Thoughts about Girls' Camp

In preparation for Girls’ Camp, I went to a meeting last week with five other YW leaders in the ward. Our ward got reservations to go up to the church’s Heber Valley Campground, and as a requirement for going, your ward needed to attend this two-hour training where they tell you all that you need to know about the dress code, the activities they already have planned, the facilities, etc.. It was really interesting. I think all of us left feeling excited to take the girls up there. I like the idea of having a cabin to sleep in, it sounds like we will have some privacy even though there will be other stakes and wards there, and I have such nice memories of girls’ camp from when I was younger.

All of the camps kind of mesh together in my mind, but I thought I would share some of my memories:

My first year, Sister Milligan and Sister Utley were our leaders. I was grateful that they steered the older girls to do nice things for us instead of mean things – all I remember is that they gave us orange straws with a Frankenstein-ish character on them that we drank out of at every meal. I also cut a little piece of my thumb off while I peeled potatoes for our dinner one night. Ouch!

I remember Mom coming up the couple of years that she was in Young Women’s. She taught a class on journal-keeping that was really well done. I have this memory of sitting in the class wondering why I had never heard her say any of these things? Looking back though, I can see that she did teach me about journal-keeping at home. She would set all of our journals out on the dining room table on Sundays so that we would write in them. That training led to the very detailed records I kept in my teenage journals of every boy who ever said ‘hi’ to me in Junior High and High School. Hmmm. :)

I remember having a lot of fun being with the ward and stake girls. I honestly don’t remember anyone being catty or unkind.

My favorite memories of girls’ camp are of the testimony meetings. Those were some of the first times I felt and recognized the spirit. I remember sitting next to the warm campfire, listening to my leaders and friends bear testimony of God, then looking up into the star-filled sky and feeling so strongly that God loved me. I feel so grateful for the camp program and for those leaders who helped it to be such a good experience for me - hope I said thank you! :)