Girls camp was amazing as usual. We had great ward and stake leaders and an awesome group of girls that get along and love each other despite how different each of them is. Not everything was perfect, we had our little crisis as usual but that's to be expected with fourteen teenage girls in our group.
Our ward theme this year was I sparkle. The shirts we made had a converse with a crown dangling from a corner. Each girl got to decorate her own shoe and embezzle the crown. They were the best shirts there - no bias ;)
We had a lot of fun with the theme too. We decorated the cabins with Christmas lights and glow in the dark stars. Each day we left a little something on the girls bunks that tied a spiritual message with sparkling. Red ring pops for your worth is greater than rubies; sparkling water for drink from living water and you shall thirst no more; sparkling head boppers with the message 'you're out of this world'.
The spiritual activity was a re-enactment of the Lehi's dream about the iron rod. It was a long night but well worth it. The girls were blind folded and told not to let go of the rope. They were then let free to walk along this unfamiliar path almost a mile long. Along the way there were people giving them encouragement and some that were trying to lead them astray. If they let go of the rope they had to be taken to repentance, an obstacle course where they carried a brick from one end to the other before returning to the same spot along the rope from where they had let go.
Besides temptations there were also trials. My friend Nicole and I were responsible for assisting the girls with overcoming a trial. It was a toddler slide they had to climb over and walk down - a daunting task when you can't see what's in front of you.
We were just after a group that was tempting the girls to let go of the rope. It was interesting to observe how many girls we had to send to repentance - more than those deliberately trying to mislead them. Some girls did not trust us at all and we had to physically help them climb over the trial. It reminded me of the poem Footsteps in the Sand.
At the very end the girls were embraced by our Stake YW president and Stake president and sat in an amphitheater were they could see those coming after them go through the path.
The testimony meeting on the last day of camp was by far my favorite part. Every year I attend I get to witness the spiritual growth the girls have experienced and hear what they've had to over come to get there. So although I don't look forward to having to wake them up before 7 am or motivate them to attend their classes or suffer through the heat, I love being a part of this part of their lives.
I know Emilia has many years to go but I hope I get to attend girls camp when she's there.
