Beyond LCA—8 Students, 7 Kayaks, 2 Guides, 1 Bible Teacher, and the Canadian Wilderness
First week of August 2011. Remember where you were or what you were doing? Eight Life Christian Academy high school students spent it building memories they’ll remember for a lifetime—and using more muscles than they knew they had.
It was a week of no showers, no cell phones, beach camping, lots of mosquitoes, and nine guys sharing their life stories. A week of intense paddling, 100 miles of Canada sea kayaking in six and a half days, stretched abilities, and collective accomplishment. In short, “It was a great week!” sums up Life Christian Academy high school Bible teacher and mentor group leader Kyle Nelson.
Most of them seniors this year, Life Christian students Kenny Crowder, Nick Curran, Jeremiah Gilge, Stefan Johanson, Marcus Matthews, Brandon Perkins, Nick Zuehlsdorf, and Nikita Zhukovskiy are a close group of friends. Last spring, Jeremiah’s mother contacted LCA Bible teacher and mentor group leader Kyle Nelson about taking the boys on an eight-day kayaking trip offered by Beyond Malibu, a Young Life organization based in Canada.
“The purpose of the trip was to give the guys an experience that would push their physical limits, deepen their faith, and unify their friendship,” said Mr. Nelson. “It was a great bonding time, and also incredibly challenging. All of them said they were glad they did it, but never want to do that much paddling again. It stretched them beyond what maybe they thought they could do.”
Will Mr. Nelson be taking a new group this summer? “No plans for a sequel this year,” says Mr. Nelson. “But maybe in a future year. We’ll have to see!”
