GIRL'S CAMP
2014
An Island in a S.E.A.
SEEK, ENDURE, ATTAIN
Girl's Camp was a miracle. Those of us who helped plan it have jokingly called it the camp of "17 Miracles", and that isn't too far from the truth--there were a lot of miracles. The Lord's hand was definitely a part of this experience. I have no doubt that the end result was much better how it happened rather than how we planned for it to happen, because I have learned as the Lord leads, things always work out better.
For me, miracles began the Sunday prior to our leaving for camp. While sitting in sacrament meeting, I couldn't deny that I was being prompted to rewrite the talk I had prepared for camp. I remember hoping that the feelings and promptings I was receiving were not for real; however, as I continued to explore those impressions, I knew that I needed to rewrite my talk. At this point, camp was only two days away. I left sacrament meeting feeling somewhat overwhelmed, and at the same time--somewhat hopeful; I knew that if the Lord wanted it to be rewritten, then He would help me, and whatever I wrote had to be better than my original.
The next morning (the day before camp), I began rewriting with hope and faith that I would be able to accomplish the task prior to leaving to camp (it usually takes me weeks to write a talk). Later that morning, I received a phone call that the area near the camp had been set on fire by lightning storms. We were told that our camp may/or may not be canceled--depending on the fire. The rest of that morning into the afternoon, I found myself looking for a new campsite while writing a talk. By afternoon, it was confirmed that our campsite was no longer accessible, and Plan B became a "must"--we had less than 24 hours to find a campsite that would hold over 200 people. That evening we met with all of the camp leaders from our Stake to discuss options. In our meeting, a new location was presented that would fit our group (Miracle 1). This site was not far from our original location, which would perhaps allow us to access our supplies (a truckload of supplies was already at the campsite--Miracle 2); however, in order for us to use this location, we would need to now gather tents and we needed a new plan for preparing and storing food (we had cabins previously along with a full service kitchen). I wondered how we were going to find enough equipment for "tent camping" in just an evening? For the Trek, it took us weeks to gather the materials needed, and this time we had only 12 hours. The camp leaders were more than willing to begin the leg work of preparing for a new site. They left that meeting, and began communicating with their individual wards. Tents and supplies were delivered, and as far as supplies were concerned we found ourselves prepared within hours of communicating the need (Miracle 3). One last dilemma remained prior to our departure--all of our food had already been purchased with the idea of having a kitchen. With no refrigeration, I wondered how would accommodate for the food. Our camp cook and her husband presented the idea that would ultimately save our camp--Sister Loggin's husband would drive 2 hours to and from camp daily bringing fresh supplies (Miracle 4). Brother Gray called the company that rents largest cooking trailers to find that they only had their largest one left (Miracle 5)--we rented it. I returned home to finish writing my talk, which I completed prior to morning departure (Miracle 6).
When we arrived at the camp, our Camp EMT was a firefighter, and because of his vocation, we were able to access our supplies making it possible for us to continue with our original plan (Miracle 7). Also, once we arrived at our campsite we learned that the campsite wasn't meant to hold as many people as we were hoping to house; however, due to our need, the camp host's wanted to make accommodations for us. Surprisingly, when we had originally called, a huge section of their campsite hadn't been reserved as of yet, and they were able to make those accommodations (Miracle 8).
For camp, we had planned a survivor theme. The idea was to teach the young women that they could do hard things through the Lord. Activities were planned where they would unite with a team to face difficult challenges. Each night we would have a "night chat" where the theme for the day was discussed, and the experiences were related back to "real life" situations. The teams began their competitions with competition in mind. However, they soon realized that some of the teams that were not "winning" were somehow "wining". This was due to the fact that all the Stake Leaders had 10 point cards that were being distributed to individuals showing exemplary conduct. The Stake Leaders did not talk with one another about the distribution of cards; however, somehow the "underdog team" received 5 cards the first evening, which bumped them to the lead. My, Hailey, was a part of that team. They had many difficulties being "athletically" competitive; however, they were "spiritually" competitive, which was the most important!
