Looking Back at See Beyond—A Celebration of Growth
Written by Marci Renée
Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash
Sometimes we forget where we’ve been.
Sometimes we forget how far we’ve come.
It’s important to pause. It’s important to take time. It’s important to look back. It’s important to retrace our steps.
That’s what we did.
Recently, we gathered together as a See Beyond team to celebrate the life and work of one of our own. We came together to remember and to recount the contribution of this one faithful staff member with See Beyond. As hard as it is, it is time for her to go, time to say goodbye.
But we couldn’t send her off without a proper shower of thanks and appreciation! Her faithful, quiet, steadfast, behind-the-scenes work and attitude has been a building block for our organization.
As we all remembered and recognized all that she had done, we were astounded to consider not only her personal journey, but the journey of See Beyond as a whole.
This administrative assistant began working with See Beyond in the summer of 2018—five years ago. That might not seem like a long time, but so much has happened during these years. As we all sat back and reflected, our hearts were overwhelmed with gratitude. It caused us to retrace our steps as an organization.
We invite you to journey with us, to see where See Beyond has been and just how far we’ve come.
A History Lesson
See Beyond just celebrated their 10th anniversary! It started in 2013 with its founder, Katie Reid, and her husband, Tim. Maybe you have read their story on the See Beyond website. If you haven’t, here it is.
We arrived in Morocco in 1997, eager to help start a new school. When our plane landed, our boss was not in the country, and the person who was delegated to help us was away on vacation. We felt so alone.
We taxied to a church that first Sunday and were grateful to meet a couple who took us under their wings. They helped us to get settled into Casablanca life. That was our first touch with the reality of how important it is to care for people, especially when it comes to overseas living.
That’s probably why—a year later, when the school was being launched—we took on the role of welcoming new staff and making sure their needs outside of work were met.
One year, a young teacher became suicidal, and we searched for an English-speaking counselor to help her. We had to go to Spain to find someone. Back then it was a full day’s trip without autoroutes and nice rest stops. The next year, a new member of our staff was in a taxi that was hit by a truck. His driver died moments later, and he was deeply shaken. We knew he needed something called a “debriefing,” but we didn’t know how to help.
These situations compelled us to get more training so that we could help others succeed and manage the difficulties of cross-cultural living. Many years of study and practice later, we decided to start See Beyond—helping expatriates to do better and stay longer in North Africa.
Even though there has been significant growth since 2013, Katie and Tim’s original vision has remained much the same.
We seek to support communities of expatriates living in North Africa in better caring for one another. We train individuals and groups in how to have better communication skills and to know what to do when a situation is beyond their abilities.
We envision communities where leaders more effectively care for their teams, not only in the work they are called to accomplish, but in how they care for the whole person—and even the whole family.
We desire for spouses to have the deeper relational skills needed, to not just survive, but to truly deepen intimacy. We want children to blossom in the environment in which their family is working.
We are eager for singles to be less isolated and to feel like valued members of larger communities. We aspire to see communities flourishing—like an oasis in the desert.
Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash
Rapid Growth
In 2018, See Beyond counted eight staff members. We offered counseling, debriefing, coaching, and coaching training, with a focus on North Africa—Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania.
Today, in 2023, See Beyond has tripled!
We currently have 24 staff, who work in the following roles:
3 leaders
3 administrators
2 counselors
5 coaches
3 writers/editors
4 staff members specializing in Third Culture Kids (TCKs)
14 debriefers
7 trainers
2 mediators
1 professional facilitator
The number of services offered to the English-speaking expat community has also multiplied.
See Beyond now offers:
Debriefing Certification Training
Facilitation (complex group work and conflict mediation)
Well-researched articles on topics that are relevant to our readers
Free downloads: annual reflection guides, printable resources, etc.
See Beyond no longer only impacts the English-speaking expat communities in Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania. We have expanded our reach into the rest of North Africa, the Middle East, and most recently, into the Sahel region.
Many of you who receive our newsletters and read our articles have certainly benefited from one or more of the services See Beyond offers. I have often described our services as “carrying a cup of cold water to people in dry and weary lands.”
Do Better, Stay Longer
See Beyond is all about helping people “Do Better and Stay Longer.”
A few months ago, one of the staff members of See Beyond came to stay in our home while they were passing through town for a few days. During a casual conversation, I had mentioned how my windows were filthy and desperately needed to be cleaned. I could barely see through the dirt, scum, the splattered mess—inside and out. I think I may have also said that I hated cleaning windows.
When my husband and I came back from work later that afternoon, I was surprised and overjoyed to walk through the door and find my windows cleaned!
When I left the house that morning, my windows were filthy. I had not touched them since we had moved into the house several years before.
Now, I stood in amazement, looking through my kitchen windows to what lay beyond.
“Wow! I can see so far!”
The majestic mountains, the pink almond blossom trees, the blue skies. It was like I was seeing them for the first time!
See Beyond is like a “window washer” in our lives. They come alongside us to help us walk through the muck and the mire of our lives. They help us clean off the build-up of our hearts and souls—sometimes deep and layered from the wear and tear of the years—and help us to see clearly once again.
They help us to SEE BEYOND.
Would you join us in celebrating just how far we’ve come?
Please post your appreciations or celebrations of See Beyond in the comments section below.
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com