Special Edition: Girls' Camp Day Four!!!

Ok, so there's not much to post about Day Four, but I'll post about it anyway for the benefit of my descendants. :)

We again woke up at about seven. This was the roughest morning yet - the last three nights were finally catching up to us all at once!

After packing everything and getting dressed, etc., we all wandered up to the Mess Hall in pairs or small groups. 

There was no Flag Ceremony or specific line order of the wards at the meals. Everyone just kind of drifted in and got in line. Breakfast was cereal and chocolate chip cookies. If we wanted we could fill out a survey about our experience at camp.

After breakfast and awards, we cleaned our cabin and checked out with one of the members of the stake YW presidency. And then we left. And that was Girls' Camp 2015 for me!

Tell me about your camp experiences in the comments!

Special Edition: Girls' Camp Day Three!!!

It was REALLY hard to get out of bed Friday morning!!! Pure torture! The last two nights of very little sleep were catching up with me. We had forty-five minutes to get ready before flag. I think I used about the last ten of those minutes to get ready...and the first thirty-five to try and wake up. 

That last day, my Secret Sister gift was a caramel brownie Lindt chocolate bar--best. Chocolate Bar. Ever.

After flag we had a delicious 'Auntie Em's Country Breakfast with sausage, biscuits, gravy, grits, eggs, and a potato slice. Our ward had 'Kitchen Patrol' duty that meal, so when everyone else had left the Mess Hall, we attacked with cleaner, rags, brooms, and mops. We sang camp songs while we wiped tables and chairs, swept/mopped floors, and pretty much had a great time!

Then it was off to Crafts for the second time, where we found another two projects waiting. Again I was only able to start one, but at least I got out with my own level!

Next we returned to the Mess Hall and decorated brown paper bags for soldiers. The bags are going to be filled with hygiene items and other essentials that our armed forces need. 

Outside in the warm sun for level certification, we learned how to stop excessive bleeding and tie a cravat bandage with a bandanna.

Self defense was next, and the climax of the morning. It was fun and very informative. We learned basic ways to defend ourself and what to do in a dangerous situation that might require self defense. 

Last before lunch was service. More working on the pathway, which, after three more 'shifts' in between ours, had gained some significant improvement. We mostly just filled in more dirt and leveled it out. We put a few more beams in place near the end, but we weren't able to finish it while we were at camp.

Lunch was 'Kansas Haystacks'. They were amazing!!!!!! Fritos piled with sweet pulled pork, sour cream, corn, cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, tomatoes, and a ton of other stuff--totally delicious! 

Just one last hour of level certification in the Rec Room, where we got our camp manuals signed and played 'Poison Dart Frog' with the second levels before setting up five large racks of chairs for the testimony meeting later that night.

After that, we had two and a half hours of FREE TIME!!!!! The first hour and a half was spent at the pool playing 'Tunnel Tag' after grabbing some snacks at the camp store. After a long, exciting game, we finally decided to head back. But it was suspiciously painful to walk up the hill. I looked down at my white flip flops and saw a large spot of red where my big toe rested. Oh dear.

Turns out that, while playing Tunnel Tag, our toes had been scraped repeatedly on the rough floor of the pool and eventually got worn down to the point of bleeding. Needless to say, the long walk back to the cabin was excruciating.

We finally made it back and, horrified at the prospect of hot shower water burn our tender appendages, half-jokingly asked if someone wanted to bandage our feet. They all replied with a resounding "NO!", but then someone who had apparently had the same problem told us to go to the other cabin where one of the older girls was playing the part of 'doctor'. 

We willingly trekked the few yards to the other cabin and found the referred 'doctor'. She quickly accommodated us and our sore feet by sitting our wet and dripping selves on her own cot while she acquired the necessary 'surgical instruments'. She gently wiped the dirt off the wounds with a wet paper towel, anointed them with triple-antibiotic cream, and carefully wrapped several band-aids on each foot. What a great example of being Christlike!!!

With the pain now almost gone, we hobbled back to our cabin and showered. And we didn't notice our toes for the rest of the night! We still had about half an hour of free time, so we played games for a few minutes before heading up to Flag. Our bishops had arrived while we were still on free time, so we hadn't gotten a chance to say hi, but now we took the opportunity to greet our wonderful bishop and tell him all about our camp adventures so far!