CAMP THEMES:
Tuesday Theme: Be Strong and of Good Courage; Joshua 1:9
Wednesday Theme: Stand Up and Stand Out; D&C 87:8; SEEK
Thursday: Weather the Storms; Helaman 5:12; ENDURE
Friday: Be Steadfast and Immoveable; Mosiah 5:15; ATTAIN
Saturday: Come Unto Christ; Moroni 10:32
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| Rebecca was one of the camp leaders. It was fun to work so closely with such a good friend. |
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| Do you see my ear phones hanging from my pocket? I was trying to memorize my talk in the little time that I had prior to giving it. |
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| Hailey's Team: The Pink Zebra's |
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| The Score Board; Michelle Anderson, and Suzette Moore (over the activities) |
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| Delmar created a sprinkler system for the girls to get wet! |
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Hailey's Team
One of the Team Challenges; Crossing without Touching |
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| Aubrey Mathew's, from Hailey's team, tried over and over again to grab her bags with a hook. She was the final contestant working at the task, but unable to complete the task. She never gave up. Not once. She pushed through until the end. This is how Hailey's team functioned. They were not always the best, but they understood what it meant to "never give up", and they "didn't give up" as a team--they continued supporting and cheering to the end! LOVED IT! |
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| Hailey received a heart-breaker today. Her team chose their "CHAMPION", and she was chosen. As the "CHAMPION", she was moved to another team. |
When I heard about this challenge, I was so sad for the girls chosen. These teams had formed bonds. To take a team player from their team was going to be hard--not to mention how hard it was going to be for the person chosen. This was permanent. The person chosen would now be a part of another group. I wasn't sure I agreed with this plan.This was a life lesson on not being able to choose our challenges in life, and the importance of "blooming" where you are planted, having a positive attitude, and enduring.
When I saw that Hailey had been chosen, my heart dropped. This was definitely a struggle for Hailey. She loved the "PINK ZEBRAS". They were definitely her type of group. Her new group was fantastic as well; however, it took some adjusting. Being new to her team, she had to reacquaint herself and stretch outside of her comfort zone. Just after it happened, I gave her a hug, and asked if she was doing okay. With tears in her eyes, she said she knew it was a life lesson that she was ready to take. She related it to her life at school, her struggle in finding friends, and decided it was just another lesson in helping her with that very thing. Hailey wanted to remain a supporter of her old team; however, so she kept both buffs. She considered herself a PINK ZEBRA and a CORAL BEAUTY!
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| Question Trivia |
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| Eating Challenge |
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Free Time in the River
Kennedy, Hailey, Kortlyn |
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| Ward Skit |
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| Ward Skit |
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| Hailey's first team--The Pink Zebra's Won Survivor. Hailey stood up and cheered for them! She was so proud of them--she honestly wasn't expecting to be rewarded either; however, just as they finished rewarding her team--they asked the YCL's if there wasn't another member of their team. Both girls looked into the crowd and yelled out for Hailey to come forward. Hailey is hugging Megan Roskelley--one of her YCL's. |
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| Shaylie Nye was the other YCL standing behind Hailey in this picture. |
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| Hailey wanted a picture with both of her teams--"THE PINK ZEBRA's", and "THE CORAL BEAUTIES" |
Two months after girl's camp the Stake Young Women's Presidency was released as Stake Leaders. This was a sad moment for me. I had been serving in Young Women's for so long. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself--it had become such a part of my identity. When I was released, President Jannuzzi complimented me by saying that he felt that I was his daughter, and because he cared for me he placed my name in the temple. He was concerned that I would be sad over my release. He was right. I was sad. I had enough faith to trust in the Lord and His timing, but my heart still missed being in Young Women's. He also told me that my vision helped change many things in the Stake. I remember just prior to be called I had many thoughts and impressions as to the needs in our Stake. Not all of my ideas were popular, and many of them had to be discussed several times prior to implementation. Some changes that occurred through the Lord's inspiration:
Youth Conference--I felt our Stake needed a Youth Conference. I was able to lead out in this assignment, and I felt that the spiritual impact was huge on our Stake. When I was released, President Jannuzzi expressed the same sentiments.
