don't go chasing water slides

We've got one @ Malibu now.  These fine gentlemen from our Spring Tool & Tackle group are building this water slide as the grand finale to our obstacle course that campers partake in every Night 1 of summer camp.  This slide is going to be a whole lot of fun!

covered in bruises and dry wall dust

This new job of mine is very physical.  People often ask me what exactly it is that I do here @ Malibu.  Often I pause and reply, "I carry things".  And that is exactly what I do. Amongst many other things, I carry things.  Keyboard pianos, baskets of fruit, bags of concrete, boxes of steak, sail boats, amplifiers, you name it, I've probably carried it.  In addition to build muscle, all this carrying leaves bruises of various colors and sizes all over my body.  I feel as though they are war wound trophies of sorts.  Ones I have earned the hard way.

We have 2 construction projects going on here @ camp, and when there are just 9 or 10 or you on the property, we all pitch in to help in various ways.  Yesterday, Nick and Stacy (2 of our interns) and I vacuumed up dry wall dust in one of the new houses.  For those of you who are new to the dry wall dust scene, let me elaborate.  Once the drywall is in, taped and mudded, a lovely, powder fine dust is left behind.  It covers everything.  So you sweep.  And scrape-where chunks of mud dropped.  Then you sweep again.  Then you shop-vac.  First the corners, edges, sills and outlets.  Then you shop-vac the entire floor until of the magical white powder is gone, because if any is left behind it could stir up and settle in the wet paint when the painter comes through.  And that my friends is no good.  When you work with dry wall dust, it gets in and on every part of you. 

My body is tired, my heart is full, our God is good.

I have a new office

In a crazy orchestration of events, in July of 2010, I left Young Life field staff and found myself with the job I had always had in the back of my mind, but one I thought could never be a reality.  I am honored to tell you that I will no longer update this blog once a year for a month in the summer while I'm on assignment, but will update it regularly, as I am now on full time property staff @ Malibu.

I have been hired as the Guest Services Coordinator and Marketing Manager for my favorite place on earth.  The last several months have been quite the adventure.

Some highlights:

• In October, I marched into the Lynden border crossing and asked to begin the process of getting my Canadian work visa.  Thanks to NAFTA, I was granted this document that will allow me to work in Canada for the next 3 years and possibly up to 5 years. 
  It would have been well within reason for them to deny me this work visa, but our God is greater.
• I spent Halloween @ Malibu.  Terri, Bruce and I trick or treating to the only occupied house on the property.  Also, Terri and I spent the evening carving pumpkins for the Property Managers Meeting that arrive on November 1.
• Over the course of this year I will obtain many cool and obscure trainings and certifications.  For instance, in February, I went to sound & light training.  I can tell you all about what exactly is inside of a speaker, set up and adjust your soundboard and identify stage lighting items.  In just a few days I leave for Arizona to receive my high ropes course operation certification.  My resume will be quite interesting to say the least.

This property and this job are adventures in themselves and I am excited to spend my first summer @ Malibu.  I'm excited to keep you updated on what we're up to and how God is working in my life through this new role.