Final Thoughts...

Well… I’m here, home, ‘safe’, and relatively sound. I have so many things I could share from the last month that I don’t know where even to start. First and foremost, the trip I took with my family and friends was simply amazing. Every person on the trip, every step taken, and every rain storm we encountered seemed to have a divine purpose that drew us closer together as a group and closer to God. Life-stories dominated the content of the trip which simply means that each of us spent hours sharing the core things in our lives with one another, anything and everything was fair game, God, family, struggles, successes, tears…you name it. You can’t get much more vulnerable than we did on this trip. (side note: If you have never told the story of your life to your friends and family, do it. There is something intimately moving about sharing your life with someone, and unfortunately our westernized society is so hung up on putting up fronts and facades that no one is willing to bare their triumphs and tragedies in ways that allow them to be truly known.) I can’t adequately share how powerful, draining, and fulfilling this trip was, so I’m not going to waste any more words on feeble explanations. Suffice it to say that I thank God for it, for his hand was almost tangibly present.

The summit of my two summers that this last trip was for me, leads me to think of the current situation that I find myself in now. I am back in the valley, both literally and figuratively. Skagit Valley is my home and here I sit on a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining down and the wind blowing ‘round. The mountains seem distant and hidden, and with them all the raw experiences and breakthroughs that occurred. Only memories and pictures can remind me of the happenings of these last two summers. I can’t help but wonder, What now? I dare not say that life will be the same here in the valley. The sights become normal once again, the comfort level has greatly increased with the addition of showers and microwave ovens, and email has once again gripped my social life. The purity of life that I experienced living in a little logging camp turned Christian commune in the middle of nowhere has once again been blasted by the barrage of advertising that we see here everyday. I won’t even pretend to say or think that I can re-live these exact experiences in the valley. Why is a walk with Christ characterized so well by and ebb and flow of the tide? Why can’t I live on the mountaintop for the rest of my life? I could postulate a thousand different responses for this but the reality of the matter is that the majority of every one of our lives will predominately be spent in the valley. But that is okay.

If our lives truly depended upon where we were in life, we would be in a world of hurt. I can’t help but think that it is not where we are, but who is with us. The same God that was with me on the mountains forming me into who I am now, teaching me to share myself and ask others to do the same, walking with me in a very real way, is the same God that will be with me for the rest of my life no matter the peak or valley that I find myself. It is on this truth that I now live.

I would have said the same thing before my beyond experience. That is that God is with me, and walks with me. But as our good friend Oswald Chambers once shared, the mountain doesn’t necessarily teach us something, it makes us something. Words fail me in my effort to describe what it has ‘made’ me, maybe I’m a little stronger, maybe I’ve got a little more patience, or maybe it simply can’t be described; the truth is that the mountain has drawn me deeper into Christ.

As I look ahead at what is to come and see nothing more that a few steps ahead of me, I can’t help but wonder what storms, peaks, and valleys wait for me ahead. But why worry? It was storms, peaks, and valleys that have drawn me to Christ. So I look forward to what awaits, I look forward to Christ.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I have been wanting to write that since the beginning of the summer, but it hasn’t been until now that I have been able to honestly write this in regards to my trips.

This last trip was a bit of a surprise to me in that I was switched onto it after guide teams were decided, but I was incredibly blessed by it. The guys on this trip had one big thing in common, broken lives. Three specific guys had stories that could rival any inner-city sob story. Drug abuse, divorce, alcoholism, and child abuse were all common themes. These guys on the trip, not related, considered themselves brothers because they all came from broken homes, and for the last 4 years have spent almost every day together as a result. All three are very young in their faith, two of them as recently as three weeks ago. But when we reached our 8,300 ft. summit, the prayers that came out of these guys made me understand why Christ said “Let the children come to me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” If I could only listen to one prayer for the rest of my life, it would be one of those prayers. In any other social setting these guys would intimidate principals and teachers, but in the mountains they could be kids again, they could come as children.

Oddly enough the most comforting part of this whole week was the fact that I feel I had no unique impact on these guys. That is to say that practically any guide could have taken my place and I strongly believe that the guys would have been just as affected by the experience. Although I would love to think that the guys were blown away by my Bible studies and questions during their life stories, this is simply not the case, and if it were, I would be worried. I can’t help but think that the only chance for lasting change lies in the fact that it is based solely on God’s moving in their lives, and not my efforts. So I am thankful that my efforts fell short at times, so that I may remember that God alone is our only hope.

The best part of the story is that these three guys are all moving to college together and have high hopes for diving into Your Life there in Montana. If you think of it, please pray for James, Paul and Chadd as they return from the mountains. Pray that they will continue to see God and search after him even more so, than on their trip.

