Week 35 - Malibu Crew

A few weeks ago, Davis received a call from our good friend Noble - a University of Texas senior whom we met and quickly bonded with during our time in Austin. We enjoyed many evenings sitting on the porch of Noble's college house, spending time with his roommates and friends. We also slept a few nights on the not-so-level street in front of their house and even showered once at their place (easily the grossest shower we have encountered in 8 months on the road). Despite the shower that I'm convinced has never once been cleaned, Noble and his posse of friends are surely some of the best young men this country has to offer. They are affable, intentional, welcoming, confident, and servant-hearted. They pack a punch of energy if you are willing to keep up, and as a whole, they have a magnetic effect - drawing others in who can't help but want to be around them. We felt the magnetic pull as we eagerly returned to their porch whenever we had some free time in Austin, and also a few weeks ago when Noble called Davis asking if we could be in British Columbia, Canada, to help make a week of Young Life camp possible for high schoolers from Austin.

In addition to getting to see Noble again, we were eager to jump on this service opportunity because of where it was. The Young Life camp Noble invited us to help work at is called Malibu Club. It's famous in the Young Life world for its natural beauty and uniqueness. Josh's dad, who has lived and traveled across the world, confidently claims that Malibu is the most beautiful place he has ever seen. If you're not familiar with it, just know that neither pictures nor words can describe its beauty accurately, but here goes nothing.

Nestled on the point of two massive fjords lies Lady Malibu. She is a three-hour ferry ride from the nearest road. Towering mountains in all directions make the only man-made thing in sight (the camp itself) feel very small and insignificant by comparison. On the western side of the point lies the main channel of water - the bigger of the two fjords, which reaches over 1000 feet deep in some spots. On the eastern side of the point is the smaller fjord (which is still massive). The waters lay calmer here, being protected by the point. To the south of the point is the small channel that connects the two fjords. It's not very wide, so the water rushes through this gap ferociously, often causing rapids and making it look more like a river. This "river" flows in both directions throughout the day because of the 12-foot tidal swing that pours water in as it encroaches high tide, rushes water out heading towards low tide, and remarkably sits perfectly still and quiet during the slack tides. All around, nature abounds. Bald eagles soar above, bears roam the woods, seals and otters can be seen swimming in the waters, and following them up the channels are the rare but not entirely uncommon sightings of orcas. Josh has often described Young Life camp in general as the closest thing to Heaven on Earth, and I am convinced that Malibu, in particular, embodies that sentiment.

So when Noble called wondering if there was any chance at all we would still be in the Northwest and could meet them in Malibu to volunteer for a week, we were obviously in. Our volunteer role for the week was assisting in cooking for the campers, but that role expanded before the trip got underway. Our original plan was to meet Noble and the rest of Austin YL at the ferry in Vancouver, but a backup plan quickly became necessary when the bus charter company canceled on them. The new plan was for us to bus everybody up... just kidding - although that would have been fun, even our bus is not big enough for this mission. The real new plan was renting 25 SUV’s, packing them full of high schoolers, and convoying up to the ferry location. To make that happen, they needed drivers and lots of them - so we gained our second role for the week.

The Fleet of SUV’s

With our good friend Ben Joye (if you read last week's blog, you will recall that he is visiting from Charleston), we handled driving 4 out of the 25 vehicles, each packed full of Texas high schoolers. This was a real treat for us because we each got a chance to know some of the people we would be serving all week. Instead of cooking for a room full of high schoolers that I didn't know, I got excited about cooking something delicious for Andrew, Charlie, Jacob, and the twins, Thomas and Mark. Ben particularly hit it off with his car as they quickly reminded him of his own high school friends. It was a blast to watch a car full of guys Ben had just met eagerly follow him around during our pit stops. Later on, we heard that Ben was just as eager to spend time with them. Despite the journey to and from Malibu being a tiresome 12 hour venture, Ben was actually looking forward to the long drive back all week because he would be able to hang out with his car full of fellas again.

