Young Women's Camp, 2021

 I just got home today from one of the best weeks that I have had in a very long time.

Young Women's camp was this week!  It finally came!  We were able to go to Camp Hinckley.  We spent Tuesday through Saturday there and it was like a dream world.  Covid didn't exist (we wore no masks).  We got to eat the most delicious food, participate in countless spiritually uplifting activities, and listen to many inspiring devotionals.  I got to spend the whole time with my Level 1 Cabin.  There were 5 YCL's (Youth Group Leaders), and ten 12-year-old girls.  There was also another leader in there with me, Jennifer Smith.  I have known her for a while and I was SO excited that we were chosen to be level leaders together.  Our personalities clicked and I thoroughly enjoyed spending so much time with her and learning from her.   Hannah Larsen (from our ward) was one of the YCL's and it was great being in a cabin with her as well.  She's one of my favorite Young Women...although I shouldn't choose favorites, ha ha.

There was something very sad that happened.  It makes me incredibly heart-broken.  Daisy Arellano, from our ward, is a 17-year-old girl who is less-active.  She doesn't come to church or activities.  For some reason, her Mom really wanted her to go to camp.  I was so excited for her to come and feel the spirit.  I genuinely thought that she would have a good time and that it would help to strengthen her testimony.  However...it did not turn out that way at all.  It breaks my heart.  I was not able to be with her, as she was in the level 4 cabin.  Unfortunately, she ended up not knowing any of the girls in her cabin.  She seemed absolutely miserable.  I hurt for her.  Her hoodie was on the entire time, her head was down on the table, etc.  How I wanted to help her feel welcome and included!  Anyway, on Wednesday, she used her cell phone to call her parents to come and pick her up.  The Stake Leadership was very upset.  The girls were not supposed to bring their cell phones to camp.  I wish that they could have been more understanding.  I wish that the girls in her cabin would have reached out to her more diligently.

Daisy's mom picked her up.  I felt relieved that she wasn't so miserable, but extremely sad that it was such an awful experience for her that she had to leave.  I fear that it was such an awful experience that it may turn her away from the church.  It breaks my heart.  I have texted both her and her Mom a few times today and I have not received a response.  I need to visit Daisy in person...it can't end like this.  I feel so awful that I didn't explain things to her more clearly.  I honestly feel like it's my fault that she left camp.

After she left, I felt relieved.  I knew she was happier at home and I did not have the constant worry in my mind of wondering how she was doing.

Anyway, camp was amazing.  However, I did not sleep well at all.  Tuesday night I stayed up all night thinking about Daisy.  I was so worried about her.  I wrote the Bishop a text in the middle of the night and then sent it to him in the morning.  Wednesday night, I got at least 6 hours of sleep.  Thursday night I only got 3 hours of sleep because the girls in my cabin decided that they wanted to stay up all night long talking to each other.  They were talking right next to my bed...so I wasn't able to sleep until they went to bed right before 3:00 in the morning.  I woke up at 6:00.

Each morning the level leaders (me) had a meeting at 7:15.  Then we all ate breakfast, followed by a good 2.5 hours of rotations/activities.  There was usually a spiritual devotional of some sort before lunch.  After we ate lunch, we had free time, YCL time (various activities that the YCL's plan) with our cabins, another large group activity or devotional, dinner, processing time with our cabins, campfire/activities, desert in the lodge, and spiritual devotionals with our cabins.  One of the nights we went on a moonlight hike which was absolutely amazing.  Hiking in the dark with flashlights is my idea of fun!  I truly think I'm a youth at heart...I love everything about camp.

An activity that we did yesterday (the last full day) really touched me.  The girls (we were split into cabins) participated in a treasure hunt.  The were given clues.  They had to find the answers in the scriptures.  The scripture references provided the numbers for the amount of steps you need to take in a North, South, East, or West direction.  It took our girls an hour to go through the clues, follow the directions (using a compass), and find the treasure.  The treasure was found in a box.  What was the treasure?  They were letters that the girls' Mom's had written to them.  As soon as they opened up the box and I saw those letters, I became very emotional.  There could not have been a better treasure.  It was such a wonderful analogy for life.  In life, we follow guidance from the Holy Ghost, we are guided here or there.  We follow the covenant path that will take us to our eternal reward...living in Heaven with our families for time and all eternity.

The girls took their letters to our cabin.  They all sat down on their beds and read their letters.  They were all crying as they read.  I was overwhelmed with emotion.  I went into an empty room in our cabin, sat on the bed, and cried and cried.  I hope these girls treasure those letters.  Tomorrow is not promised for anyone.  I would do anything to find a letter from my Mom in a box.  If I did, it would be the ultimate treasure.

Today was our final day and we had a short testimony meeting.  The spirit was so strong that I started crying even before it started.  I couldn't sing the opening hymn because I couldn't stop crying.  I cried for the majority of the testimonies that were born, particularly if someone in my ward or cabin bore their testimonies.  I could not sing the closing hymn either...the tears would not stop flowing.  After the meeting ended the tears kept coming and coming as I hugged all of my cabin family members.  We truly were like family.  It was a short time...but spending that much extended time with one another really brings you close together and you truly feel like family.  These girls will always hold a special place in my heart.

Girls camp is the best.

I with that I could go next year.  They don't let Young Women Presidents go to camp.  They only allowed me to go since I was asked to before I became president.  I hope that I will eventually get asked to go again.  If not, at least I got this year.

I missed my kids so much while I was at camp.  I missed Mason's eyebrows and sweet cuddles he gives me.  I missed kissing William's squishy cheeks.  I missed Caitlyn reminding me how many days she has until her birthday.  And I miss Bryce's quiet methods of serving and bothering his siblings, ha ha.  Jon and Bryce have Young Men's Camp this next week.  They will be gone from Thursday to Saturday.  I hope that they enjoy themselves as much as Lizzie an I enjoyed our camping experience.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little bit about camp while it was fresh in my mind.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that Heavenly Father gave me to attend Young Women's Camp this year.  Honestly, I have been waiting for this for 22 years (since the last time I attended Camp when I was 17 years old).

I have always loved camp.  Until this week, I had forgotten how much.