I love YW camp!

I was the camp director this year and though I felt very uneasy about it all.  In the end I was glad I was apart of it.  These pictures don't depict most of our time together but it's all I took the time to capture-- pretty poorly, I might add.  The camp theme was Be-you-tiful.  We wanted the girls to realize that doing the things that they would really want to do and doing the things that really make them happy is what really makes their beauty shine through.  To get that across we wanted them to be exposed to many different activities so they could discover that everyone enjoys different things on different levels and they don't have to love something just because their friend does.  We had so much fun.  We went paddle boarding, made salt water taffy, did a Yoga session, went for a Razor ride, organized and stocked shelves for the food pantry, geocached, played in the river, had a water balloon fight, learned how to make sushi, tried sushi-- and loved it, created our own version of a cooking show competition, sprayed bleach on our shirts to make our Be-You-Tiful designs, shot bow-and-arrows, and ran our hike like we were on a roller coaster ride!  You could say we were a little busy.  It was so great though.  One big highlight of the trip was Jasmine.  Jasmine is not a member of the LDS church but came anyway even though she didn't really know any of the girls.  It was because of her that I know camp was worth every moment.  She expressed how nervous she was coming because she figured all the girls were more popular than her and so they would be stuck-up and not freiendly.  To her surprise everyone was very friendly and welcoming.  She said she felt wanted and said she doesn't feel that very often.  The last night we were riding down the mountian in the Razors during a huge rain storm.  The Razor Jasmine was in started having problems.  They pulled over and one of the girls suggested they pray.  Jasmine asked if she could say it, and followed up with stating that she had never prayed before.  She said she really wanted to talk to God and was so happy she did.  The Razor was fine and they made it back to the Condo and she was excited to share with everyone the feelings she had and her new experience.  Pretty neat.  I'm just glad she knows there is a Greater Someone that is always there, and she can talk to Him.

I really appreciated all of the work the other leaders and the youth leaders put into this camp.  It rocked and that was largely because of them.  I feel pretty strongly about roughing-it for girls camp and so going to Midway to a vacation condo (that is larger and nicer than our first Heber home) seemed like a ridiculous location.  In the end I discovered that camp isn't about the location-- it is about what goes on at camp.  The girls showed Christlike love and felt Christlike love.  That is what will last.  I hope they learned a few other things as well. :-)