This year I had the opportunity to go with our Young Women to Girls' Camp. I have been in young women's for a few years, but each year have been pregnant or nursing and have only been able to participate in girls camp for one day. This year we were able to go to Camp Mia Shalom. After girls camp I was asked, along with our camp director and 4 young women, to report on our camp experience during a sacrament meeting. I'm going to use my talk in this blog post to tell about camp.
Report on Girls Camp Talk:
Our spiritual focus or theme for the week of girls’ camp was Becoming Like Christ. This theme gave our activities, devotionals, and everything about our camp, focus. I want to tell you about ways that I observed others demonstrating how to be like Christ, and also ways that I experienced being like Christ for a moment.
Becoming like Christ is such and all-encompassing subject and work in progress throughout life and requires so many attributes, growth, and changes within us, that I hope that I will be able to adequately share with you how the things that I saw and experienced have helped and will help the young women and leaders become more like Christ.
When going to camp Mia Shalom the first thing I noticed was the beauty and serenity of the area. Camp Shalom is in a beautiful little glacial valley. It is U-shaped with high ridges on all sides. Pines trees and all kinds of vegetation fill the hills. In the center of the valley is a small lake, Hunt Lake. It could be a glacial lake, remnants of the glacier that formed the valley, but it is a small man-made lake. Physically we were separated from the rest of the world and by leaving cell phones and other electronic devices behind we were really apart from the world for the week. In section 28 of the Doctrine Covenants Joseph Smith records a verse that describes how I feel about the beauty of camp Shalom:
“Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together…And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever!”
Just being in that beautiful area provides me with an increased awareness of our Heavenly Father’s creations, and helps me to feel closer to God, increasing my testimony just by being there.
I heard over and over leaders and young women express their awe of the beauty of God’s creations at Shalom. Just being in nature brings us closer to God. No one is closer to God than our Savior. Thus by recognizing the beauty of the earth, and stars and all His creations we become more like Christ.
Our first day at camp we were able to have lake time. Lake time consists of canoeing. While in our canoes we played a few games. I was a bit surprised at our girls during these games. They were not as competitive as I expected them to be. Sister Bowles and I happened to be in a canoe with McKayla Wiscombe. I made the comment to Sister Bowles that I was glad she and I were in a canoe together, because we both became competitive and wanted to win the games. While other girls wanted to work together to help everyone enjoy the games and have a fun time, I guess that is the more Christ-like thing to do. I’m not exactly sure how Christ would have played the lake games, but He probably would’ve spent time teaching McKayla how to row a canoe correctly and helping her to master it, instead of taking over the paddling so that we could go faster. More Christ-like attributes were demonstrated by the young women giving their beach-balls to the girls who had none, than by intercepting the beach ball when we had already gathered three. So during lake time, I saw girls demonstrate being like Christ by encouraging each other with positive remarks, working together, and enjoying everyone succeeding at the games.
From the lake we went directly to the confidence course. The games of the confidence course are designed to encourage total group participation and cooperation. I know there were some of our young women that had to be encouraged to participate because the games look a little scary and kind of impossible, but once they were into the activity our girls were very willing to work together. The games brought out natural leadership skills in girls such as Jen Moore. She was great at rallying the girls and presenting ideas about how to complete each challenge. Because the girls know her and love her they are willing to follow her. Jessica and Claire proved to be leaders as well. They would often carry out ideas presented by Jen, or offer new ones. Leadership is definitely a way to become like Christ.
Christ also taught us that be a good leader, sometimes you must be a good follower. If there weren’t followers, the group would not succeed at the games. It was fun to watch girls like Linze, and Shaylee, Ashten, maybe even Kira respond to the instructions of each challenge with a look that said “You want us to do what? But then okay, we will try.” The challenges of the confidence course required the girls to get out of their comfort zones, to get into each other’s personal spaces, often to stretch their physical abilities and to think outside the box. Even though Danielle really struggled with balance on a few of the challenges, no one got upset with her if the group had to start over or had to stop the progression for a moment, all just helped her get back into position and maybe had a few laughs, but carried on. The trust fall demonstrated being like Christ. The group catching the one young women or leader falling to me represented our Savior. They were trust worthy and strong when the one fell. Saving them from a painful experience of falling to the ground. For a moment, the girls as a group became as a Savior.
