Girls Camp

I spent three days here:

at Camp Shalom. The last time I went to girls camp, I was 17. Going again as a YW leader was a different experience! But still a lot of fun. It was great to get to know the girls in a completely new setting. As many of you know, our ward young women's group is very small. For stake camp, we combined with another small branch in our stake. Throughout the week we had a total of 11 girls - some who were only there for part of the week. But it was great to have them there even if only for a few hours!

As part of camp, I went on a 6-mile hike with the 2nd year girls in our ward. Although it was quite challenging for some of them, at least the scenery was beautiful!

And the girls got to know some of the YCL leaders at camp. I really appreciated how the YCLs took the time to talk to our girls and become their friends. I think they found some new role models to look up to.

Adrianna, Anny, and Stephanie. Adrianna and Stephanie are cousins. Neither of them have been baptized (yet...). Anny and Adrianna are best friends. All three of them were 2nd years and came on the hike. :)

The girls on the canoe during waterfront time. No one tipped over, thank goodness. We had fun racing each other across the lake and splashing around.

Trying to maneuver out on the lake. They got the hang of it eventually!

Melissa, another one of our girls. She is the class president and a great example to the other girls!

Crazy portrait. Anny, Megan, Ali, Me, Stephanie.

Ali, another of our Young Women, and I. Ali came up for the last evening/day of camp. We were glad she could make it for at least part of it!

Megan (our ward YW President) and I. Megan and her husband, Dave, are moving to Las Vegas while he does Teach for America for two years. Dave served in Young Mens with Jonathan. We will definitely miss having them in our ward!

All in all, girl's camp was a big success. The girls in our ward and in the branch meshed quite well, and became good friends throughout the week. It was great to have so many of the girls there for at least some part of camp. The stake did a great job, as did the 30+ YCL leaders! And everyone loved having our stake president, President Millet, at camp all week. He even sang the Moose song for us (There's a mooooose, on the loooooose, filled with juuuuuice - apparently it's a camp tradition to learn that song). I learned quite a bit about how to organize and run a camp, as well as ideas about what to and not to do. I consider myself a YWs rookie...but someday I hope to be like some of YW leaders I had and some of the ones I met at camp. They really do make a great difference in the lives of the young women.