I can feel the end of summer coming and this chapter of my life seems to be mimicking the change of leaves on the trees around base camp. I am tried, but it’s a good kind of tired. I look forward to entering the mountains one last time this summer, only this time with Papa and the others. I assure you, this will be one heck of a trip. All I can do right now is pray that God will completely surround every aspect of it. I can think of no better preparation

I love every one of you, and thoroughly enjoy every one of your letters

In pursuit of the Father,

Ben

July 17, 2007

So much has happened in these last weeks that it is hard to know where to start. So after my 7 days in the mountains, for guide training, I got to spend about 5 days in Base Camp before I was sent out on my first official trip of the summer. After that trip I came back down to Base camp only to find out that I would be going out on a back-to-back in essentially one day. After that trip I got to come back down to Base camp for 2 days of work projects then found out (on our scheduled day off) that a participant had tweaked her knee @ 3300 feet. So a recon group of 13 guys went up and hiked her down 1000 feet and then carried her in a rescue litter the other 2300 feet…till four in the morning… a 15 hour hiking day. I had no idea God’s challenge for me this summer would be so physical.

I’m finding out that God works in the shadows between certainty and doubt. I have been able to perform throughout these trips surprisingly well. A few blisters, sore feet, and tired muscles here and there, but on the whole I feel good. Although I would like to attribute this resilience to a body that borders on physical perfection, I’m afraid this is simply not the case. :) I can’t help but think of how much all the prayers you have said on my behalf have reached their destination of the Father. And I can’t help but wonder how much He has had mercy on me because of them. Yesterday was a prime example. Having 13 guys carrying a litter (a first aid basket for carrying a patient) down a steep mountain trail only by head lamp, not only begs for additional injuries, but it almost demands it. Yet the only lasting affects were worn feet/arms and tired eyes. I’m not saying this for sympathy, awe factor, or to instill fear. I’m saying this as a testament to God… as a reminder to myself that He indeed holds me and every one of His children in His hand. I realize that this may sound cliché, but just like faith, it is statements like these that become real only when you place your life on them. Peter in the storm, walking on the water, comes to mind.

I have begun to see a different side of Beyond trips. Dare I say it; I have begun to be disenchanted by them. The last two weeks I have spent in the mountains were amazing weather wise. I learned a new route (Mt Albert) which is Beyond's tallest peak. On summit day we had a 360 degree view of every mountain as far as the eye could see. Literally a picture perfect summit. But as I sat there, the views did very little for me. The honeymoon was over, I had developed a higher tolerance, that well had been tapped dry. I wondered what the deal was. Why was God silent? Why wasn’t he meeting me in the same way he had before? I still don’t know why. For whatever reason I didn’t “feel” the holy awe. I suppose it is just like the Bible story where God was not in the earth quake or the fire on the mountain, but rather He was in the quiet wind. And so I have begun to look for him elsewhere. I have a sneaky suspicion that I will find him not so much in the views of his earthly creation but rather in his humanly creation. Now I don’t mean this in a weird pantheistic way. But I’m learning to see the peak of creation as being in the participants of the trips rather than in slabs of granite. This is far from a simple task, especially when they decide that the best pace to adopt is that of an elderly turtle, but life goes on, trips go into and come out of the mountains, and I am still searching after God.

One question I would challenge each one of you at home with, stems from my first trip I led this summer. They were a group of guys that were blatant products of young life culture (fun, games, and just enough God to stay within the attention span).

“Why are you a Christ follower?”

This doesn’t ask why you go to church, do good things, or why you think the Bible is truth. This simply asks why do you pursue a relationship with Jesus of Nazareth, God incarnate? I find I jump to answers with this one, so I’d encourage each of you to really think on this one, and look in to the corners of your faith that may or may not be pleasant.

Sorry for not writing sooner. I’m in the radio room right now and it feels like the first extended down time I’ve had in about a month. It feels great to have a flushing toilet!

I love the letters I’ve gotten! Keep them coming!

Well “10-day” has come and gone, and as usual 7 days in the mountains has too many stories to count. Notable events include more snow than expected from the winter (which will make route finding interesting this year). You would think at the end of June that the weather would be mild and warm, but no. Five out of the seven days we had sub-freezing temperatures and a total snow fall of about a foot and a half (all very unique occurrences). Despite the abnormal snow levels we still found a crevasse to jump into and play with. For those of you, who are curious what one looks like, don’t worry. I got it all on video. What can I say…I am my father’s son. Surprisingly my back gave me barely any grief. (I tweaked it moving rocks in the water fall) and the biggest struggle this time around was simply cold feet (also a common direction this week among the guides.)