Girl's Sports
Stake Firesides
I still have a vision for our Stake. I still feel there is more work to be done. Our youth need to get to know each other, and help each other on their journey to Heavenly Father. I sent my final thoughts to President Jannuzzi, and I trust that if it is the Lord's plan--it will happen. I was released on September 28, 2014
My Talk:
SEEK, ENDURE, ATTAIN
Girl's Camp 2014
When we were sent here to earth, our Heavenly Father gave us the sweet gift of agency. Because we have been given the ability to choose, it is ultimately up to us to decide our final destination. I have often envisioned what it will be like to stand before my Father in Heaven and be judged for my actions here on this earth. A few months ago, I was taught a lesson on this topic. My mother-in-law entrusted my husband and I with her most prized possession—a necklace made from her mother’s wedding ring. She had left it at the cabin, and asked that we deliver it to her. Knowing how important this item was to my mother-in-law, my husband and I discussed ways in keeping it safe, and then followed through with our plan. However, when it came time to deliver the necklace to my mother-in-law, the necklace was no longer where it had been placed for safe keeping. This realization ensued several weeks of searching and praying for the lost heirloom. Throughout this time of prayer and contemplation, my soul longed for a “redo”. My mind was relentless with the “if only’s”, and the “should of’s”. I couldn’t help but think of what I could have done, or what I should have done. In the midst of my turmoil, I was taught a lesson. One evening while contemplating the lost heirloom, my mind was opened to a new thought. In my mind I saw myself standing in front of my Savior after I had completed my time here on Earth. As I stood, my mind wondered—will I want a “redo”, or will I have done all that I could? In 2 Nephi it states, “Therefore, lift up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves, to choose the way of everlasting life, or the way of everlasting death” (2 Nephi 10:23). President Monson has said that decisions determine our destiny (President Monson, “Dare to Stand Alone”, Ensign, October 2011).
The theme for camp this week is: An Island in a sea with the word sea being an acronym standing for Seek, Endure, Attain. An island represents us in our journey back to our Heavenly Home. An island stands out, an island is immoveable, and an island weathers the storms. In order for us to make the choices necessary to reach our ultimate goal, we must have the courage to seek the Gospel and endure the challenges of this life, and as we do so we will attain exaltation.
President Monson said, “Life’s journey is not traveled on a freeway devoid of obstacles, pitfalls, and snares. Rather, it is a pathway marked by forks and turnings. Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed… (The Call for Courage, President Thomas S. Monson, General Conference, 2004).”
Each of us will face choices that will require the courage. This last year my daughter switched schools just as she was entering Middle School. She had always attended school in the Boise School District; however, we felt impressed to switch her to her designated school district, so rather than attending West Junior High with the majority of her friends, she attended Lake Hazel. Right from the beginning, there were blessings to our switch—the greatest blessings were perhaps the young ladies who did reach out to her, and included her in their group of friends. Despite these friendships however, she still felt much like a new student. That is why it was so difficult for her when her Life Skills teacher announced that the class would be watching a movie that Hailey knew she shouldn’t watch. With pounding heart, a bit of dread, and a silent prayer, she shot her hand in the air determined to not watch the movie. She explained to her teacher her standards, and asked if there was something else that she could do. The teacher insisted that the movie wasn't inappropriate, and further stated that she wouldn't ask her to watch something that wasn’t beneficial to her learning. With determination, Hailey again asked if there was something else she could do? The teacher—a bit annoyed—excused her from the class. As she stood to leave, one student said, “Come on…it’s just a movie”, while others didn’t comment, but looked at her as if she were over-reacting. A bit embarrassed Hailey excused herself, and then began counting the minutes until Life Skills would be over. That night Hailey came home to tell me of her courage. As she told her story, tears rolled down her cheeks—she so desperately wanted friends, but she also wanted to choose the right. President Monson said, “As we go about living from day to day, it is almost inevitable that our faith will be challenged. We may at times find ourselves surrounded by others and yet standing in the minority or even standing alone concerning what is acceptable and what is not. Do we have the moral courage to stand firm for our beliefs, even if by so doing we must stand alone?” (Thomas S. Monson, “Dare to Stand Alone, October 2011).
The scriptures are full of examples of courage, of men and women seeking the Lord and enduring their trials. I am inspired by the example of Noah when he had the courage to build an ark. Can you imagine his courage as he built a boat on dry land? It took Noah 120 years to build an ark. In that time, he was mocked and ridiculed. How many times in our lives are we mocked for doing what we feel is right? One of the key themes in Noah’s story that I believe relates to us, and our theme for camp is that Noah cared more about what the Lord thought, then what his peers thought. Noah was seeking the Lord. The Lord was very much a part of his life. I think of Noah’s example to stand out, to stand alone, to choose the Lord no matter the consequence, and then I think of my life—am I doing that? I think of Noah’s courage to follow through with a prompting, and then I wonder if I am doing the same?
