Christian Surfers Outreach

Prayer, Point Breaks, and Peru; How God Is Using Surfing To Change Lives Around The World

Mike Burns was a volunteer surf instructor for CSO in the summer of 2005. He traveled to Peru on a surf and mission trip late in the year. Below is a letter he wrote us about the trip.

There I was, sitting on an airplane surrounded by people who didn’t speak my language, and getting ready to land in a country I’d never visited before. Upon landing I had no idea of whom, if anyone, would be picking me up and even less of an idea where I would be staying or what I would be doing. Suddenly I started to have second thoughts; “is this really what God wants me doing?” “What if no one picks me up?” “Someone get me back to California!” but soon after landing my fears were relieved. After picking up my board bag from the baggage carousel I patiently waited until I saw two native faces looking at me through the crowd. One finally muttered, “are you mike?” in a thick foreign accent; but all I could do is grin and say, “yes I am”.

So how did I end up here? Well, about 5 months before I was in my dorm room at Vanguard University thinking about places I wanted to travel, waves I wanted to ride, and people I wanted to serve and somehow God put South American on my heart. At first I just thought, “that’s great, God wants me in South America, now what?” I didn’t know anyone who had ever been to South America, let alone anyone actually living in South America, so I did what any brilliant college student would do; went to google.com.

After searching the Internet for a couple hours, I ended up finding the Christian Surfers International web site; a ministry that uses surfing as a tool to reach people for Christ all over the world. While looking through the listing of countries they were active with Christian Surfers, I immediately noticed that they had a growing Christian Surfers chapter in Lima, Peru so I wrote a quick e-mail and sent it off to the director, John. Within two days I had an email from John, obviously excited, telling me they’d love to help me plan a visit to Peru and asking for some more information on me to help them out.

Over the next few months John and I talked pretty frequently, emails were sent, plane tickets were purchased, and some “plans” were made. One of the first things I learned about Peruvians is that they aren’t as concerned with concrete plans the way I am; they are constantly using phrases like “don’t worry!” or “we’ll figure that out in time” and their favorite, “God has it under control!” Because of this, I was flying to Peru without any idea who would be picking me up from the airport, where I would be going from the airport, and what I’d be doing for the next few weeks. To my surprise though, those crazy Peruvians were right, and God truly did have it under control.

My time in Peru ended up being amazing. I stayed at the home of my new friend Jaime, a Peruvian surfer and college student the same age as myself, he is also the worship leader for the Christian Surfers meetings that happen weekly. Staying with a Peruvian family was such a great learning experience as I got a first hand look into the culture and lifestyle of a Peruvian family. My first week in Peru I spent most of my time with the family I was staying with, surfing with new friends, and helping out with Christian surfers. They were so quick to get me involved that I was already playing guitar at their worship service about 5 hours after getting off the plane.

The most amazing part of the trip was when a small group of us traveled to the northern coast of Peru to visit some small villages and churches and give out donations that Christian Surfers in Lima had collected. We took a bus 15 hours north to the small fishing village of Chicama, which is also home to the longest left point break in the world. Our time in Chicama proved to be amazing. We stayed with the pastor of the local church there and along with a group from the Church we traveled to a nearby-impoverished village and gave out donations, played with the children, and shared the good news of Christ with everyone there. Along with all of the amazing ministry opportunities, God also blessed us with the opportunity to spend a couple mornings surfing a head high left point break, with offshore winds, no one else out, and rides going for over a mile and half! It was a surreal experience and definitely led me to believe that God knew what he was doing when he created the ocean.

One thing I learned while on this trip is that if we submit the things we love to God, he will totally use them for his work. For example, more than a hundred surfers in Peru decided to make their surfing more than just something they did on the weekends for fun and started a group where they would use surfing to help minister to people. Currently, Christian Surfers Peru is one of the fastest growing Christian Surfers chapters in the world and has over 100 people that attend their weekly meeting. They have also been holding a yearly surf contest, which gives them a chance to reach out to the entire Peruvian surf community. On top of reaching out to the local surf community, they use what would normally just be surf trips to travel to impoverished regions of Peru and bring hope, in the form of much-needed donations and the message of Jesus Christ.

