Girls Camp 2012

July 31st through August 3rd was Girls Camp.  

The theme was Survivor: Choose to Shine

We had a great time!  I always loved going to girls camp every summer as a young woman.  So it was so fun to go back and have fun!

Here we are the night before loading everything up.

Here are all my girls!  I love them all so much!  I love the opportunity I have to serve at this time in Young Womens.  Included in this picture are my amazing counselors, our awesome camp director and assistant camp director, and 2 of our wonderful bishopric members that were with us the whole time.  I love our ward!  This is everyone right before we left to head out.  

Silly picture!

Our YCL's getting everyone to sing while we were waiting for everyone to show up.  

Here we are at camp orientation with the camp site we were staying at.

One of our girls up front during orientation. 

We literally had to hike a mile to our camp site and we had to bring everything in from the cars.  The hill was so steep and it was crazy hard to bring everything up.  The girls were so great and were such great helpers lugging everything to our campsite.  

We had tribes that the girls were put in and each tribe had a tent and a flag.  Here everyone is getting camp all set up.

Tribe Golden Girls decorating their tent.

Tribe Radiant's Flag

Tribe Golden Girls Flag

Tribe Eayst Noa's flag

Here were the mailboxes

Tribe Glowing Hearts with their flag

Tribe Shinning Stars Flag

I didn't get a picture of Tribe Glitter's or Tribe Shimmer's flags.

Relaxing for a minute after we had set everything up.

Me and Laurel getting ready for our orientation

Laurel giving our awesome orientation

The girls had Immunity Challenges that they got to work together and compete against each other to try to win the immunity trophy.  Each day we had 2 Immunity Challenges for the girls to do.  It was great and helped build unity.

Tug o' War Immunity Challenge

Tribe Eayst Noa

Tribe Golden Girls

Tribe Glitter

Tribe Glowing Hearts

Tribe Shinning Stars

The girls did awesome and seemed to have a lot of fun!  

Cooking dinner

Second Immunity Challenge

We timed each tribe as they climbed the wall.  This was an amazing part of camp.  This was a very difficult task for the girls to accomplish.  Almost every girl climbed over the wall.  I was overcome with emotion as I watched them struggle to get over the wall.  I wanted to yell stop and not make them do this.  I didn't want them to get hurt.  They were trying so hard and struggling so much.  I knew they needed to do this though and as I was in the back holding the ladder for them as they came down, I began to just cry.  I thought of these girls in their lives and how they go through so many struggles and they have to do things that are so hard.  They struggle and sometimes think they aren't going to make it.  They have so much coming at them.  Satan tries so hard to make them feel as though they can't make it.  At the wall each girl had the support of their tribe right underneath them to help them get over this obstacle.  The bishopric was right there to help too and as they got to the top we had 2 young women leaders there to assist them as they got to the top and had to make that final attempt to get over.  I likened it unto their peers being there for them, the bishopric being there for them and us as leaders being there for them as they go through struggles in their daily lives.  We cheer them on, are there to help them as they struggle, and be there to congratulate when they accomplish their goal.  It was an amazing experience and I was so proud of each of the girls!

This quote goes perfectly along with this:

"The evil influence of Satan would destroy any hope we have in overcoming our mistakes. He would have us feel that we are lost and that there is no hope. In contrast, Jesus reaches down to us to lift us up. Through our repentance and the gift of the Atonement, we can prepare to be worthy to stand in His presence." James E. Faust

I was so proud of each of these girls!  What amazing youth we have!

This was another part of the obstacle course!  The girls were so great at figuring things out and working together!

Ashley got hurt during the climbing wall.  She had previously hurt her knee prior to camp and just over did it at the wall.  We wrapped up her knee and put some ice on it and she was much better.

Suzanne and Margene!  These ladies were awesome!

Aubrey and Jami

Kira and Sam

Cute Jami

Trinity being crazy!

Clara and Laurel with her Captain America pillow case her secret sister gave her!

Teana in her feetie pj's

Every day we had Tribal Counsel where we had a spiritual lesson for the girls.  They said they loved this part of camp!  :)

Desiray teaching

Me teaching

Laurel teaching

The 1st immunity challenge for the 2nd day

Tribe Glowing Hearts with the Immunity Trophy

After a quick lunch we were on our way over to the Zipline!

Sara and Ashleigh waiting for their turn

Me and Laurel

The zipline was so much fun!  The girls had a blast!

Everyone after the Zipline

Crazy picture!  :)

Immunity Challenge number 2 for the day

The girls trying to figure out the puzzle

After figuring out the puzzle one tribe member had to feed another tribe member applesauce while being blindfolded.

Then one team member had to go and blow a bubble.

Tribe Eayst Noa with the Immunity Trophy

Craft Time!

Me and some of the girls!

Clairice and Teana

We had skits that night!  The bishopric's was the best!  After the skits I had to leave so I could attend my baby sister's wedding.  So I went home for the night to go to the wedding.  

While I was gone this was the Immunity Challenge the next day

Canoes

Each Tribe had to pick 2 girls to be blindfolded as they rowed the boat and they had 1 tribe member who wasn't blindfolded guide them as they raced.  

They had lots of fun!!!

Little water fight!  :)

Mikayla and Teana

Kira, Clara, and Paige

This night the Relief Society came up and brought pizza for dinner!  Yum!!!  I got back this day about 4pm.

Suzanne and Triahna...Watermelon!  :)

Brother Gentile loves to sing with the girls!  He even wrote a song for the girls to sing!  He is awesome and the girls love him!  The bishopric wives came up for testimony meeting too.  

Silly girls!

For dessert we had peach cobbler and the bishopric provided ice cream!

Sara

Desiray and Rebecca

Kristi and Margene

Ciera loving her ice cream!

Ashley enjoying her ice cream!

After dessert it was time for a fireside and testimony meeting

Bishop talking to the girls

We blew up these balloons and everyone wrote something they wanted to change in their life on the balloon.

Something they wanted to change that was making their light not shine as brightly as it could be.  Then we got ready to let them go.  

As they let the balloon go they were to let go of that thing on the balloon too and make a commitment to change that.  

Everyday the girls were able to nominate each other for shinys.  They would recognize one another for things they were doing to get their shiny on and serve others and let their light shine to all those around them.  They were so awesome and it was so fun to get them!  

Desiray...she wouldn't let us take pictures!  :)

So exhausted!!!!

Laurel all bundled up!

Margene still somehow finding energy!

Time to pack up

Suzanne sweeping

Lexi and Sierra packing

Chillin' before we headed out

Me and Laurel

Desiray and Margene

Below are all the girls with their secret sisters

The leaders minus Kristi who had to head off to a family reunion

Packing up

Time to start lugging stuff down!

Still Smiling

Margene and me

Such hard workers!!!!

Finalizing packing up and ready to head home.  

It was an amazing week!  It was a great experience and the girls loved it!  Until next year!!! 

 TORTILLA POWER!!!!!