Girls Camp–Firewalker

TUESDAY

We got to Camp Firewalker at about 10:30am and started to unpack at our campsite. Tiffany Hale and Megan Jackson were with me – also Brother Jackson and Brother Bullen as Bishopric members. At 12:00 we met at the Flagpole for our first thought, prayer, scripture and rising of the flag. Cordera girls led and it was good to be the first ones done. We ate our packed lunch at the pavilion and then met in the amphitheater for opening ceremony, games for the girls and a leader meeting. Then off to High Ropes…

High Ropes - Patience

We got harnessed up and climbed high above the ground into the trees. I felt fairly confident about it but as soon as I climbed up, I realized that this was shakier and less secure than others I had been on. Maneuvering around the branches was difficult – but I enjoyed it. We were left to ourselves to figure out how to unclip, maneuver our body around the branch and reach to clip in again. Katie and Emily did such a great job – both of them eager and willing to try the X – the hardest part – and succeeded. The course ended with a zip line and we had to hold on tight.

Katie was one of the first to climb…

Emily getting ready to climb…

Katie, Hannah and Kimbyl.

Hanging out in the tree waiting for others to move ahead.

At the High Ropes Course we learned about the Virtue of PATIENCE.

“Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without being angry, frustrated or anxious. We can develop patience by seeking to do God’s will and accept His timing, trusting that He will fulfill all of His promises to us. As we learn to be patient in small things, we prepare ourselves to face larger trails with patience.” Preach my Gospel.

“Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the ‘Process of time’. Patience is a manifestation of inner strength and devotion to the Lord.” Elder Neal A. Maxwell

I reflected that it was easy to try to suggest things from the ground to those who were struggling up above. Sometimes I was able to add valuable suggestions from my vantage point but sometimes I thought their situation looked easy and wasn’t as big a deal as they were making it.. It wasn’t until I was up on the course that I remembered that those who are looking on usually don’t have a clue what I am going through, how I’m feeling or how my body could move or respond. So often we feel like we know what we would do in someone else’s situation but we need to remember to have empathy, understanding and patience for others – and ourselves.

Elder Maxwell also taught: “Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance. Put another way, too much anxious opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising. So it is with us. If we are always selfishly taking our temperature to see if we are happy, we will not be.“

At 5:10 we took down the flag, ate dinner (Hawaiian haystacks) and headed to the amphitheater for ward skits. Then FHE. We worked on our skit for a while and then Brother Bullen and Brother Jackson had us play games, and then sit around the campfire while they shared their testimonies of “asking in FAITH”.

The hardest part of camping is leaving the warm fire and headed into a cold tent. Megan slept with Jon under the stars and Tiffany and I slept in cots in one of the big army tents supplied by the Camp. It ended up being an awful night. As we were bundled up and chatting in bed in the dark we heard a little noise, listened carefully and then turned on the lantern which revealed a mouse scurrying right in front of our cots. Ugg! Tiffany seemed irritated but amazing calm. Not me. We heard it and saw it a few times and although I wanted to pick up my sleeping bag and head for my van (15 minute walk away in the pitch dark forest with bears) I ended up staying put – but hardly slept at all. I prayed and prayed that I would just fall asleep but I was pretty tense and any branch crackle or coyote in the field prevented me from falling asleep. Not sure how much sleep I got – probably 4 hours. The next morning Tiffany said her night was exactly the same. The worst.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday we woke up early (so glad to finally get up), went to Flag Ceremony, had breakfast, cleaned up, came back for Ward Devotional from Hannah Gaskill (SEARCH AND PONDER) and set off for Rappelling.

Rappelling - Obedience

The 45-minute hike to the rappelling rock was beautiful.

Rappelling was so much fun! Katie and Emily were first to grab harnesses and get ready. I loved how eager they were to do everything. They also did some rock climbing. Megan, Tiffany and I rappelled after all the girls went. I haven’t rappelled since I was at girls camp myself and it was easier than I thought it would be.

Katie was one of the first to go… fun to have Sarah Baker there to help us down.

Emma Larson…

Emily rappelling and climbing…

and reflecting about Obedience.  Emily did a great job writing notes and thoughts in her camp notebook.

