This post is late- but better late than never.
This year girls camp was at Lake Lyman, and the theme was B.O.O.T. Camp (Building Our Own Testimonies). Denise and I were called to be on the camp committee. We were already familiar with some of the other girls from the stake because of our officiating assignment for YW sports, but it was a lot of fun to get to know the other girls, as well as get to know the Suntrails YW & leaders better. Michelle, Alicia, Jen, Bishop Thomson and President Butler all came up as leaders, and Holly, Bridin and Jasmine were our YW from the ward.
Some of the more experienced camp leaders suggested we use some bug bombs on the cabins as soon as we arrived. The aftermath was so gross in some of the cabins- but it was better to have all those flies and spiders dead (and throw them out) than alive and crawling into sleeping bags and such. We didn't bug-bomb the loft where the stake leaders slept, and Denise paid for it when a moth attacked her in the middle of the night.
The first day we had a really fun welcome ceremony and played games. That evening we had a Pageant where the wards dressed up one of their leaders like a leader from the scriptures (our Bishop was Helaman). We had fashion and talent portions that were REALLY fun. Denise M.C.'d (who better?!), and the girls seemed to really love it. For the last portion of the pageant, each leader from the ward explained the leadership qualities of the person they were representing from the scriptures. They bore their testimonies and the spirit was so strong- it was an awesome activity.
The next morning we woke up the girls by carrying around a karaoke machine to each cabin and blasting them with "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". Much better than banging pans, in my opinion. As stake leaders, we had a BLAST singing and dancing at the crack of dawn. Some of the girls got into it, but I think some of them now hate the Andrews Sisters- even though they don't know who they are.
The following days were filled with waterfront and the craft (a really cute magnet board), certifications, singing & dancing, flag ceremonies and push-ups. Lots of push-ups in keeping with the Boot Camp theme. If you were late, left your jacket or book lying around, etc., you got to do push-ups. It sounds harsh, but it was really fun, and for the most part, only the leaders ever had to "give'em twenty". I guess it's easy for me to say it was fun, because I was always taking pictures, and never had to actually do the push-ups myself.
Our ward time was great. The girls prepared roasted Starbursts for us- a very tasty treat. We had great devotionals and had fun playing "Big-Bootie". We all had our nails painted, even Bishop- what a sport! Although, he did insist on the nail polish remover before he went home (Carrie's wedding was the next day, and for some reason he thought it would be awkward to be wearing fingernail polish.)
Wednesday night we heard from President Thompson. He gave a great talk relating the things we saw around camp to the Savior's role in our lives- everything relates to the Savior. For Thursday night's activity, all of the stake leaders made a flag (like the Title of Liberty) and wrote a few words that expressed their testimony. All the leaders were going to display their flags at the Martha (which is the amphitheater- I don't know why it's called "the Martha"). But it had begun to rain earlier in the day, and it was wet & cold. And later in the afternoon, a couple leaders and a few girls had become lost when they went on a hike. They were going to meet the rest of their ward at a certain time, but they never showed. The camp became heavy with worry, and everything was suddenly put into perspective. It seems like every year you hear about scouts getting lost, and of course you feel badly for the lost scout and his family. But I've never really thought about the mood of the camp. Luckily, the leaders of the lost group were very wise, and they strategically found their way back to camp.
The Title of Liberty activity was held inside the lodge. Some of the leaders bore their testimonies, and President Butler spoke to us as well. It was a really special activity- I think partly because of the earlier events of the day.
Right before the activity we had the privilege of retiring one of the camp's worn United States flags. That is a special experience to have. Sister Watt was the camp director, and her son-in-law served in Iraq and helped with the ceremony. The girls really took the flag ceremonies serious, especially that last one. I learned a lot about the flag, and I think they did as well.
