Malibu #1

Dear loved ones,
I don't know if anyone checks this blog anymore, but if not, then it takes the pressure off. I am in the middle of my second week here at Malibu, and it is my first day off. I have spent the day resting and spending some time with other interns. We will be watching a movie shortly, and that movie will be Once. Good film if you have not seen it yet. It took me less than two seconds to feel at home here. The second face I saw as I stepped off the boat was that of my dear friend Kelly McElroy. She has been working here on the program team for the month. Then next person I saw was good friend and singer/song writer Jonah Warner. It was nice to get the warm greeting. About thirty seconds after I left the boat ramp Harold (The Malibu property manager) grabbed me and threw me into the luggage line. It took us about an hour to get all of the luggage and freight transferred by hand on and off the boat. This is what everyone on the property lovingly refers to as “boat day.” So within the first hour I was completely exhausted and dirty. The rest of my first day here consisted of getting to know the new people, and catching up with old friends. I really do love it here. In many ways it is close representation of the Kingdom of God here and now. The community is amazing, and the love is supernatural. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I think it just appeals to the type of landscape here.
I wish that all of you could see what camp is like. There is nothing like it in the world. Not only is this one of the most beautiful places in the world (One of the top ten must see yachting destinations in the world according to Yachters Magazine), but what we do here is awesome. I wish everyone could come and visit for a week. If you have never seen Young Life camping, then you can't even begin to understand what we do here. This is not a church camp, but kids do encounter Christ here in a real way.
I have been working hard here. It is really nice to get dirty and get something done. I love working with my hands, and it is great to serve God in this way. The first session is about to end, and that means that around 100 staff people will leave and we will get a new group of staff people who need to be trained for the next session. It is sad to see people go, but it is exciting to see new faces and build new relationships. It is nice to be here right now. I didn't realize how much I needed to get away from Oregon and all the emotions it holds for me. Right now I don't even want to go back. I get to take a week out of camp in a few weeks, and I don't really want to go back to Oregon. I think God has brought me here for many reasons, and one of those reason is to heal. It is good for me to be here. I do miss all of my friends though. I just need this right now, and my heart knows it.