Young Women's Camp 2026 was AMAZING! It is truly such an incredible experience to be a part of something bigger than yourself. It is a time of love multiplied, unity and friendship built, talents shared, and testimonies grown and strengthened. It is an experience where you get a glimpse of heaven and what Zion is really all about. We built the kingdom of God for this week, and it was an honor and privilege to be a part of it.
Our ward always loves to kick off camp week with a fun high adventure activity. We went to navigate a ropes course and flew high on the zip lines at High Trek Adventure. I love seeing the young women work together, cheer each other on, and help one another navigate fears and challenging obstacles. We can do hard things! I kept telling myself this and the other leader that came with me since I took us on some of the hardest obstacles on the course. Our legs were shaking and we were hanging on for dear life. There were moments when we didn't think we could accomplish the task at hand, but we did it and our bodies and mind are stronger than we give them credit for.
At the end, we had a group huddle and talked about how this course represents the gospel of Jesus Christ. The girls talked about trusting God, holding onto the iron rod, relying on each other, prayer, and knowing that we each took different paths, but we all ended up in the same destination. You truly can relate anything to the gospel if you just take a moment to look and ponder. God is everywhere and God is good! It was a great way to start off our week with some ward bonding time.
Wednesday bright and early, everyone gathered at my house to get all the gear loaded up into cars. My van was filled with all the gear, so it was a nice quiet ride to camp for me and I loved it. I got to listen to Inklings and listen to the Strive to Be album (which is SO good!) and it just got me in the right mind set for camp. We arrive and had some time to set up cabin, get to know our cabins, eat our lunch that we brought from home, and wander around camp to see all the fun Princess and the Frog decorations before our first roll call to kick off a great week.
Then it was time for free time, and I was assigned for the first hour to be at the river. I'm so glad I was there during that time because the water was freezing cold and so there were hardly any girls that went down the river the second hour. I loved cheering them on and encouraging them to go down the river even though I had no intention of getting in. :) I loved being there so I could take lots of fun pictures with so many funny faces of shock from the cold. There was lots of screaming and laughter!
Then after free time, the girls had some self-care time where they can shower, relax, or do crafts. As a cabin mentor, we just get assigned to different areas and rotate every hour so there is an adult presence pretty much everywhere in camp. It is nice to sit in visit with women in the stake. I have loved doing this over the years because you get to know new people and hear their stories. There are so many good people in this world and I'm grateful for the women here that I get to serve around.
Then the young women do what they call "Meet the Brethren" games. We have a group of men that are there is help in any way and it is amazing and they do so much for us. At this activity, they plan some fun games, and it allows the girls to see their fun side and make them comfortable around them so they can go to them if needed. I really didn't know what the games were, but it was so much fun to watch from the sideline and take lots of pictures. The girls had so much fun!
Then we had dinner and the food is always a favorite amongst the girls. We have a group of women that are our cooks for the entire time and they feed us well! The food is always amazing and SO good! Then we had our evening roll call with some camp songs, retiring the flag, minute to win it games, announcements, and getting prepped for skit night.
Skit night is always so fun and super goofy and silly. Each cabin gets a garbage bag filled with props and costumes and they have to use everything in their bag. They also get a phrase that has to be used in their 3-5 minute skit. As a cabin mentor, we pretty much just sit back and watch the silliness. It allows for any walls to come down and for the girls to just have fun and be silly together. The girls come up with the funniest things, and it is always entertaining to watch.
I was super impressed with my first years! There were some nerves first thing this morning, but they completely embraced it all and had so much fun.
Then because of weather and this night being the clearest, the schedule got moved around a bit and we ended up doing smores and star gazing this first evening. We had a really good message to start off with just the absolute wonder of the Earth that we live on and look up. Look up to God and see His majesty. Then all the girls laid out on the field, and we learned about some different constellations and the stories behind them. It was a nice way to quiet the girls down on this first, exciting night of camp.
Thursday morning, bright and early, those that were brave enough do the polar plunge. This year we did it in the river so the girls could either float a small section or just dunk themselves in the water. I was there to cheer on and take pictures!
These three or just peas in a pod the entire time at camp. They have such a fun and silly relationship and bring such a fun side out in each other. They love being together and it was fun to be their cabin mentor.