The exciting part about all of this is that we can do the same thing without having to travel at all; God has plenty of work for the Christian surf community right here in California. As we got to witness with the Christian Surfers Outreach camps this summer, surfing has the unique ability to bring people together and help them meet at a common ground. Through the surf camps, many local teenagers got to experience not only the thrill of riding waves for the first time, but also got to spend time with coaches who all share a love of Christ and got to share that love with the kids. I challenge anyone with a love for God and a passion for surfing to start asking God to use the two together to help change the world, because as God taught me this summer, anything is possible if we just submit our plans to him!

By Mike Burns

CHRISTIAN SURF LINGO
	STOKED : In surfing, STOKED is the name for the feeling when you paddle out on a crisp clear day and the waves are really pumping or the feeling after a perfect ride when the wave has picked you up and hurled you down the line with endless power. As a Christian you can also get that STOKED feeling when you reach out to someone and tell them what God has done in your life or when you help another without any expectations for something in return. In these situations, God in the form of the Holy Spirit rewards you with a feeling of peace and well being that makes you want to do it again.

		GO VERTICAL: In surfing, GO VERTICAL means to perform a hard turn up the wave pointing the board vertically up into the air and then snapping an off-the-lip. Christian Surfers use the expression GO VERTICAL to also mean - Look up to the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, for the answers and inspiration!

	RINSE CYCLE : In surfing, GETTING CAUGHT IN THE RINSE CYCLE means to have a bad wipe out and get tumbled and turned so badly that you don’t know which way is up to the surface. In life you can also get caught in the Rinse Cycle but if you look up to Jesus he will be your guiding light to the pure sweet air above!

