Girl's Camp

I got to return to Camp Richie this year! I went as a 3rd year counselor, so 14 year old girls about to be freshmen in high school. It was such a fun week. Well "week" as it was shortened this year (*tear). With the shortened days it was madness trying to fit everything in! Each year has to do a certain amount of chores and then time for their hike (ours was an overnight backpacking hike) and time for certification, crafts, rappelling and waterfront (we got to go on the tube and kneeboarding).
I had 13 girls and worked with Tara Miller (she went to camp when I was there, just a couple of years younger than me) and Shana Biedelman (her first time as a 3rd year counselor). It was my third time doing that hike as I did it as a youth leader when Jennifer was a 3rd year and my Dad came with us. The hike was so smooth. No accidents or injuries and no stopping! When I went we stopped ALL THE TIME but these girls were troopers. We wondered if they didn't know they could ask for a water break :) They never once asked to stop. Our stops were for lunch and for the bretheren to figure out where the next trail marker was if they couldn't see it. We made great time and had a lot of fun.
Our group included 4 nonmembers and 1 inactive girl. In my scripture group 3 out of 4 were nonmembers, but I didn't realize how little they knew until the second scripture study. So when we were on the hike we did scripture time altogether, and I taught about the Plan of Salvation. None of the girls in my group had said anything at scripture time the first three days, so I was so excited when we had scripture time the next morning when we were back at camp. They had questions! So many questions. We got our our scriptures and looked up everything. They were so interested and so accepting. It was awesome to teach them and have them so excited to hear it. The breakfast bell rang and they were still asking and sharing for another 10 minutes after. They wanted to know about each of the kingdoms and what you had to do to get into each kingdom; if ghosts are real; if spirits can visit earth (for non-haunting purposes :); what do you do once you are in a kingdom; when do you get resurrected- is it only after you are judged? (no); what happens if you are sealed as a family and someone isn't living how they should, etc. It just went on and on! We looked everything up and then I gave them some chapters and sections they should read when they had time (which wasn't at camp...too busy!) That night we had testimony meeting with the whole camp at campfire. Most of the girls started their testimony off by saying what a hard year this has been. It didn't matter how old they were or what was difficult, they were all saying it was a really hard year. They were glad for camp and for friends and bore such sweet testimonies. We went back to our cabin and had our devotional and then another testimony meeting for anyone who didnt want to/have time to get up in front of everyone. A nonmember who was in my group had come all 3 years with her friend, and asked if it was ok if she bore her testimony. She did, and she talked about how lucky we all are for being born with the knowledge of the Gospel and how she knows what she has learned is true. After our meeting, Tara and I got the girls to come outside and sit on the huge rock our cabin is built on and look at the stars and write in our journals. It was nice to have some quiet minutes.
These girls were so fun! They needed some good cheerleaders, which is why it was good Tara and I were there. They don't know Disney songs! They didn't sing, like, ever! Tara and I both have lots of great memories of camp songs and being goofy, and we both happen to be super loud, so we got those girls going! By the time we got back from the hike you couldn't stop them if you wanted to! We were proud. So much so that at breakfast on Saturday while everyone was eating, a few of us who had been at Richie together back in the day (Whitney Brownlow, Janelle Larson, Tara and me) sang 'I Love the Mountains'...rap style :) We sang it normal the first time around and then huddled up and put on our hoodies and sunglasses and went all LL Cool J with our one pant leg :) We were loud and awesome. It was silent when we were doing it and then the second we were done everyone cheered so loud, which was good I figured they just thought we were crazy. (You crazy! -Nacho Libre). We didn't want to do anything too crazy until we had our camp names. Tara got 'Hollywood' since she quotes movies and sings songs from any movie all the time, and I got 'Hogan' as tribute to my family being at camp...and because nothing excited happened to give me a weird one! :)
Camp was great, I hope I get to go back. It was so nice to be fed 3 huge, amazing meals a day and only be assigned to do dishes once!