Girls Camp 2012

S.W.A.G. (Shine With Amazing Glory)

I hate spiders. With a passion..... However, I love the youth. Accordingly, you can probably understand my mixed emotions of horror and excitement at the same time when I was called to be the stake girl's camp assistant director.
       Girl's camp has come and gone, and it was A LOT OF WORK.  I mean.... I had NO IDEA when I was a youth all of the time/preparation/planning that went into that event.  DANG..... Then again, I find myself thinking if there was even more time and preparation because of projects I volunteered myself for.... like the glass etching of 24 jars..... Who knew it could have taken so long? lol.
       I worked very closely with the 5th and 6th year YCL's (youth camp leaders) during the months and months of preparation leading up to camp.  We have a very interesting stake population, seeing as how our stake consists of Central Phoenix. There were some girls who I was SO impressed with their strength and dedication, and others I wanted to bang my head against a brick wall after our interactions and lack of follow-through.  It was so challenging giving the girls opportunities to learn and grow, even though it sometimes meant failure.
     All in All.... I learned so much from the experience, but some great friendships, and LOVED having an opportunity to "hang out with the girls" for a week.  I was helping some of the YCL's with the Zumba and Hip-Hop portion of their dance class for a few hours.  Afterwards they were trying to guess how old I was.  They were convinced I was MAYBE 22 because I was "So cool that I had to have just been a teenager." ..... THANKS!!!!! I think?  Hopefully they also thought I LOOKED young, and not just that I was immature.... but I guess we were hula-hooping, and cart-wheeling.... lol. They were dying when they found out I was 10 years older than some of them!!! haha.


       I still feel 22.... maybe younger at times (unless we're talking about the day-after a theme park experience.... like Six Flags.... Then I feel much OLDER than my age. haha). It is funny how as you get older, you realize that MAYBE your parents really COULD have related to and understood you more than you realized as a teenager..... especially when you find YOURSELF being the one who is considered "older" and you're thinking, I WAS JUST 16!!! haha.
   
As far as actual memories from Girls Camp are concerned: Here are some of the most  memorable ones:

1) The iron rod experience-----the incorporation of the scriptures into what we were doing, walking the girls along the trail in the dark with our flashlights, having them blindfolded and grabbing onto the "rod" (a rope course) following individual counsel/warning/admonition to NOT LET GO OF THE ROPE no matter what ANYONE said.... and then having some of the girls STILL let go as soon as a Calm voice said things like, "holding onto that rope is hard and hurts your hands. Grab my hands and I'll show you an easier way."  As soon as they let go of the rope,  they were escorted to a special cabin where one of the bishops was seated and shared a very uplifting message about repentance and how with the help of our savior, we can always get back on the path.
        There was one girl who after her 4th time of being escorted to the repentance cabin said, "I don't get why I'm back here again.  I keep doing as I'm told."  lol. Needless to say, the symbolism of the whole event had to be broken down a little further for this poor girl.  On the other hand, the crazy thing to me, was that even 2 of our YCL's who helped design the course (when it was their turn to follow the course) "heeded the enticings of the adversary" and let go of the iron rod (rope course) at one point. I was shocked, and yet it was a manifestation to me that even the strongest souls can be pulled away if they lose sight of those things of importance.
        At the end of the course, we had a member of the stake presidency with his family dressed all in white to greet the girls and congratulate them on their perseverance, and tell they had made it.  It was perfect.
2) Spiders ALL OVER our cabin.... including climbing on my bed at one point (NOT my favorite--but definitely memorable).

3) I showed the girls what it TRULY means to COMMIT when you're Slip N Sliding (It was sad that several of them had NO idea how to use the slip and slide)..... including the wipe-out at the end on Home Plate

4)  The YW Value color run/Obstacle course turned out Amazing

5) Myself and my co (the other Assistant Stake Director) had the idea to do "jumping pictures" after we were all colorful...... However even being in our late 20's/early 30's we had to show the girls what a true JUMPING PICTURE looks like

6) When my co-(Natalie) and I planned (and carried out) putting on her Old-Man mask and scaring the begeezies out of our YCL's (we were their Cabin Moms.....And camp had a rule of "no pranks"..... so we saved it for the last day, so though that made it any better.... :) ). It was classic because they had been talking all week about a skinny old man who hides in the woods and kidnaps people named Slender Man......
The old man mask+ creepy laugh+ the looks on their faces=priceless.

Fun Experience.