I love the example of courage shown by David when he fought Goliath. When I was a young girl in primary, we would often have to declare our favorite scripture hero—mine was always David. Even as a young girl, my heart wanted to have enough courage to face anything the Lord required. When speaking to Goliath, David said, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. [1 Sam. 17:45]. David had courage not only to fight a giant, but also courage in the Lord. He knew the Lord would help him defeat Goliath. The only possible way for David to have had such an unshakeable knowledge of the Lord’s presence in his life was for David to have allowed the Lord to be a part of his life. Because he had been seeking the Lord, he knew he could expect the Lord to be with him. Just like David fought Goliath, we too—will face many Goliath’s in our lives. They will not be 9-foot giants, but Satan will most certainly put Goliath’s in our way in hopes of distracting us from our ultimate goal. We must do as David did—we must seek the Lord
I have always loved the courage of Esther when she faced the king on behalf of her people even when it could mean death for her. I am sure that none of us will be facing death, but how many of us have to defend who we are? In today’s world we are becoming more and more peculiar. It takes courage to stand out, to be immoveable, and to choose to be peculiar. Just like the scriptures state that Esther was born for “such a time” (Esther 4:14)—President Monson said, that “He has saved you to come to the earth ‘for such a time as this.’ With His help, you will have the courage to face whatever comes. Though the world may at times appear dark, you have the light of the gospel, which will be as a beacon to guide your way” (“May You Have Courage”, President Thomas S. Monson, General Conference, April 2009). I like how President Monsoon said that “with His Help”; we will have the courage (“May You Have Courage”, President Thomas S. Monson, General Conference, April 2009). When we are seeking Him, and choosing to live by the light of the Gospel, is when we will be able to face or endure any trial that comes our way.
There are numerous accounts of courage in the scriptures. There is the story of Moroni when he declared that he “would not deny the Christ” (Moroni 1: 2,3), the story of Daniel thrown into the Lion’s den for praying (Daniel 6), the story of the stripling warriors when they declared that “God is with us” (Alma 56:46-48), the story of Samuel testifying on a city wall (Helaman 16:1), the story of Pahoran when he declared “you have censored me, but it matterth not” (Alma 61:9), and the story of Abinidi testifying to his death (Mosiah 17). I cannot begin to name all of the accounts of courage—these are just a few of the examples in the scriptures. As I studied the scriptures seeking courage accounts; however I noticed that every story with a positive lesson had an element of courage. Every scripture story that ended in failure or sadness was lacking that element of courage.
TESTIMONY ~ SEEK AND ENDURE
In all the scriptural accounts of courage there is a common theme—each of these heroes were seeking the Lord, and they were then strengthened to endure any trial that they faced. And so it is with us. President Monson said, “In order for us to be strong, and to withstand all the forces pulling us in the wrong direction or all the voices encouraging us to take the wrong path, we must have our own testimony” (“Dare to Stand Alone”, President Monson, General Conference, October 2011). We must seek to have a testimony in order to endure the temptations that surround us.
Elder Bednar said that, “A testimony is a gift from God and is available to all of His children. Any honest seeker of truth can obtain a testimony by exercising the necessary “particle of faith” in Jesus Christ to “experiment upon” (Alma 32:27) and “try the virtue of the word” (Alma 31:5), to yield “to the enticing’s of the Holy Spirit” (Mosiah 3:19), and to awaken unto God (see Alma 5:7)” (“Converted Unto the Lord”, David A. Bednar, General Conference, October 2012). Therefore, as we seek, and experiment upon the word—we build our testimonies, and as we build our testimonies—we are more able to endure the trials. As we exercise our agency to choose to seek, we are making the daily decisions that build our reservoir of testimony that will help us endure the trials to come.