These girls are such good friends…

My turn.  It was so fun!

Tiffany and the girls below…

With Rappelling we learned about OBEDIENCE. We reflected on the necessity to obey safety instructions during rappelling. President Monson taught, “There are rules and laws to help ensure our physical safety. Likewise, the Lord has provided guidelines and commandments to help ensure our spiritual safety so that we might successfully navigate this often-treacherous mortal existence and return eventually to our Heavenly Father.

Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see.”

How to become more obedient: 1. Ask yourself what do I need to change in my life in order to follow the commandments more fully? 2. Identify weaknesses that you can make strong. 3. Find ways to overcome them and write them down. 4. Set goals. 5. Pray for help. 6. Listen to the guidance of the Spirit.

D&C: 93:28 He that keepeth God’s commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.”

On the way back down and into camp…

After we had all had a chance to rappel we hiked back and headed to lunch. Wraps – but I grabbed my leftover food in the kitchen from the previous day for a healthier option. Then we headed to our second high adventure station: the obstacle course.

The Obstacle Course – Diligence

The obstacle course was long and fun, but the little sleep and exertion of the morning was catching up to us. We were pretty exhausted. We sat in our camp chairs and listened to the instructions and then walked the course. Katie, Emily, Kimbyl, Maggie, Sierra, Emma and Hannah all ran the course jumping over barrels, climbing walls and crawling through tunnels. When they were done they decided to do it as a three-legged race – which was kind of dangerous. We’re lucky our group survived without a twisted ankle. The girls had a great time figuring it out together.

After the obstacle course we did a few team building activities and then played on the swings.

We reflected on diligence: consistent, valiant effort, especially in serving the Lord and obeying His word. Our station leader gave us the good advice: ‘Don’t Compare Talents. Comparing is a tool of Satan to destroy our happiness.”

We also did some great group activities where we had to work together to accomplish something hard. We learned how to rely on others and help each other.

We worked on our skit and song back at camp for a little while before heading back to Flag Ceremony and then dinner. Then we headed over to the Amphitheater to perform our ward skit. Each ward had to come up with a skit about ‘ASKING IN FATH’ and each was given a Disney movie to incorporate. Ours was MOANA – which was really fun. Moana set out on a journey and asked the Lord as several different characters came her way. It was funny and cute. Then they changed the words to one of the well know Moana songs and it was SO GOOD. Katie and Hannah Gaskill wrote it and Emily played the ukulele while everyone sang. 

At 7:30 we gathered at the amphitheater for the musical I HAVE LEARNED FOR MYSELF. Katie and Emily were asked to be 2 of 15 cast members for this musical 8 weeks ago. They have been practicing every Saturday and sometimes Thursdays learning their songs and memorizing their parts. Earlier in the year, the Stake YW leaders asked the young women questions about trials they were facing and how they were handling them and used several of these experiences word for word in the musical. It consisted of songs mixed with these memorized personal experiences that members of our Stake currently deal with. IT WAS AMAZING. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING… and I’m so grateful that Katie and Emily were able to participate. Emily had several solos and did so well. So did Katie. She has such a talent to be able to harmonize. Parents were invited to the dress rehearsal the Friday before camp and I cried my way through it. Partially because my daughters did so well, and partially because I knew it would be so impactful to the young women. I was glad to be able to watch it a second time. After the production girls came from the audience to hug the cast members. It was very impactful and the Spirit was strong.

We headed back to the campsite with cups of hot chocolate and brownies, sat around the campfire for awhile and then headed to bed. Brother Bullen has set up my tent for me – I wasn’t about to sleep with the mouse again – and I was so grateful. I was SO exhausted that it was easy to fall asleep. I was bundled pretty good, fell asleep pretty fast and slept without moving at all.

THURSDAY

Thursday morning Megan Jackson and I woke up at 6:00, got ready, woke up the girls and then headed for a walk for 20 minutes before heading to Flag ceremony and then to breakfast. Back at camp Kimbyl Larson gave us our morning devotional (NOTHING WAVERING) and then we headed out to our first High Adventure station: LEAP OF FAITH.

