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.