by Gerti Mentzer

When I arrived in Naples in Autumn of 2003, I had no idea what Club Beyond was. I had just moved from San Diego, CA, and to be frank, I was not in a good place. My church in California had fallen apart, the youth group had been nonexistent, and my father was absent for two out of the three years we had been stationed there. I had no friends to speak of, but the first time I went to Club, at least five or six people came up and introduced themselves to me, and I was constantly surprised by the kindness of strangers. So I started coming back whenever I could.

Being a homeschooler, a Chaplain's daughter, and a geek, I was rarely accepted among my peers. Here, though, people would come up to me and talk to me as if they didn't care that I was a geek. It took me a while to realize that they really didn't care. I started taking music classes at the High School and eating lunch with a small group of Club Beyonders that were in my Band class. I found myself enjoying having friends, and having something to do other than shut myself up in a book all day and be anti-social. Club Beyond quickly became the high point of my week. They didn't mind me being quiet. They pushed me out of my comfort zone so I opened up and quickly realized that talking about what you feel wasn't a bad thing.

In November 2003, I attended the Old Mill trip, and in April 2004, the Czech trip arrived. I had been extremely apprehensive about going to Czech, since I only knew a few people, and only knew two people in my small group. All four of us were different, but we all had our similarities. Christine and I were both Chaplain's daughters, Mara and I loved Lord of the Rings, and Jen and I both liked the same kind of music and books. We were all band geeks. The combination of our friendship and the hard work made me open up and, for the first time in three years, I was not afraid to laugh at myself.

Over the summer, the entire small group left. When the school year started back up again, I knew a total of one person in my Band. They had started up a Strings class in the school, and I had joined it with the cello. I noticed five people in it that went to Club Beyond, although the entire class consisted of 12 people. I had feared having to make friends again, but those five people have never let me be without. On the Old Mill trip this year, I lost my voice completely, and those five people talked to me so I wouldn't have to. I had a confidante, two philosophers (or, as they have come to be called 'coffee clutch ladies'), a musician/teacher, and a comedian to keep me company.

Over the period of a year, I have found a mentor, friends, and most importantly, I found God. From Autumn of '03 to Spring of '05, Club has been one of the few constants in my life. In this military community, we all need an anchor. Something to keep us accountable, to keep us sane. That's what Club Beyond is to me. We all need that. At least, I do.