I have a feeling that this summer will be a challenge of endurance. I had mentally closed last summer as being all done with the trips, and now realizing that week 1 has yet to start. I can only see a long road ahead. And this really bugs me. Logically I know the summer will be over before I realize it and as such I should live each day with almost a sacred reverence. For whether in base camp or the mountains, I am doing something that many people only wish they could do. Regardless, my desire for temporary comfort and free time has a strong hold on my life. So once again, I find myself having to stop and realize that these trips and this summer is God’s. I say this for a specific reason. I sat at 5000 feet and watched one of the grandest displays of the dance between sun and clouds that you could imagine. But this scene was a familiar one and as such, the awe that I desired was, in a way, absent. I hoped that by going to the heights I would be able to see God. But no dice. I felt nothing. The thing that can draw you closest to God can easily become a substitute for God and then lose all meaning. This summer will be a fight against going through motions, for if this summer is just about me climbing mountains and seeing amazing sight, then it will be a lost summer.

June 16, 2007

I can’t tell you how surreal this last week has been. I feel like I never actually left base camp. The sights, smells, and sounds of this coastal rain forest make the last 7 months I have spent in the “real world” seem nothing more than a blur.

The base camp opening crew (made up of me and about 12 other people) came into Malibu Club (the summer camp) on Friday night and were quickly assigned to our temporary housing. Mine happened to have its own personal kitchenette as well as satellite T.V. (ya I know, we rough it). The rest of the week we were shuttled back and forth between there and base camp (15 minute ride) until base camp was ready to house us. The stream damage on base camp wasn’t bad (thankfully) but we still spent full days cutting, shoveling, moving and sweeping. By far the highlight of the work projects was spending about 5 hours, (over 2 days) in a glacial water fall getting our water and power system up and running.

The rest of the staff arrived yesterday, bringing the total brute labor force up to about 40 people (which make projects fly). Base Camp is looking pretty darn good and I think we are all getting excited to start our “10 day” training, the final installment of our 4 month training season

Even though we’ve been pretty busy over the last couple weeks, it has been rejuvenating for my heart and soul. I’m not sure if it’s the simplicity of the work projects or the beautiful seclusion I have once again found myself in, but I find that all the ultimately trivial concerns of test, projects, social events and what not have already become mere shadows of memories (or perhaps it’s the rapturous thought that I don’t have to face them for 3 months).

Whatever reason, despite the rain and work, my time here has been very good.

Up until today, I didn’t have a deep theological insight for this letter. And in fact I still don’t. All I have to offer is this simple warning. When you put yourself into God’s hands, be prepared to be rocked, in the best way possible. The creator is intricately aware of where each of us is in our life journey, and if we are willing, he will take up the surgeon’s scalpel to heal us.

Today I was floored in many ways. One of them involved the tweaking of my back. A minor pain dons a whole new meaning when faced with a mountain to climb. I was planning on being the all-wise, all-powerful 2^nd year guide gently consoling the first years when it got too tough for them. But now I feel as if I’ll be lucky if they don’t have to take my weight. There is so much to say here, but suffice it to say God new EXACTLY what I really needed. I needed humility. I look forward to seeing just how God continues to mold and shape me so that I might bring Glory to Him

Beyond-Eve

It's absolutely amazing how quickly the last 7 months have passed. As I sit here trying to collect all my thoughts about this next summer, I realize it is practically impossible. There is simply too much. Just in case you have the same question as everyone else I have talked to... yes, I am getting excited to go back into the land of rain forests, mountain tops, and mosquitoes. But not in the "yippee" sense of the word, but more of the "ohhhhhhhhhh man.....here we go again" sense. If this is too vague, then as a Texan would say....tough. Because frankly every minute I spend preparing for this summer contains a different, borderline-unexplainable, emotion. The only constant I rely upon is that my entire beyond experience so far has had Christ's fingerprints all over it. Simon Peter explained it the best at the end of John 6, when Jesus asked why the 12 disciples hadn't deserted, he said, "Lord, to whom would we go? you alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God." In the same way I know that my body would love to sit by the side of a pool all summer in Hawaii, but my soul has tasted of something deeper. And so I go back to the mountains in hopes of drawing closer into relationship with Him.

I am trying desperately to keep this post honest and to the point. I find all too often I spend too much energy on trying to write a Pulitzer letter when I should simply be transcribing the story that Christ brings about in my life. And so I bring forth a promise and a proposal. I'll keep these posts short and blatantly honest, and you send me at LEAST one letter. I would challenge you all to write me one letter a week but lets be honest...summer life is hard and writing a half page a week by hand is simply just simply an impossible feat (especially for you college students on break). Oh and good news, it is proven that we also are able to receive care packages up there, so all of you who felt bad about not being able to send those big packages are more the welcome to ship them through:)

packages or letters...

Ben Creelman
c/o Beyond Malibu
PO Box 49
Egmont, BC V0N 1N0
Canada

In all honesty though, I am hardly exaggerating when I say that every letter I get up there is worth it's weight in gold to me. I can't thank you enough for all of your prayers and support, it means the world to me.