Leap of Faith – Bravery

Again Katie and Emily were among the first to get their harnesses on and get in line for the Leap of Faith – a tall rather skinny tree with all of it’s branches cut short. Harnessed to a rope they were belayed as they climbed up the tree stepping on branches to get to the top. Once at the very top they stood on the top of the tree trunk and then jumped off. Once Katie and Emily and several others completed it the first time, they decided to try it blindfolded!! Amazing. We also did the zipline and the catwalk. A fun station.

We reflected on the Leap of Faith and that it takes faith to both climb the log and stand on top of it. As with prayer, it takes faith to offer a prayer, it takes faith to wait patiently for an answer, and it takes faith to go forward once an answer is received. It is important to realize that the Leap of Faith is a leap of action. It many matters it is ‘first we must see, then we will act’; in matters of faith it is first we must do, then we will know.’ Dare to act wholeheartedly without absolute certainty. This takes courage and a brave heart.

Once you make your decision to do what is right, you don’t have to fight the battle with every temptation that presents itself every day. You simply take a stand and say to yourself, “I will do this: I won’t do that”. And Satan will have to turn elsewhere to find his followers.” Sister Ardeth Kapp, former General YW President.

We headed to lunch (Taco Salads) and then headed to the next High Adventure station… Service.

Service – Love

It was nice to have a station where we just sat. We colored Valentine placemats and made cards for MEALS on WHEELS and put together a cute little bucket for our ward primary. I think the girls enjoyed the coloring.

We reflected on love. “Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? Have I cheered up the sad and made some-one feel glad? If not, I have failed indeed.” Hymn #223

President Uchtdorf taught, “As we emulate his perfect example, our hands become His hands, our eyes His eyes, our heart, His heart.” Through acts of service, both great and small, we are not only serving God, but we are able to experience the love of God.”

Challenge: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help.” Elder M. Russell Ballard

We ended the service station a little early and by this time my head was pounding with a headache so the girls headed back to their tent to chat and I headed to mine to sleep for a bit, which helped a lot. When I got up 20 minutes later I headed into the girls tent and one of them asked me to tell the story of how Chris and I met, dated, got engaged etc. It was really fun and they loved hearing all the details. Megan came in half way through and then she told her story. Laurels love a good ‘falling in love’ story.

At 5:10 we headed to flag and then dinner (Hamburgers and pasta salad), cleaned up – this time FOR our secret sister ward… who was pretty excited about it -- and then to the amphitheater for the last of the ward skits. Megan Jackson headed home and Carol Gaskill replaced her. Then we had an hour of ward time so we built a fire and pulled out all of the s’more stuff. Nice to have some relaxing ward time!!

At 8:00 we met at the amphitheater again for the Walk of Faith. They had the leaders go first. In the dark, we walked through the fields and into the forest holding on the Iron Rod – not blindfolded. Every so often we stopped and listened to a messenger recite scripture about Lehi’s vision and the Tree of Life. Off in the distance we could hear the laughing and mocking of those in the Great and Spacious Building and then turned the corner and walked right through it. One of the General Authorities recently said that these days we are walking right through the Great and Spacious Building. It was right in our faces. Since the girls knew some of those who were playing characters in the building they said it seemed even more personal. They reflected that it’s not people you don’t know who are trying to get you to pull away from Christ. It might be people in our lives that we are well acquainted with who are calling us by name. It was really interesting. After awhile we came upon the Tree of Life, lit by thousands of little white lights. The Stake Presidency were there to greet us and hugged us as we entered. Then we waited silently for all the groups to enter while a harpist played beautiful music. I got emotional when I could see Emily enter in, and I imagined that that is what our ancestors will be feeling when we Return Home with Honor. I also noticed a few young women who seemed to really know President Woodward and seemed to hug him tight. It made me reflect that when we see our Savior again we will embrace like we would a dear family member because we will know Him and he will know us. We listened to some remarks from President Powell and President Woodward and then heard a choir of cute little 9 year old angel girls. Ward by ward we walked back to our campsite and then reflected on things we had learned. It was not an emotional night but clearly made an impact on the girls – especially Emily.

FRIDAY

We woke up the girls, got ready and headed to Flag and then breakfast, and then our ward devotional taught by Brooke. (RECEIVING ANSWERS) It was a cold cold morning. The first overcast morning and the first where we needed a fire to start the day. At 8:30 we headed to our first station, which was the lake.

