Another Girl's Camp come and gone!

Another year, another camp. I was so grateful I didn't have to plan camp. Diane was my camp director so I just did what she told me to do! Woohoo! I was a little apprehensive before hand, but I always get that way. I worry too much.
The theme this year was the Wizard of Oz, with the ultimate theme being "There's no place like home!" It was an awesome theme. We were able to do so many things with the girls!
I really enjoyed the vast amount of ward time we had. In past years it has been difficult for the girls to really bond with each other when they are always running back and forth to stake activities. It was so good to have that ward time. Our girls were so wonderful. I have the best Young Women in the world! :) Okay, so I am a little biased. I admit it. But I really do have amazing young women.
We had the opportunity to memorize three scriptures and then complete a task associated with the theme. The scriptures dealt with courage, knowledge, and heart. I thought it would be a good idea to memorize the scriptures while we were hiking. Saundra and I worked and worked on memorizing two scriptures on the hike. We passed the scriptures off and were given a task to complete.
Here are the tasks I had to complete:
Courage: I had to meet one leader and one young woman, not in my ward and find out something about them. If anybody knows me this is hard! I am generally not one to make the first move getting to know somebody. I can know somebody's name long before I ever get to know them! It was actually fun. I got to know a girl named Rochelle, and a leader named Simoni (sp?). I am grateful for this task. It helped me get out of my comfort zone. I feel it is easier to be an example to the young women when I am out there actually doing something. I know the young women watch everything the leaders do!
Knowledge: This was the easiest task. I just had to answer a question. But I got the first one wrong. Ack! I can't believe I missed that one! I should have known better. Yikes. Second try. I got the question right! Woohoo! Second chances are great!
Heart: I had to hug one person in camp and tell that person I love them, then I had to hug someone in another camp and tell them that I love them! So my camp was not a problem! That was my ward young women. But the other wards, hmmm . . . who did I really know well enough to tell them that I love them? Then I realized I didn't have to know that person real well to know that I love them. We are all sisters in the gospel. We all have a special bond with each other. Once I realized that, my task was easier.

I was a little sad that my Young Women didn't complete all three of these. Most of them completed courage, but they didn't get farther than that. I think they were a tad overwhelmed with certification and scripture memorization. Certification was more important! But I was glad to see them do at least one scripture.

I was amazed at how much each of my young women did for each other. They were so good to each other. If anybody needed help, another would jump in and do it! There was one time Luisa jumped in and helped another group with food prep when it wasn't her turn. She wanted to help.

The other thing that amazed me is the thanks the young women showed to the cooks! We had a mailbox so the girls could write notes to each other and leave them in the mailbox! It turned out well. I had made mention to the girls that they needed to make sure to thank the cooks for coming to camp and helping us out. The girls took that to heart. By Saturday the cook's each had a slot that was overflowing! It is so nice to see the gratitude flowing from the girls.

My other favorite part of girl's camp is Testimony meeting. That is when I really hear how the girls feel. Even though I have been able to guess what they think and how they feel, I love to hear them express it in their own words. I love hearing them tell of how their testimony has grown or how they struggle or just how much they have loved being at camp. It is a wonderful time for me as a leader.

I really do get to know the girls better at camp. I love being there. I love having the opportunity to rub shoulders with the other leaders. It is so nice to be able to let our hair down and have some fun away from everything else!

Despite the fun and enjoyment we had, we were all so glad to be home. It is nice to be away, but my own bed really felt good Saturday night! We're done with camps until next year! But I look forward to it again!