What a car full of Texan’s looks like

One of the twins (Mark or Thomas I couldn’t tell the difference after they changed shirts) caught a massive fish

Once we arrived at camp, we had the pleasure of working with the dream team of staff and intern cooks. Leading the charge was Meg - a recent Ole Miss graduate who just took the job as the lead cook at Malibu. She leads the way with grace, excellence, and really good cooking (even though she doesn't eat most of it). Her impeccable team of interns includes Jack, Maddie, and Luis - a trifecta so terrific that I'm not sure who could possibly match them. Jack is down-to-earth, very funny, and quick to laugh with you. He made me feel important when I prepared chili all morning for the staff and volunteer lunch, giving me ownership over the task. But we both know there isn't a chance it was going to get done on time (or taste as good) without him. Maddie is as cool as a cucumber in the kitchen, but I quickly learned that she is overflowing with excellence in every other capacity of life too. She enjoys her 4:30 am powerlifting sessions before work in the morning and is also outright brilliant as she is getting her neuroscience degree from Duke. And Luis might actually be the sweetest dude I have ever met. He is calm and collected, always with a happy demeanor underlying it all. At one point, Davis asked Louis if he has ever been angry at anyone before, and he genuinely struggled to think of anybody - and we believe him. With this fantastic crew, we always had a good time cooking. Josh said it best, reflecting that, "I was excited every day to get up and go work with them."

Master Chefs

The biggest surprise this week was how many familiar faces we would see from earlier adventures on the bus. We expected to see three people we knew: Noble, Gregory (Noble's roommate and now our good friend that still keeps in touch after six months), and Dan (another stud from Austin who we loved hanging with - he even hosted us for supper). But there were a dozen other folks we had gotten to know from traveling on the bus who were also at camp. From the start, familiar faces emerged. One of the other drivers and young life leaders Emma had joined us two-stepping in Austin. At the airport Philip (leading music), Truett (leader), and Clay (leader), whom we spent hours with on Noble's porch, appeared. It wasn't just Austin folks either; Jack, the down-to-earth intern in the kitchen we enjoyed working with, spent a day and a half with us in Athens, Georgia back in early November. Even the program staff, Glen Austell and Caitlin Carr, were old friends from Lubbock, Texas. They allowed us to park outside their Young Life building, gave us frisbees we still use, and Caitlin even let us use her shower (much cleaner than Noble's). The Young Life world can seem small at times, but this level of familiar overlap felt incredibly special.

Happy to see Gregory again!

Glen and Caitlin (acting as Gene Swift)

This morning, we dropped Ben off at the airport after his epic two-week visit. Part of the reason he was able to swing such a long visit was because of his recent termination from IBM (one of the mass layoffs the tech industry experienced this spring—not an indicator of his work ethic). I jokingly told Ben I was glad he got canned so he could make this trip happen, and to my surprise, he agreed, and he wasn't joking.

One of the major highlights Ben expressed from his time with us was the excitement of being on an adventure again. He reflected that this was the first time he had felt the spirit of adventure since college and he had forgotten how good it feels—a reminder to all of us that even when you're caught up in the grind of life (or IBM corporate life), it's important to carve out some time for adventure.

Another highlight of Ben's stay is that he now can relate to our style of life on a deeper level—a sentiment shared by anyone who has jumped at the chance to travel with us. Reading the blog or catching up on the phone is one thing, but actually living it with us is a whole different level. Throughout the two weeks, Ben would say things like, "I get why y'all don't try to call people when driving the bus; it's crazy how loud it is!" "I feel like I understand now just how many people you meet and how many real and authentic relationships you get to build by serving alongside others.” “I can understand the strange feeling of saying goodbye to people you feel so close to after only a week, aware that there is a good chance you may never see them again."

Shared experience is one of the best things this life has to offer. For a few weeks, Ben was able to drink from the well that Davis, Josh, and I have lived off for the past eight months—and I am forever grateful that he knows personally what this sweet water tastes like.

If you happen to be hiring here is Ben’s LinkedIn.

Auf Wiedersehen, Ben!