The young women started the day off with a service project and learning rotations. The service project was writing cards to children's hospital, veterans, and retirement homes. They also did a diamond dot during this time for a surprise they got to see on Friday. The learning rotations were learning a fun camp game, making ice cream in a bag, and learning about some animals and tracks that are hear in the Pacific Northwest.
Then it was free time after lunch, and everyone went down to the lake. We spent two whole hours down there and they can paddle board, canoe, or kayak in the lake, do mini golf, a zip line, pickleball, or the top favorite thing to do is go on the slip and slide. We all load up in trailers and in the back of pickup trucks to go down and it is so much fun and lots of loud singing of camp songs.
I was assigned to watch over the slip and slide during the second hour we were there so that's when I got lots of fun pictures!
Then the girls had self-care time when we got back, dinner and spiritual rotations. The spiritual rotation topics were spiritual resilience, self-worth, and callings for women in the church. They were so good! I know there were things that I loved hearing and I know that it touched the girls. There is such hope in the gospel!
Then to end the evening, we did another favorite of the girls, HOOPLA! It is just a fun dance party and there is so much energy! This year we did it in a barn and it added a different atmosphere. There was dancing in the barn and snow cones and other treats just outside. It was so much fun, and it was just a party!
Friday was a day filled with fun and so many spiritual highs. We started the day off with the faith walk. I was asked to be in charge of this, and it was a labor of love and a time where I rely on the Spirit, faith, and trust in God more than I have on a lot of things that I have done for a church assignment. My biggest prayer was that there was at least one thing that would touch each of the young women during the whole thing. I want to do a separate blog post with all the details for this because I want to record it and remember it. It turned out so good! It was such a sweet experience, and I put my whole heart into this. I cried more at this than at any other thing and it was such a special thing to watch and be a part of.
Then the girls had lunch and free time. Most of the girls did crafts and this was the one day they could do the rock climbing. I wasn't assigned down at the climbing wall, so I didn't get any pictures, but I heard they had so much fun. It was a cooler day, so most girls didn't go in the river, but I did have one brave young women that did it!
Then the girls had solo time where they get about an hour to read a letter from home, have a conference talk to read, and can study their scriptures and it just a really good time to connect with God in nature. Then in the evening, all the Bishops came up, and we got to eat dinner as a ward and then have ward time. I love these girls SO much! I had the impression to write them each a letter the day before camp and I'm so glad I got to share that with them. I also shared some thoughts about the promises made to covenants children of God (You are mine! You are not alone! I know you! I have not forgotten you! I intend to bring you home!) I shared a little that I am getting released at the end of the summer and the girls all said a big NO! I know how they feel! I tried not to think about it too much while I was at camp, but I wanted the girls to know how much I loved them and even after I get released that I want to still be a part of their lives. They are such a sweet group of girls whom I love with all my heart.
Then we ended with a fun roll call with the Bishops that then led into such a sweet testimony meeting. The beautiful diamond dot was revealed right before, and I always love the audible gasp with it. It was the perfect thing to have on stage right next to the young women that was bearing their testimony. Our stake president started off the meeting with sharing what a testimony is and asked us to take a minute to say a prayer in our heart for the rain to hold off as long as we needed (it had been sprinkling a little bit beforehand) and that we would fill the Spirit. Then we had such a sweet and Spirit filled testimony meeting. So many of the young women shared about how God answers prayers, that He loves each of us so much, that He knows what we are going through and has helped them during challenging time, one young women shared that God doesn't call the qualified but He qualifies the called, and then another young women shared that she had been watching a snail and how slow it was and her words were a dumb little snail but how we can be the same thing where we can be slow when it comes to spiritual things but God created us for a purpose and will help us even on our slow path to becoming like Him. It was such a sweet testimony meeting, and the young women truly pour forth love in this setting and I'm so grateful that I get to witness it. Their testimonies strengthened mine! And the rain held off and started misting again once we were all done and our stake president got up at the end and asked again that we pause a say a prayer in our hearts of gratitude that the rain held off, and our prayer was answered and that we felt the Spirit. It was such a sweet experience, and we saw an answer to prayer!
Friday was a late night since it was the last night of camp! Saturday was pack up, eat breakfast, and our final roll call of camp. It always goes by way too fast but is always an experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I loved camp as a young women and it helped build my testimony of the gospel and it is just as good or even better as an adult leader. I get to witness such love and testimony and love for each other and the gospel that I don't get to see anywhere else. God is SO good!