Lake Time – Joy

But instead of swimming, we sat bundled up in sweatshirts in our camp chairs. And then we took a ton of pictures, which was fun.

Love my cute girls.  Last girls camp they will be together.

A quote about joy: “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening – or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy.” Russel M. Nelson

Eventually we headed back to camp, built another camp fire and invited the Pine Creek ward over for s’mores, impromptu ukulele singing and hair wraps. So fun to hang out with the Pine Creek Ward. By the end of our time together they had kick named our combined group ‘Corde Creek!’

We went to lunch at 12:00 (Leftovers of everything we had already eaten) and then headed out on our second High Adventure – the Hike.

The Hike – Humility

The hike was pretty steep but beautiful and the Cordera girls went full speed reaching the top of the rock in 40 minutes.

We took some pictures at the top and had our mini lesson on humility. “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.” D&C 112:10 To be humble is to recognize gratefully our dependence on the Lord – to understand that we have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgement that our talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness or fear; it is an indication that we know where our true strength lies. We can be both humble and fearless. Pride is a lack or absence of humility or teachableness.

We reflected on how fast slow hard easy it was for us to get to the top. Elder Larry R. Lawrence said, “To Heavenly father, our direction is more important than our speed.”

“There are times in our lives when someone else gets unexpected blessings or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt – and certainly not to feel envious – when good fortune comes to another person. We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is against sin, and surely envy is on the most universal of those. “ Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

One more great quote about being more humble: “We can choose to humble ourselves

• by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are.
• by receiving counsel and chastisement.
• by forgiving those who have offended us.
• by rendering selfless service.
• by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others.
• by getting to the temple more frequently.
• by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God.
• by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives.

Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

Then we headed down the mountain and back to camp. We were SO hot and the girls decided NOW they wanted to head to the lake. We quickly got our bathing suits on and we crammed into the Bishops suburban to head to the lake. The girls squealed as they got in the cold water, swam for a few minutes, washed their hair and then climbed out and headed back to camp. It was quick but refreshing.

We headed to Flag at 5:10, had dinner (grilled chicken, noodles and fruit) and then headed to the amphitheater at 6:30 for a Devotional and then with our wards for solo time. The girls dispersed into the forest and I also found a quite space to sit for the hour. As I set my chair up and looked around I immediately thought of the phrase “Oh how lovely was the morning” but evening in my case. It was golden hour and the sun was setting over the mountains casting a beautiful blue and purple light into the sky. So many birds are chirping – which I’m sure was a constant sound in the background of all activities, only we were not quiet enough to hear, or more accurately we tuned out. I imaged this as the exact setting that Joseph Smith knelt and prayed, and as I did began to cry with sincere gratitude for the gospel. It is truth and with truth comes light, and with more light, comes a greater understanding of truth… and so on. How grateful I am for the gospel and my Savior, who I will run to and embrace when we meet again.

After our quick hour was finished we met around our campfire and had a testimony meeting. Bishop McCallister bore his testimony, and then Brooke, Lauren and so on around the circle. Every girl took an opportunity to bear her testimony and the Spirit was so strong. These girls are amazing – and not perfect – but so so good. It is bonding to really hear what someone is thinking about and going through. I bore my testimony at the end about how grateful I am for the gospel and how grateful I am to be a mother. I then hugged each and every girl and told them how proud I was of them and how wonderful they were. So grateful to be at camp with these girls – especially my Katie and Emily. Katie bore a powerful, mature and well spoken testimony. She talked about how grateful she has been for all of her girls camp experiences and that she’s sad it’s her last year. She talked about the importance in being strong for the rest of her life as she gets ready to leave home. Emily shared about what she’s reading in Helaman – about Nephi who was sad about the iniquity in his people and wished he lived in his father’s time. She got choked up about feeling the same way and that it is hard to live in a time where the world is so wicked. Both my cute girls cried when I bore my testimony and when we hugged at the end. Love Girls Camp so much!!

SATURDAY

We woke up for the last morning, had a devotional given by Katie (ACCEPTING THE WILL OF THE LORD), ate breakfast, watched a slideshow and then headed home. Yay for Camp!