The usual routine of flag was followed by an amazing dinner in the Mess Hall. Each camp flag had been taken from the rafters and leaned up against the rail fence outside. In their places were white paper lanterns and other 3-D hanging decorations--all white. The tables had white plastic cloths and burlap as well as small candles in jars, little white flowers in vases, and strings of gold beads and fake coins, etc., on top. Instead of getting our paper or plastic dinnerware in the food line, there were places at the tables already set for us.

And the food!!! The menu informed us that we'd be dining on Heavenly Chicken, Celestial Salad, Paradise Potatoes, Glorious Green Beans, and Blessed Bread. While we were eating, we revealed Secret Sisters! It was so fun to find out who'd been leaving me all those awesome surprises!

Basically, it was amazing!!! After dinner, we had fifteen minutes in our cabin. For about ten minutes, we played camp games, but we got impatient and went outside with our camp chairs to get good seats for Bishop's Night. 

Bishop's Night did not disappoint! The bishops competed in three contests to see who would be the 'Bishop of the Night'. (Or something like that. It was really just for fun!) 

Contest Number One: All nine bishops participated in this one. They each got a fancy collar tied around their neck and a helium balloon. When it was their turn, they stepped forward to where a YCL was holding a piece of paper with the lyrics to the 'Lollipop Guild Song' which was sung in the Wizard of Oz movie. They popped the helium balloon, sucked in the helium, and sang along with the 'Lollipop Guild'! It was HILARIOUS! Totally awesome!

Our bishop and five others progressed to the second contest. Each bishop received a bag containing several items, each representing a Wizard of Oz character. A roll of aluminum foil, a handful of straw, a black cape, and a broom were among the objects. The bishops had to put everything on themselves and make it stay there, then run to three 'bases' and hit them with the brooms.

 Our bishop was one of the first ones done! Thumbs up to him!

The final contest only had three participating bishops, ours included. They had to run to the bases again, but this time they had to shuck one ear of corn at each base. Unfortunately, due to another bishop breaking the rules, both he and our bishop were disqualified. :(

Then we went up to the Rec Building for the last Destiny program. It was all about how to not let your fear stand in your way, like in 'There's No Place Like Home', where the characters decide to push away the fears the Wicked Witch and her Flying Monkeys tried to use to block up the Yellow Brick Road. 

And then it was Testimony Meeting - basically a fountain of tears. One of our YCLs had given us each a gift during Level Certification earlier that day--a package of tissues with a note glued to it: Use me to wipe away your tears whenever you feel the Spirit near. It was a sweet and useful gift! It was so neat to hear the stories and experiences and testimonies of strangers, acquaintances, and close friends. Definitely the spiritual highlight of Girls Camp! 

After Testimony Meeting, we all went back to the Mess Hall and each bishop gave their ward a quick devotional and then a dessert he'd brought.

Back in the cabins, we did our journaling and scripture study, then went to the other cabin to play 'Murder in the Dark' and 'Mexican Horse Ranch'. When those games were over, we Beehives retreated to our cabin and played a card game until two in the morning. (So not smart!)

Then they went to sleep and I quietly packed most of my stuff so I could get a few extra minutes of sleep the next morning. And then I happily crawled into my sleeping bag and drifted off to sleep...

Special Edition: Girls' Camp Day Two!!!

Similar to the pathway we built. This one doesn't look quite finished, but you get the idea.

*This series of posts has the potential to be totally boring to most of you. I will not be offended if you choose to completely skip these posts. ;) I'm mostly posting them as more of a journal to look back on when I'm old and gray!

We woke up at 7 am on Thursday. I felt great! Who said you were tired at Girls Camp?? I had gotten to bed relatively early (12:15 am), and that was definitely the most sleep I got the whole time I was at camp! 

Anyway, we got ready and visited the Mess Hall really quickly to see if we got anything in our mailboxes. I think we all had a few notes, and I got a box of Whoppers from my Secret Sister! (Sort of like Secret Santa. Super fun! The day before I had received some knotted ponytail elastics and Sour Patch Kids flavored gum.)

As we were walking back to our cabins, we heard someone yelling through a megaphone to wake everyone up. On our lanyard schedules, they had forgotten to add Flag Ceremony, so almost everyone was still half asleep. We ran back to our cabins and alerted any stragglers, and made it to flag just in time. 

