Girls Camp 2010

Finally, after months of preparation, the alarm clock started beeping at 4:45 a.m., announcing that it the day to leave on the giant buses for Girls Camp 2010.  Every young woman (12-18) in our stake met at the stake center at 6, our suitcases ready and our excitement high.  Most of the other girls were wearing their blue and brown Courage to Stand shirts, but our ward uniquely wore our red shirts with flowers.  The bus ride was long, but fortunately Kylie and I got to sit behind Peri and Whitney... They were composing a song about getting up that morning to go to camp that should win an award for being the most amazingly random.  (Oh, I love those girls!)  It was roughly three hours later that we arrived at the beautiful Camp Lomia.    On arrival we were sent to the lodge while leaders could get ready before we took everything to the addies.  One of the things the stake Young Women presidency and the YCL's did was our own little Party in the USA song.  They changed the lyrics to fit our theme, Courage to Stand, and made a cute, simple dance for it.

  During camp, we had schedules that depended on what year we were.  We had crafts, spirituals, songs, games, and outdoor stuff.  The headband I am wearing above is one of those crafts.  Below are some of the activities that we did.

On the first night of camp, all the wards, the stake leaders, and theYCL's do a skit to a song.  I think a lot of the wards do not come up with their skit until the day of, but my ward prepared weeks before.  The song we chose was Hannah Montana's Hoedown Throw Down.  We tweaked it to make it a bit shorter, and then had one part go super fast, and another really slow.  Everybody got to be in a certain group, where they would do a certain part of the dance.  Whitney, the blond one in the picture above, is super hilarious and outgoing, so, lie last year, she got to have the main part of the skit, Hannah Montana.  She got to wear an obnoxious costume with zebra designs, a tutu, leggings, and boots.  The "clapping group" group wore all black except for white socks on their hands, the "zig-zag" people wore their dads' nice white church shirts (something to do with some movie), and my group, the "pop-it-lock-it" people, wore all black and had glow sticks taped to us to make us look like stick people.   We were the last ward to our skit, so by then it was dark.  All the lights were turned off, while the black light was turned on.  Our skit was hilarious and probably the best!   

  Our theme this year was Courage to Stand.  We live in a time of evil.  For thousands of years, prophets have spoken of these latter days.  That is why it is so important that we stand up for our beliefs, even if we are alone.

  Girls Camp is flat out amazing.  We have so much fun together as a ward, as a stake, and simply as daughters of God.  Laughter is never ceasing.   This year we were able to spend a lot more time just with our wards, and we were always playing games, including the staring game.  In that game, you get in two lines.  One person goes from one side of one line, and the other from the opposite end of the second line.  When the others says go, they turn around to face each other and try to make each other laugh or smile, without smiling themselves.  They have to keep eye contact the whole time they move in between the two lines to the back, or they have to be on the other team.  Whatever team ends up with the most amount of people wins.  I actually won an award for being the best at this game.  Dear Rachel won an award for being so smiley (AKA being the worst at the game).

  

Last year everyone would get in one of the cabins before bed and we would play Mofia.  This year, it wasn't as big of a hit, but it was still fun and we played it one of the nights.  Here everyone is crowed in my addy.    

In this picture you can see how much shorter I am than everybody else.  I am the president of the Beehive class, yet, other than Kendall, I was the shortest until Shelby turned twelve in June, then Rinsley and Abby.

On one of the days everyone went on a hike.  It was hot, but beautiful.  The hike was not too hard, especially with athletic Ally in the lead. When we got to the top, Sister Karst spoke to us about, and we took a group picture. 

All around us was lush green amazement.

When we got back, some of us grabbed our scriptures and went straight to the stream which we had passed on the hike.  It was a spectacular experience.  Slipping off our shoes and dipping our feet in the cool water under the shade of pines, we shared stories of the Holy Ghost, and of different experiences.  Tears were involved.  I led in different beautiful songs such as Strong and Courageous, Believe in Me, As Sisters in Zion, A Child's Prayer, I Am a Child of God, etc.  

  Mom, Rachel, and I had set a goal to finish the Book of Mormon before Girls Camp.  I was the closest one to it.  I spent hours the day before it started trying to finish.  It was past eleven at night when my Mom, for the tenth and final time, told me I really had to go to sleep.  It had been very frustrating, because at that point, I only had twenty pages left.  I had read so much.  Knowing that I was getting up super early, I finally decided to put it down.  

  Now, when we were at the stream, I opened up to the page I was on and found one of the scriptures was marked:  Ether: 12: 27.  I was amazed at how such a perfect scripture for that time and place happened to be on that page.  Some of the stories shared were of trials.  This verse spoke of how God gives men weaknesses so that they can be strengthened, which is the same thing with trials. 

I don' know how could ever forget those moments at the stream.  

It has been Girls Camp tradition even since my mom was a girl to do snipe hunting.  We covered our faces in tooth paste to not let the snipes scratch our faces and set out for the dark wilderness to search for snipes which would get to hang out in our addies for the rest of camp.  

Poor KolbyLynn, a first-year nonmember, got her ankle broken in the process after tripping.  Yikes!

   

There is always a water fight on the day that the bishops/first presidencies/their wives come and the fourth years return from their camp. 

Mom's target.

Oh, Portia.  Hiding in the brush.

The stake Young Women presidency.

After that, all the wards went to their cabins to play games that the first presidencies and their wives came up with.

The see-how-many-times-you-can-shake-your-head-in-a-certain-amount-of-time game.  This picture is classic.

The Oreo game.  Oh, Bishop!

Here is dear Kendall.  We love that sweet spirit dearly.

It started raining like crazy out of the blue.  We had been playing our games under a romada, but the rain was pounding so hard on the metal roof that we had to stop.  Mom and some other leaders realized with horror that my addy was at the bottom of a small hill.  Being in a forest, that was a problem.  IT had flooded with mood a couple days before our stake went to camp.  While they got in the car and drove to hopefully prevent that, us girls got in a large circle and started to sing.  Kendall and KolbyLynn, who had gotten hurt snipe hunting, sat in the middle.  Beauty and inspiration swept through us as we sang in perfect harmony, songs of God, while the rain pounded in the backround.  It was magnificent. 

It is tradition to do a ward testimony meeting at night after the games.  Last year we did that hidden in the crook of the forest on a hill.  I remember it perfectly- the clear, cold night, the gurgling river at the bottom of the slope blending with the quiet chirps of crickets, the safety of the trees and the darkness.  Because of the rain, the leaders decided to do it under a different romada.  Peri, Whitney, and I especially were upset about that.  There would be light, and it would not have the peace of plain nature.  I didn't say anything because it had already been set up, but Whitney and Peri complained.  Finally, since the rain had stopped, they agreed to do it around the large campfire area by the addies.  We were relieved.  Everything was too soaked to start a fire, but that was fine, for it left us in perfect blackness and privacy.  There were enough towering trees around us to make us look up and think Wow...  The presidency began with their testimonies, then allowed anyone else to. The whole camp was filled with the greatness of the Spirit.  Last year it took great courage to finally get up and bare my testimony, but I decided that I would every year after that.  The Spirit of God, like a fire is burning.  The words which had been burning in me came naturally.  The meeting was filled with tears, especially when Brother Crum talked about his daughter Kendall, and when Lydia spoke.  After it was over, the leaders decided it was good that we had not done it during the romada and light.  It would have been too hard for those who needed courage to get up.  It was an experience I shall never forget.

  I am so glad that I got to go to camp with Rachel and Mom and learn that we should always have the Courage to Stand.

"Have not I commanded thee, be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee, withersoever thou goest."  -Joshua 1:9.