SURFER JESUS
SURFER JESUS "Loose My Soul" lyrics by Toby Mac
Man I wanna tell y'all something, Man. Man I'm not gonna let these material thing's, get in my way, ya'll. I'm trying to get somewhere. I'm trying to get somewhere, Thats real and pure and true and eternal. Father God, I am clay in your hands, Help me to stay that way through all life's demands, 'Cause they chip and they nag and they pull at me, And every little thing I make up my mind to be, Like I'm gonna be a daddy whose in the mix, And I'm gonna be a husband who stays legit, And I pray that I'm an artist who rises above, The road that is wide and filled with self love, Everything that I see draws me, Though it's only in You that I can truly see that its a feast for the eyes- a low blow to purpose. And I'm a little kid at a three ring circus. I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. (Mr. Franklin, Step up to the mic sir) The paparazzi flashes, and that they think that it's you, But they don't know that who you are is not what you do, True, we get it twisted when we peak at the charts, Yo before we part from the start, Where's your heart? You a pimp, hustler? Tell me what's your title, America has no more stars, now we call them idols, You sit idle, While we teach prosperity, The first thing to prosper should be inside of me. We're free... Not because of 22's on the range, But Christ came in range, we said yes now we changed, Not the same, even though I made a fall, Since I got that call, no more Saul, now I'm Paul. (YEP!) I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. Don't wanna walk away, Don't wanna walk away How do I sense the tide that's rising? De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity, How do I sense the tide that's rising? It's hypnotizing me from living in light of eternity, How do I sense the tide that's rising? De-sensitizing me from living in light of eternity. (Lord what we gon do,We're relying on you, all eyes are on you Lord, all eyes are on you, all eyes are on you Jesus.) I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, Don't wanna walk away, let me hear the people say. (Don't let me lose my soul, my soul.) I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, (This is my honesty, Father, won't you cover me.) I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, (Don't wanna walk away, and all those people say) I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul, (Don't wanna lose, I don't wanna lose my soul.) Lord forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world, That fight for our love, and our passion, As our eyes are open wide and on you. Grant us the privilege of your world view, And may your kingdom be, what wakes us up, and lays us down. (Hallelujah, Don't wanna lose our soul, No, Don't wanna lose my soul.) Hey excuse me, I'm looking for the after party, Toby, Haha, yeah, last door on the left, you'll hear it. Thanks, No problem. Don't let me lose my soul, I never wanna walk away, I don't wanna lose my soul, No, no, no. Don't let me, don't let me, lose my soul, I don't wanna walk away, Don't let me walk away, Na na na na no, Don't let me lose, my soul, I'm never gonna walk away.
SURFER JESUS Walks on Water
On a rocky hillside, he took two smelly fish and five crusty loaves of bread and fed over five thousand people. “WOW!” The disciples must have thought, “We should open a restaurant!” Well, maybe they didn’t think the restaurant part - but they were amazed by the miracle they just saw Jesus do. The crowd was still buzzing about the whole thing when Jesus took Peter by the arm and said, “You guys go on ahead to the other side of the lake. I’ll catch up with you later.” Okay, we don’t really know what Jesus said exactly. For one thing, he was speaking in Aramaic and not English. And chances are pretty good he didn’t call the disciples ‘you guys.’ But we do know that Jesus told the disciples to get in their boat and go across the lake. He needed some time to be alone. Well, imagine if you had crowds of people following you around everywhere you went, always wanting something from you. You’d want to get away to be alone sometimes too! But what Jesus really needed was time to pray. We all do! So Jesus blessed the people and sent them on their way home. And he sent them away full - not just with a good meal, but with the word of God. They all left knowing a little better just how much God loved them. So Jesus watched the last few stragglers pick their way through the rocks, and then he turned and climbed up the mountain a ways. When night came, Jesus was still there praying, alone on the mountainside. Of