For breakfast, we were treated to a delicious waffle bar complete with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup! Plus bacon! It was SO good!!! Girls' Camp food is the BEST food! After breakfast, we slathered on bug-spray and sunscreen and filled up our water bottles for the three-mile hike.

The hike only took about forty-five minutes (maybe?). It was quick and easy! We stopped about halfway through and did some of our camp certification. We learned what to do if we were lost and how to preserve food. Then we finished the hike and had about fifteen to thirty minutes of A/C time - I mean, CABIN time - before meeting as a level at the Emerald City to learn to tie knots and talk with other first-levels about the nature we'd seen at camp so far, including on our hike. Except for the lake, that was basically a lot of pine trees, pine needles, and pine cones. Lots of pine. Gotta love the South!

When everyone was finished, we gathered in a circle and played games like 'Indian Chief'. That used up the rest of our level time, and we had another hour of cabin time. Our cabin played some more games and ate snacks we'd acquired from the camp store the night before. 

Lunch was turkey sand 'witches', fruit salad, and animal crackers. Sadly, my animal crackers got soaked in watermelon juice. Ick. 

After lunch, we got down to business. First we went to crafts, where we had forty minutes to make two different bracelets. But I am pretty inept in the craft department, and it took me most of the time to just learn how to start a paracord bracelet. So I was the last one to get my bracelet singed (holds the ends together) and my level accidentally left without me and one of the YCLs!

Luckily, one of the leaders from my ward/cabin found us and drove us around the camp till we found our group. They were learning about what to do when someone is choking and how to perform the Heimlich, so they demonstrated that for us quickly. We had some extra time, so we learned camp songs for a few minutes before going to...Shooting!!!!! 

Shooting was purely for fun. Okay, maybe it was so we could learn how to use the guns, but it wasn't certification or anything. We didn't shoot anything bigger than a BB gun (at least I don't think we did), but we had fun for forty minutes learning to cock, pump, aim, and shoot the guns, and that's what matters! Then we rode back in the bed of a pickup truck (one of my favorite modes of transportation!!!) and went to Service.

We built a path!!! Well, part of one. Have you seen those cool-looking railroad tie steps? That's what we helped build! It was hard work. We had to move the gigantic railroad ties - with sometimes as many as six or seven girls helping - and put them in place, cut roots out of the way, level dirt, and more. But we had so. Much. Fun. It felt so good to be of service and to know that, every year we come back and use that path, we helped build it! It was so cool to work as a team and help to get something important done!

But it was dirty work! When we finished, we all had dirt in our lanyards, shoes, and gloves. You know that gritty, sweaty, AWESOME feeling? Yep. But it was nice to go back to the air-conditioned cabin and bask in the joy of something as unpretentious as washing your hands!!! 

We stopped at the camp store on our way to the pool. Oh, standing in that line...in that humidity! Just five minutes and you have sweat pouring down your face! Anyway, it felt lovely to jump into the cool water of the swimming pool! But we only swam for about thirty minutes because we all wanted to get back and shower. 

Oh, the simple glory of a hot shower! I happily washed away all the dirt and all the sweat of the day. But there was still a lot of day to go. Flag Ceremony, then spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. AND green salad! I was SO happy to see vegetables - I couldn't believe how much sugar I had consumed just in the cabin alone! And then dessert after 2 or 3 meals every day??? Next year I'm packing celery.

Thirty more minutes of free time before we went back down to the Emerald City for the ward skits. There were nine skits, one performed by each ward or branch attending, and each one was awesome!  Each ward picked what they wanted to do, and each one did a great job! (Although, I have to say, ours may've been the best. :))

After every skit, we headed to the Destiny Program in the Rec Room. They showed several video clips about mothers and motherhood and our potential in those roles. Of course, it made a lot of people homesick and I may or may not have shed a few tears. But it helped me to gain a greater appreciation for my family and my mom. Here are the video links: 

World's Toughest Job | Mothers and Daughters

We finished Destiny and wearily walked back to our cabins. Of course, as soon as I got ready for bed I was no longer tired! We read our scriptures, wrote in our journals, and again went to the other cabin for ward time. We began with a devotional on 'happy people' and listened to an audio clip from Mormon Channel. 