Each morning and each evening at camp, all the wards in our stake came together for flag ceremony. Flag ceremony provided on opportunity for a number of things to take place. First of all, as each ward gathered, the YCLs(youth camp leaders) would lead us all in singing camp songs. The songs are energetic and silly, and bring energy and laughter to the group. Then we get serious and sing a hymn of praise to our Heavenly Father. We participate in raising or lowering the flag, reciting the pledge of allegiance, share a patriotic thought and focus for a moment on the great blessings Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us of living in this great land. This time also brought unity by coming together as a stake.
Each day was assigned a specific spiritual theme that went along with Becoming Like Christ. The YCLs for our ward, Jen, Kaytlyn, and Jessica started their group of girls off each morning with a spiritual thought on that subject and then later in the day one of the leaders gave us a devotional on that same topic. We studied and learned about baptism, charity, service, and testimony. Through the thoughtful preparation of the leaders and the participation of all this was a time that I really felt the spirit teaching me and reminding me of ways to Become Like Christ.
Other experiences that impressed me were our hikes. One day we had an Adventure Hike. We divided into three groups. Each group took a different trail and the assignment was to come up with an adventure, either real or fiction of what they experienced on their hike. The girls were super creative. One group involved Kira being rescued from a ferocious bear by a very brave and friendly deer. Another group caught a flying monkey and made monkey stew. And the other group was shrunk small enough to fit on the back of a caterpillar and had to get back to normal size. Creativity is a way to become like Christ.
Thursday we had our 5 mile hike. We were grateful for JD, the camp Shalom caretaker, he brought Bethany along on his 4-wheeler so she could participate on the hike. He provided a great service. It was a long steep up-hill climb to reach the ridge trail. I know it was hard. We had to stop often for people to rest and the group to catch up together. It was also hot. I heard Ashten say that it was hard, but that she would keep going. That attitude and sticking with a hard task is a way to be like Christ. I know it was hard for Sister Huffaker who has a bad knee. She never complained. In fact she had been praying even before camp that Heavenly Father would allow her knee to work so she could hike. She still stepped in a huge badger whole and hurt the other knee, but still was physically able to complete the hike. Praying and relying on Heavenly Father, that is a way to be like Christ. At the top of the hike we visited Lone Pine and had beautiful views out over the Scoffield Mountains, Gosseberry and Fairview areas and even to the Utah Valley to Lone Peak and Timpanogos and others. I was so proud of our group for having such a fun time and being so encouraging and having great attitudes throughout the hike even though it was a hard thing. Doing hard things is a way to be like Christ.
On our last day we hiked the Wildflower Trail up to the Sound of Music Meadow. Again, it was a steep uphill, but a lot shorter this time.
Our hikes provided us with wonderful opportunities to appreciate and enjoy our Heavenly Father’s beautiful creations, all of nature really does testify to a Supreme Creator. We were able to experience the great things our bodies can do through the hiking. And we gained a closer fellowship through accomplishing something hard and difficult together. All of these help us to be more like Christ.
I mentioned that on our hike we visited Lone Pine. This lone pine tree provides a very good lesson for all of us and happens to coordinate beautifully with our stake theme song of Be Strong. There are pine trees all over the mountain and valley at camp Shalom. However, along the west ridge line stands a single pine tree. This pine tree is tall and strong and no other trees grow near it. I want to share with you the words from the song that Lone Pine is a visual reminder of. It says: “…And when you stand for something right and stand alone, remember someone else stands by you in your heavenly home, be strong and of good courage, for the Lord will be with us wherever we go, Be One, Be His, Be Strong.” Lone Pine reminds us to always make the right choices because our Savior will always stand by us when we do.
Through the activities and experiences at girls’ camp I watched ways in which the young women became more like Christ. And in the process felt a fellowship with leaders and young women, I felt a greater sense of unity among our young women group, I saw young women gain an increase in their confidence and their abilities and saw self-esteem growth, and all of us showed appreciation and love for nature as God’s creations. All of these help us to be more like Christ.
And Christ taught His disciples:
“…Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you…Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up.”
And some other things....
Crafts, what is girls camp without crafts.
A great evening program from Cherie Call followed by singing by the three stakes at camp. We sang around the lake while shining lights.
My braiding skills were popular.
We all received paper plate awards the last night of camp. My award: Mad Skills.