course, he wasn’t really alone. He was with his Father. No one is ever really alone. God is always with us. Meanwhile, the disciples were on the lake below, trying to row across it. It was very dark now, and a strong wind was blowing right in their faces. Well, right in the faces of the lucky ones who weren’t trying to row against it. Those poor guys had their backs to the wind and were rowing against it with all their might - and hardly getting anywhere! “This is just great!” they were probably grumbling to each other as sprays of water splashed in their faces and the waves tossed their little boat every which way - except the way they wanted to go! “Jesus sends us out across the lake with this blasted wind doing its best to blow us back! Couldn’t he do something about that?!” (We like to grumble whenever things get hard, don’t we.) But Jesus could see that they were in trouble. The wind was howling, the sea was still tossing their boat this way and that, when one of the disciples happened to look out into the night. “WHAT IS THAT?!!!” There was a man walking on the water!!! In the dark of the night they saw a man coming towards them on the water - his hair was blowing wildly, his robe was being whipped by the wind like a flag in a windstorm. They were terrified! ...well, wouldn’t YOU be?! “IT’S A GHOST!!” they screamed. But just then, they heard a voice say, “Take courage! Don’t be afraid. It is me!” It was Jesus! “Lord, is it really you?” Peter said, holding his hand over his eyes to block the spray of the splashing waves. “If it really IS you, tell me to come out to you on the water!” Peter was a brave man! Or he was crazy! Jesus said, “Come.” Peter stuck one leg out over the side of the boat and set his foot on the water. It didn’t sink in! He stepped out with his other foot, and it didn’t sink. He stood up. He was standing on the water! He took one step, and then another, and then another. He was walking on the water, just like Jesus! Peter was walking on the water! He might have even been thinking to himself, “Hey! Look at me. I am walking on the water! Aren’t I great!” But wait a minute. People can’t walk on water. And then Peter started to look around him. All of a sudden, the boat seemed awfully small and far away. There was nothing but black, churning water all around him. The waves were lapping at his feet, water was stinging his eyes. And then, just like that, the water under his feet let go. “Help me, Lord!” Peter gulpped, splashing wildly as the cold water swallowed him down. “Save me!” But before the water could gulp Peter down entirely, Jesus reached down with his strong hand (he WAS a carpenter after all) and grabbed him by the arm. “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And with that, Jesus pulled Peter up out of the water and carried him, dripping wet, back to the boat. Just as they were climbing over the side of the boat, the wind died away and the sea turned smooth as glass. Everything was suddenly peaceful and quiet. One minute the wind was roaring and the sea was crashing, the next all was peaceful and calm. Some of the disciples must have remembered just then the Psalm they learned in Hebrew school - “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed.” (That was from Psalm 107, in case you haven’t been to Hebrew school yet.) Those disciples knew that only God has the power to calm the wind and the waves - and that’s just what Jesus did. “Truly you ARE the Son of God!” they said to Jesus in awe and wonder. And they bowed down and worshipped him right then and there. Now, we don’t know for sure, but maybe Peter sat there shivering in the back of the boat with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, thinking about all that had just happened. And maybe he was hearing over and over in his head the words Jesus had calmy said, ‘Why did you doubt?’ ‘Oh, you of little faith. Why did you doubt?’ Why DID Peter doubt? Just the day before he saw Jesus turn two fish and five loaves of bread into enough to feed five thousand people. And now he saw Jesus walking on the water. Jesus said it was okay, so he stepped out onto the water. He trusted Jesus. He stepped out of the boat because Jesus had called him, and his faith held him up. But then he saw the darkness all around him, he felt the the wind stinging his face, he saw the swirling black water beneath him... and he doubted. He took his eyes off Jesus and he became afraid. He forgot about Jesus. And he sank. And it may be that Peter learned a lesson that night that he never forgot. When trouble is all around - keep your eyes on Jesus. He will never let you sink.


