Without a shopping mall near by, most of the gifts are created in Base Camp by hand. In the weeks before "Christmas", you will see staff carving the word "Beyond" into a rock, fashioning a box out of scrap wood or knitting a wool cap by hand.

The remoteness of Base Camp gives us the opportunity to view a simpler Christmas time. Not having to worry about the price of gifts and the busy shopping season allows time to enjoy those around us and focus on how faithful God has been. And when all the pies have been eaten, gifts exchanged and the night finally comes to an end, we find a similar feeling within ourselves that we experience at our December Christmas; a feeling of gratitude and remembrance of the year gone by. Our hope is the same for you this Christmas.

As the next summer approaches, we're getting excited about new staff and new trips in the mountains and on the water. We're looking forward the coming year and trust that God will continue to faithfully walk (or paddle) along side us.

(Here's a little Christmas wishing from some of our better behaved staff.)

A Visual Reminder

2009-12-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

When stuck in the middle of winter, it's sometimes good to get a little visual reminder of what summers look like at Beyond. This snapshot should be familiar to many of you. (Click on it to get a full size version for your desktop).

Bear Grylls on Beyond Staff 2010

2009-12-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

Prepare to be amazed.

Fantastical things happen here...

Beyond Malibu is looking for Guide and Base Camp Staff for the 2010 summer. Could it be you? Could it be someone you know? Applications are due by January 1st for Guide Staff and January 15th for Base Camp Staff.

Contact the office today to more information on Beyond Staff!

Gift Ideas...Beyond Malibu Limited-Edition Posters

2009-12-11T10:21:00.000-08:00

Looking for a few good gift ideas? How about these Limited-Edition National Park Style Posters?

The Barn
The Barn has been upgraded from foundation to roof, but now a copy of this treasure in all its former "back-in-the-day" glory can grace the walls of your home or office.

One Eye
Reigning over Princess Louisa Inlet and a stones throw away from Base Camp, the sheer face of One Eye has never been scaled. Plot your first ascent from the comfort of your favorite chair with this detailed four-color abstract.

Image Size: 15-1/8" x 19-1/4"
Sheet Size: 17-3/4" x 22-5/8"
Screen Printed on acid-free paper.

To order, please contact the Beyond Malibu office.

“The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done”

2009-12-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

By Jill, a participant from Lynden, WA

I would say that the hardest part for me was definitely the first day when I literally thought I wouldn't be able to make it and realizing there was no way of getting out. Then each day, even though nothing really got incredibly easier, God gave me strength to meet each challenge at the perfect time I needed it. There is no way you can't feel His presence when being surrounded solely by His beautiful and amazing nature. Seeing all that beauty and realizing that God called that good - and me great, is still incomprehensible to me. It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done physically, mentally, and spiritually and one of the best experiences I have ever had. I would not trade that week for anything.