Then we played 'Mafia', which is a super fun game, especially with a big group. All three of the Mafias, including me, ended up all sitting next to each other! It was a fun, exciting game, and everyone was sad to go to bed at the end. But our cabin didn't actually go to bed. When the game ended, it was after midnight, but none of us were ready to hit the hay quite yet. We stayed up playing games and singing camp songs for at least another hour before finally deciding to go to sleep...

Special Edition: Girls' Camp Day One

I got home from Girls' Camp on Saturday, but we've been having Internet problems lately, so this is the soonest I've been able to post.

Girls' Camp is awesome!!! If you've been, you know what I'm talking about. If not, you are truly missing out!!!

At 6:00 am, my alarm clock shrieked its horrible shriek, and I said my prayers and hurried to the bathroom and got ready. After eating a cup of yogurt in literally twenty seconds, I had a prayer with my parents and my mom drove me to the church. 

Three hours, lots of snacks, and one movie later, we arrived at camp, whose theme this year was 'There's No Place Like Home' (think Dorothy, the Wizard of Oz, Yellow Brick Road). After checking in with the stake leaders and receiving our camp shirts, schedule, and program, we located our cabin and were greeted by a large banner. The YCLs and fourth years, who had gone up the day before for High Adventure, had left a beautiful banner welcoming us to our first year of girls camp! It was so cool and sweet of them!!!!

We claimed our beds and put on our stake shirts over swimsuits, and went to flag ceremony. There, the second years raised the flag on the pole, led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the stake YW presidency welcomed us to camp. Next, we adjourned to the 'Emerald City', a pavilion of sorts that had green walls on 2 1/2 sides. We took ward pictures with our 'flag', a cardboard cutout of a high-heeled shoe (like Dorothy's slippers) that we'd covered in red-tinted pictures of us on one side and on the other a yellow brick road with the sky above it and fancy white letters that read, "It may take more than a few heel clicks...But there's no place like home." Attached to strings extending from the top of the shoe was a rectangular white piece of cardboard that said in red glitter letters, "One Size Fits All". It was adorable! After the picture, it was hung with the other ward flags in the rafters of the Mess Hall. 

Lunch was next, and we all ate a meal that we had packed at home and brought ourselves. Then we had 'Level Time', where we played several different get-to-know-you games with the other first levels. By the time we were done, we knew every one of the 27 first level girls in our stake! 

By now, everyone was sweating in the 90+ degree humid heat, and we were all grateful to jump into the cool blue water of the pool! We had pool time for an hour and a half, then hiked to the lake. We had an hour and a half there as well. That hour and a half included a canoe ride, being pushed off the dock, a seaweed fight, and more! When it was time to go, I found that my ward had accidentally left me! Oops! So I hitchhiked back with three different groups till I finally found my cabin. We spent our free time at the camp store stocking up on cheap junk food or just lounging in the cabin. 

After the lowering of the flag, we went inside to the mess hall and enjoyed the best baked potatoes I had ever tasted, as well as a generous slice of red velvet cake slathered in cream cheese frosting. (The food the entire time was amazing!!!)

Fireside songs and a little introduction to the theme at the Emerald City were followed by the 'Destiny' Program. We watched a half-hour film created entirely by members of the stake, including five from our own ward. It was a remake of the Wizard of Oz, but with spiritual symbolism instead. The stake president has his own movie studio and does videos and things for fun, but this was his first film. Also, two of my little sisters were in it as munchkins! Here is the YouTube link: "There's No Place Like Home".

Ward time may have been my favorite part of the entire day! All 20 of our young women, plus leaders, sat in a circle in the larger of our two cabins and played classic camp games. Then the stake YW leaders stopped by and gave us a short devotional and some candy before we all split up and went to our cabins to read scriptures, say prayers, sing, and eventually fall asleep! 

Stay tuned for the rest of my camp adventures!

A Blast From the Past

1915 Beehive Handbook

Note: This is an essay I wrote recently entitled "Young Women Resources and Activities: Then and Now".