When I was a freshman at Ricks College, I had a professor that opened my eyes to the importance of our individual testimonies. She told us that we were all in dire circumstances, and in order to survive—we had to be willing to give up “the less important” things in life. And then, she had each of us pick from cards at the front of the room. A few of the cards were: fax machine, computer, boat, radio, iPod, email, camera … At first it seemed pretty easy to take a few things from our list, but the lesson didn’t stop at a few things. After one round, she stood again, and said people were dying—circumstances where dire, what else are you willing to give up? And then each of us was required to again choose from the list of items: close friends, sense of sight, the living prophet, church organization, priesthood blessings, immediate family, temple ordinances… I remember that as we got down to the last two items: testimony of Jesus Christ, and a living prophet; an argument broke out in our class. One girl was extremely upset at the choice that was being made by the student who was last to choose. This girl begged our teacher to have the lesson stop; however, the point of the lesson was to eliminate all but one. The student who was last to pick was choosing to remove a living prophet arguing that if we didn’t have a testimony, then we wouldn’t need a living prophet anyway. The last card was a testimony of Jesus Christ. My professor then said to the class, “If a testimony is the most important thing each of you has, then why is it so easy to spend your time in pursuit of things that are not as important”. She was right. My time was constantly filled with important things, but perhaps not as important as working on my testimony. In our process of seeking and enduring, we must have a testimony. It is our most prized possession.
In John Hilton’s book, Essential Skills in Living the Gospel, an object lesson is described on the basis of testimony, and I’d like to do it with you now:
There are many levels of testimony:
I believe it’s true . . .
What if we told you that your ring finger is less flexible than your other fingers? Do you hope, think, believe, or know that is true? What is the only way to move from “hope” to “know”? We must experiment and test it out. Do the following:
1. Put your hands together, palm to palm
2. Keeping your palms together, see if you can separate your pointer fingers. Can you do it? Good, now keeping your palms together fold your pointer fingers over.
3. With your palms together and pointer fingers folded over, try to separate your pinkey fingers. Can you do it? Good. Now fold those over.
4. What about your thumbs, and your middle finger? Good. Fold those over.
5. Now with your palms firmly pressed together and all your fingers folded over except your ring finger, try to separate your ring fingers from each other. Interesting, isn’t it?
So how many of you now “know” your ring finger is less flexible than your others? Gaining a witness of spiritual things is much the same: When we first experiment and act in obedience, then the testimony comes.
Give students the options of some “experiments” they could try (or let them come up with their own). Experiments like, “Say 10 nice things to your mother today,” “Write in your journal every day this week,” etc. so that they can do something and increase their testimony of those principles as a result.
ATTAIN
In each and every one of our lives’ we will have trials. It is what we do with those trials, which will make all the difference, One of the greatest trials of my life happened when I was a teenager. When I was 17, my elder brother drowned in the Snake River. I still remember vividly the days we spent on the banks of the river searching for his body. I felt like I was in a dream, and that at any moment I would wake up. After three days of searching, his body was found and identified. The process of picking out a casket, and talking about a funeral left me feeling numb to my reality. Despite my unbelief at my situation, I felt an unmistakable peace and reassurance—I knew the Savior was carrying me. However, as the time drew nearer for the viewing, that feeling of peace began to dissipate for me. I still remember my father pulling me from the viewing line, tears rolling down my face, and admonishing me to SEEK peace. I don’t remember where I went in the funeral home, or much about what happened surrounding my prayer, but I do remember reading in Matthew 11: 28-30. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your soul. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” As I prayed and read the scriptures, peace began to fill my heart once again. I named this scripture my “Eric Peace Scripture”, and every time I struggled, I would again turn to this scripture and remind myself to seek the Savior. As we seek the Lord daily, and build our testimonies of faith—we will be better able to endure our trials. Because I had a strong testimony of the plan of salvation, I was able to endure. This was not the case for all of my family.
Sister Dalton said, "Take a few minutes to envision where you want to be in one year or two or five. Then take action to prepare yourselves. People don't just run a marathon when they decide to do it. They must train daily, slowly building stamina and endurance to run the 26.2-mile distance. So it is with life. It is daily diligence…that will help you reach your goals. Your daily decisions will influence generations" (Elaine S. Dalton, "Press Forward and Be Steadfast," Ensign, May 2003, p.105). Are we courageously seeking the Lord? Are we choosing daily to courageously endure? If so, there will come a day when we will pass through on the other side of our trials, and we will be on the pathway to eternal life.
It is my prayer that we will be like an island. Let us stand out, be immoveable, and weather the storms of life with courage, and then someday as we stand in front our Savior to be judged—we will not desire a “redo”. As we seek and endure—we will attain. I have a testimony of these truths. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us. I know that He wants us to succeed. I know that this Gospel is true. I know that when we live by its teachings, we are blessed. I know it, because I have lived it! I have experimented on the word.
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