Girls Camp 2013

I've been at girls camp other years but only for a short chunk of time, usually to teach first aid. I have enjoyed that, really enjoyed going on trek 2 years ago. 

This year the girls left in Wednesday and I came up Thursday night after work. Very late Thursday because, well life happens. 

The last night is usually the spiritual night with quiet time and a devotional then testimony meeting. It's also the night the girls don't have to cook -- this year the bishopric cooked and it was wonderful. 

As I sat sorting through some very close to my heart emotions I thought back to my girls camps. Same (!) camp manual, the big military tent, left over sloppy joe mix for every meal, High Adventure Base, the year with no port-a-potties for a day. Each year had a theme to it, unrelated to what the real theme if the year was but the one constant was the strength of The Spirit that last night. 

To my best knowledge Girls Camp is when I first felt that completely overwhelming fire of the truth of The Gospel. I have no idea what was ever said at any of the devotionals or testimonies shared after but I do remember how I felt and looking back at what I learned. 

I stood in the back last night praying that the girls would get as much as possible from all the work that went into preparing everything that night to be as perfect as possible so the girls could have a spiritual evening. 

Going to camp with Charlet was amazing. Being there but not being "mom" was a great experience. Seeing how much these girls change from being new Beehives to Laurels at their last camp is a perfect timeline of watching these Young Women grow and mature as they learn if their individual worth and develop their own relationship with their Heavenly Father. 

Fireside testimony meeting shot from above. Blurry and shaky and I don't care one whit.