        Have you ever wondered about the beginnings of our modern-day Young Women organization? The roots of Personal Progress, Young Women’s camp, how it all came to be? Here are the answers and a few interesting facts.
In late 1869, Brigham Young established the original core and purpose of the Young Women program when he asked the girls and women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to “reform from extravagance and live more simply” (Timeline). Just six and a half months later, the Young Ladies’ Department of the Ladies’ Cooperative Retrenchment Association was formally organized for the teenaged girls in the Church. The girls involved with this association committed to dress and live modestly and set an example of “gospel living worthy of imitation” (Timeline). They later changed the name of this organization to the Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association, or the YLMIA, and gained their first president in 1880, Sister Elmina S. Taylor. 
Today, our version of the YLMIA is the Young Women program. We still believe in setting a good, modest example for the rest of the world. This is exemplified by our modern motto and logo—a torch symbolizing that we ‘stand for truth and righteousness’. The teenage girls of the Church continue to set an ideal of a modest, gospel lifestyle through our current Young Women organization. 
Young Women Camp, or Girls’ Camp, has also changed since it first began in 1912. Actually, the purpose hasn’t changed, but specifics of things such as the certification requirements and money-raising have. 
In 1912, the first stake to participate in a Church summer camp for girls was the Liberty Stake in Salt Lake City, Utah. They built their own camp, called Liberty Glen. The construction cost was a whopping $365.27—and they had to earn it all. The YLMIA participated in multiple fundraisers, from fireside entertainment to activities in the Deseret Gymnasium, so they could earn money for this new idea. Most stakes now take part in fundraisers as well. Some of the modern fundraisers commonly used for Girls’ camp include yard sales/garage sales, bake sales, talent shows, car washes, etc., etc. 
Another similarity between camp back then and camp now is camp certification. An article on lds.org has a list of some of the camp requirements that were in the 1915 Beehive Handbook:

>Identify 15 trees and describe them.
>Describe 10 butterflies; identify them.
>Build a tree house for 2 girls to sleep in.
>Start a fire without matches or fire.
>Describe the seagulls and their habits; tell of their historical importance                           in Utah. 
>Know what to do for a person whose clothing is on fire; for someone who is in                   deep water and cannot swim, either in summer or through ice in winter; for                     an open cut; for a frosted foot; for fainting.
>Select a location and erect a tent.
>During the week, keep your tent in order. (Camp Skills)

Some of the present first year requirements include things like studying the scriptures daily for fifteen minutes while at camp, learning to extinguish fires, and cooking at least two things over a fire. 
Many of these current requirements aren’t too different from what they were in 1912 or 1915. Even though modern Young Women camps have things like plumbing and electricity, the goal of camp is still to use God’s creation as the classroom for learning useful skills and building strong testimonies while still young. Girls Camp is a wonderful tradition of Young Women that has endured for over a century and hopefully will continue for many more years.
Personal Progress is a staple of the Young Women organization today and provides a recognition system for teenage girls. It has eight values, with experiences and a project for each. Its predecessor, The Beehive Handbook, had seven fields of personal achievement, much like our values.  However, instead of Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue, The Beehive Handbook contained requirements in the categories of Religion, Home, Health, Domestic Arts, Out of Doors, Business, and Public Service. Some of the requirements in the 1915 booklet included things such as:

>Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season and know their habits.
>During two weeks, keep the house free from flies, or destroy at least 25 flies daily.
>Mend six pairs of stockings, two knitted undergarments, and hem six dish- towels.
>Without help or advice, care for and harness a team at least five times [and] drive 50 miles during one season. (History)

Not quite the same as the experiences or projects in the current Personal Progress book, but it was perfectly suited to the girls of the early 20th century. They needed to know things such as harnessing and driving a team of horses, whereas 21st century young women benefit from experiences like Faith Experience # 2, which talks about the importance of motherhood and womanhood. These are principles that are often misunderstood by teenage girls in our day, though in the early 1900s were obvious and easy to take in. 

Many resources and activities for the Young Women of the Church today have evolved from those of the early YLMIA. While the world has changed, and with it, a few specifics from these resources, the purpose remains the same for each: To grow in understanding of the gospel and build strong testimonies that will stand forever in the hearts of faithful women. 

Works Cited

Timeline of Young Women History, LDS.org (https://www.lds.org/callings/young-women/leader-resources/history/timeline-of-young-women-history?lang=eng)

Celebrate by Learning Camp Skills, LDS.org (https://www.lds.org/youth/article/celebrate-by-learning-camp-skills?lang=eng)

History of Young Women Recognition, LDS.org (https://www.lds.org/callings/young-women/leader-resources/history/history-of-young-women-recognition?lang=eng)

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