My leap of faith this summer: Going To Girls' Camp Again - it's been 30 years? How can that be when I'm only 40 years old?

Enjoying God's creations 

Hikes - walking, walking, walking

And of course the best -
no worries about hair,
make up, no worries.

Always a wonderful place:
the dining hall - gathering place 

Peace, quiet, solitude -
Feeling close to my Heavenly Father

These pictures are a sneak peak at our camp this year - awesome, huh?

My last year at camp was in Dallas, Texas in 1984.  Of course everything changed that year - Roger was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, we moved to Corbin, KY, I went to work and cared for him.

I grieved.  I grieved because of his illness, because of the current changes in our lives, because of our future hopes and dreams that would not be realized.  I wrote about my grief... actually, I wrote pages and pages in my journal about my experiences working with the young women at church and specifically about my ten years - yes 10! - as either a girls camp director and/or stake young women's president attending girls camp.

My first camp was in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1976.  I was forced to attend (not exactly) because no one else was "available."  So I went muttering all the way.

The next year I was in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Three years of camp there.  Then Bartlesville, Oklahoma for three years . . . on to Little Rock, Arkansas and then Dallas Texas.  And although the places were different, the weather was different, the people had different names - but camp was just the same.  One of the highlights of my year, every year.

Roger was a wonderful husband.  He took vacation every year to be with the kids.  And if you ask Jason (my son) about camp and I . . . well let's just say, he thinks that I was obsessed with camp and thought about it day and night all year.

While at camp, the outside world was just that - outside.  Sure there was drama (girls, remember), there were tears, there were arguments, hurt feelings, bugs, bug bites, small injuries, unusual food when cooked over the fire by the girls, heat, sun, heat, sun, sweating, hiking.  Yeah - but there was laughing, singing, hugging, testimonies, campfire programs, skits, laughter, laughter, laughter, quiet, peaceful times, silent hikes, s'mores, banana boats (yes, I love the sweets), leaders trying to keep up with girls and loving every minute of it, a skunk at a testimony meeting, possums, raccoons, armadillos, snakes, tarantulas, all of which I consider some of the best parts of camp.

Visiting the camp yesterday reminded me of the real reason we have camp.  It is explained in the 2014 scripture theme for the youth:

“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32).

Camp is a wonderful place to start and continue this process.  I'm grateful to get to participate again after a 30 year hiatus.  Learn more about youth programs at this link:   https://www.lds.org/youth?lang=eng