		"My Son, be humble and love your neighbor...Oh, also, I hear that CSO has a cool camp where you can hear my word and learn to surf."
CSO STUDENT OR TEAM MEMBER PROFILE
Prayer, Point Breaks, and Peru; How God Is Using Surfing To Change Lives Around The World Mike Burns was a volunteer surf instructor for CSO in the summer of 2005. He traveled to Peru on a surf and mission trip late in the year. Below is a letter he wrote us about the trip. There I was, sitting on an airplane surrounded by people who didn’t speak my language, and getting ready to land in a country I’d never visited before. Upon landing I had no idea of whom, if anyone, would be picking me up and even less of an idea where I would be staying or what I would be doing. Suddenly I started to have second thoughts; “is this really what God wants me doing?” “What if no one picks me up?” “Someone get me back to California!” but soon after landing my fears were relieved. After picking up my board bag from the baggage carousel I patiently waited until I saw two native faces looking at me through the crowd. One finally muttered, “are you mike?” in a thick foreign accent; but all I could do is grin and say, “yes I am”. So how did I end up here? Well, about 5 months before I was in my dorm room at Vanguard University thinking about places I wanted to travel, waves I wanted to ride, and people I wanted to serve and somehow God put South American on my heart. At first I just thought, “that’s great, God wants me in South America, now what?” I didn’t know anyone who had ever been to South America, let alone anyone actually living in South America, so I did what any brilliant college student would do; went to google.com. After searching the Internet for a couple hours, I ended up finding the Christian Surfers International web site; a ministry that uses surfing as a tool to reach people for Christ all over the world. While looking through the listing of countries they were active with Christian Surfers, I immediately noticed that they had a growing Christian Surfers chapter in Lima, Peru so I wrote a quick e-mail and sent it off to the director, John. Within two days I had an email from John, obviously excited, telling me they’d love to help me plan a visit to Peru and asking for some more information on me to help them out. Over the next few months John and I talked pretty frequently, emails were sent, plane tickets were purchased, and some “plans” were made. One of the first things I learned about Peruvians is that they aren’t as concerned with concrete plans the way I am; they are constantly using phrases like “don’t worry!” or “we’ll figure that out in time” and their favorite, “God has it under control!” Because of this, I was flying to Peru without any idea who would be picking me up from the airport, where I would be going from the airport, and what I’d be doing for the next few weeks. To my surprise though, those crazy Peruvians were right, and God truly did have it under control. My time in Peru ended up being amazing. I stayed at the home of my new friend Jaime, a Peruvian surfer and college student the same age as myself, he is also the worship leader for the Christian Surfers meetings that happen weekly. Staying with a Peruvian family was such a great learning experience as I got a first hand look into the culture and lifestyle of a Peruvian family. My first week in Peru I spent most of my time with the family I was staying with, surfing with new friends, and helping out with Christian surfers. They were so quick to get me involved that I was already playing guitar at their worship service about 5 hours after getting off the plane. The most amazing part of the trip was when a small group of us traveled to the northern coast of Peru to visit some small villages and churches and give out donations that Christian Surfers in Lima had collected. We took a bus 15 hours north to the small fishing village of Chicama, which is also home to the longest left point break in the world. Our time in Chicama proved to be amazing. We stayed with the pastor of the local church there and along with a group from the Church we traveled to a nearby-impoverished village and gave out donations, played with the children, and shared the good news of Christ with everyone there. Along with all of the amazing ministry opportunities, God also blessed us with the opportunity to spend a couple mornings surfing a head high left point break, with offshore winds, no one else out, and rides going for over a mile and half! It was a surreal experience and definitely led me to believe that God knew what he was doing when he created the ocean. One thing I learned while on this trip is that if we submit the things we love to God, he will totally use them for his work. For example, more than a hundred surfers in Peru decided to make their surfing more than just something they did on the weekends for fun and started a group where they would use surfing to help minister to people. Currently, Christian Surfers Peru is one of the fastest growing Christian Surfers chapters in the world and has over 100 people that attend their weekly meeting. They have also been holding a yearly surf contest, which gives them a chance to reach out to the entire Peruvian surf community. On top of reaching out to the local surf community, they use what would normally just be surf trips to travel to impoverished regions of Peru and bring hope, in the form of much-needed donations and the message of Jesus Christ. The exciting part about all of this is that we can do the same thing without having to travel at all; God has plenty of work for the Christian surf community right here in California. As we got to witness with the Christian Surfers Outreach camps this summer, surfing has the unique ability to bring people together and help them meet at a common ground. Through the surf camps, many local teenagers got to experience not only the thrill of riding waves for the first time, but also got to spend time with coaches who all share a love of Christ and got to share that love with the kids. I challenge anyone with a love for God and a passion for surfing to start asking God to use the two together to help change the world, because as God taught me this summer, anything is possible if we just submit our plans to him! By Mike Burns
PROFESSIONAL SURFER AND CHRISTIAN - MATT BEACHAM Matt Beacham is a professional surfer who was featured in Noah’s Arc, the inspirational surf movie produced by Walking on Water and shown at our movie night in 2006. Matt was gracious enough to speak to all of us and share his faith. Below is an interview Matt did that is included in The Christian Surfers New Testament Bible. Matt Beacham’s job is to ride the best waves in the world and hang out with his friends. When he comes home, it’s to a great wife and the consistently fun waves of San Clemente, California. He’s not complaining, but he knows that without a solid foundation, it would all come crumbling down. Chris Ahrens: Is it easier for a surfer to find God than it is for a non-surfer? Matt Beacham: It would be a big thing for some people to go to the beach and watch the sunset once a month. I get to see the sunset while surfing, two or three times a week. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that much is expected of me, because most people never get to see things I see. Surfing should lead me closer to God. CA: A lot of people say that Christianity is for losers. You seem to have most of the things the world has to offer, why would someone like you even want a relationship with God? MB: I felt that He was with me from the beginning, so any time I run from Him, I feel like I’m betraying a friend. I honestly believe that I’m backstabbing a friend when I run from God. For me, I see so much order around me, even in an imperfect world. I have to figure out the source of it. I think that’s a realization a lot of people come to. It sends them on a quest to find the Lord. My hope is that they end up at the cross. CA: In a sense you’ve been like Solomon; whatever you put your eyes on you could get. Have you been willing to trade all that to find God? MB: In the eyes of the world, I’ve lived the American dream, so far. I’m acquainted with selfishness, but I’ve experienced life with meaning for so long that in the absence of it, I lose all my creativity and all my sense of reason. When I’m on a selfish stint, I lose everything that I feel has been a gift from God. I’ve experienced that enough to know that a life with God is the only life worth pursuing and the only life that’s going to carry beyond the grave. CA: Do you see changes in yourself? MB: Yes, but I’m so unimpressed with who I know I am. In the end when I stand before God, I think He’ll say, I was never impressed with you, Matt, but I love you. I chose to love you even before you were born. I’ll realize then that He hung onto that commitment to love me no matter how flaky and stupid I was. He’ll let me into eternal life with Him by His great mercy. It’s been a good realization in a lot of ways how lame I am, basically. A work in progress is the bet way to put it.


	If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1John 4:12