When
I think about girls camp, so many memories come to mind. From
getting lost as a first year to getting lost my last year as a
leader (with the same person might I add). At girls camp I went
hiking, fishing, canoing, quilting, rappelling, zip lining, did
crafts, learned first aid, star gazed and did so much more. But
girls camp is more than the activities, more than a week without
electronics, more than a week without a flushing toilet or shower.
Girls camp is about knowledge, relationships, and our testimonies.
From Young
Women Camp: A Guide for Priesthood and Young Women Leaders
it
states that “Camp is essential to the Young Women Program. Camp is
challenging but worth it!” The only things that we take with us
when we die is our knowledge, our relationships and our testimonies.
And that is exactly what girls camp is all about.
At
girls camp, young women are given the opportunity to gain knowledge
about the world around them. Girls camp is usually is the middle of
nowhere. But this middle of nowhere place, gives us the chance to
learn more about God's creations and truly enjoy them. We also learn
to recognize the promptings of the spirit and learn more about
ourselves. As I mentioned, my first year at camp I got lost. First
day in fact. Me along with 4 other first years went on a hike with 2
of our junior leaders, without telling anyone. As we started this
hike, I remember thinking that we should go back. I expressed my
thoughts, but they were dismissed as I followed along the other
girls. Many hours later past dinner and once it was dark we finally
returned to camp, finding out they had been looking for us. Looking
back, I can see that the spirit was whispering to me that we should
turn around. I was able to learn to recognize the spirit speaking to
me. Now 6 years later, I went to go on a hike with one of the same
girls. As I got this feeling again, I listened to it and we turned
around, saving us from getting even more lost than we were. When we
put ourselves in opportunities where we are free from the sounds of
world (tv, books, facebook, music) our ears can be more in tune with
the spirit. We need to be able to recognize when the spirit is
speaking to us to navigate through life.
In
the Ensign in 1971 an article stated that “Life’s greatest joys
and also its greatest sorrows come from the relationships we have
with others. In fact, our existence is quite dependent upon this
interaction with individuals and with groups of individuals.”
Where is a better place to strengthen relationships with friends than
where we are free from the noise of the world. At girls camp we can
truly see people. We're not trying to impress people, we're there to
have fun and feel the spirit. As a young woman in my ward I would
sometimes feel like I didn't have very many friends, and feel as
though I was left out. But as I remember girls camp, I was able to
come closer to the girls in my ward. It was at girls camp that I
realized that my relationship with one of my friends in my ward was a
blessing to a prayer I had for many years before. The friendships
I've strengthened at girls camp are those who I am still friends with
today. But the most important relationship that gets strengthened is
our relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Everything
we do at camp should lead us to come closer to Heavenly Father and
Christ. The best example of this is looking back on girls camp this
year and the Iron Rod activity. The spirit felt by the girls was so
strong and showed them how our life should lead us to the Tree of
Life or to Christ. As we come closer to Christ we strengthen our
testimonies. Some of the most spiritual moments I had growing up
took place at girls camp. All one needs to do is attending testimony
meeting at girls camp to understand. The spirit felt is amazing.
And a spirit that only exists at girls camp.
As
we look forward to girls camp every year, we really should be looking
forward to the spirit overflow that we are going to receive, the
strength that our testimonies are desiring. The reason we have camp
is to confirm our identity as daughters of God, recognizing and
cultivating the spirit, keeping our covenants and preparing for our
future roles. So as you help the young women prepare for girls camp,
remember they are just camping in the woods for a week to come home
dirty and sleepless, they are spiritually uplifting themselves to
know who they are so they can live the covenants that they have made
and stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things and in all
places.
