GIRLS CAMP

I spent last week at girls camp and both myself and my family survived! Thank you to Melissa, Ali and Jen for watching my kids while I was gone (and of course Dan). What a fun experience it was to be away for a few days and gain a stronger testimony of the gospel. I had the privilege of working with the youth leaders in the stake, these are all 4th,5th and 6th year girls. We went a so-called overnight hike the first night and just walking through the trees made me wonder if this was what the sacred grove looked like when Joesph Smith knelt down in prayer. I could imagine the light shining through the trees and peace he must of felt when our Father in Heaven and His Son personally appeared to him. The scenery on this hike was needless to say, amazing! Due to no tents and much wildlife around we hiked back down the mountain and the girls all slept under the pavilion. (Good thing, because it rained that night)

The following day we had the opportunity to go canoeing! I have always had a small fear of canoeing, because I didn't want to tip over. Well that fear is now gone because, sure enough Jodi Pierce, Rachel Cazier and I were the first ones on the lake to tip over! The canoe landed right on top of us. The initial shock of the water was cold, other than that we just laughed. After we got out the water, I realized how heavy my jeans were being soaked to the bone. It only took about 5 hours to dry out. Later that afternoon I facilitated one of the ropes course activities for the youth leaders. I loved doing this because we got to bring the gospel into each scenario and how we can use it in our daily lives.

One of the great things about girls camp is you get to be silly and sing a lot of silly songs. For our Wednesday night performance, the stake leaders did a rendition of "I hope they call me on a mission," western style. We made huge belt buckles and chaps, I even made a stick pony for the event. I think we thought we were funnier than we actually were.

Every morning and evening we would gather as a stake to do a devotional and flag ceremony. During this event all members have role call. Each ward makes up a chant to let everyone know they are present! The stake even got in on the action. My favorite chant was to the tune of Toby Keith's song "I Wanna Talk About Me." Here is our version:

Wanna talk about me
Wanna talk about I
Wanna talk about number one stake camp leaders
What we think
What we like
What we know
What we want
What we see
I like talkin' about young women usually
But occasionally THEY DRIVE ME CRAZY!

I conducted the morning devotional on Wednesday morning. The theme for the day was 'I know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world and that He died for me.' I shared the following story, which touches me every time I read it.

THE BRIDGE

There was a sizable turn bridge which spanned a major river. During most of the day the bridge sat with its length running up and down the river parallel with the banks, allowing ships to pass through freely on both sides of the bridge. At certain times each day, a train would come along, and the bridge would be turned sideways across the river allowing the train to cross. The bridge was just wide enough for a train to cross it.

A switch man sat in a small shack on one side of the river where he operated the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as the train crossed. One evening as the switch man was waiting for the last train of the day to come, he looked off into the distance through the dimming twilight , and caught sight of the trains light. He stepped to the controls and waited until the train was within the prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. He turned the bridge into position, but to his terror he found the locking control didn't work. If the bridge was not locked securely into position it would wobble back and forth at the ends, causing the train to jump the track and go crashing into the river. This would be a passenger train with many people aboard.

He left the bridge turned across the river, and hurried across to the other side where there was a lever which he could use to operate the lock manually. He would have to hold the lever back firmly as the train passed. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he took hold of the lever and leaned backward to apply his weight to it, locking the bridge. He kept applying the pressure to keep the mechanism locked. Many lives depended on his strength.

Then, coming across the bridge form the direction of his control shack, he heard a sound which made his blood run cold! "Daddy, Daddy, where are you?" His four year old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child, "Run, Run!," but the train was too close. The tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. The man almost left the lever to run and snatch up his son and carry him to safety, but he realized he could not get back to the lever in time. Either the people on the train or his little son must die.

He took just a moment to make his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on its way, and no one aboard was ever aware of the time broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the onrushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the lever long after the train had passed.

They didn't see him walking home more slowly than he had ever walked to tell his wife how he had sacrificed their son.

Now, if you can comprehend the emotions which went through this man's heart, you can perhaps begin to understand the feelings of our Heavenly Father when He sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life.

Can there be any wonder why he caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when his Son died? And how does He feel when we speed along through life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus Christ?

I have a testimony of this gospel. I know Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, because we can be redeemed through him. He suffered not only for our sins, but for our sorrows and our fears. The third article of faith states: We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. I know that by doing our part and by making proper decisions we can have eternal life, with our families and our Father in Heaven.
I was able to take part in the 10th wards testimony meeting on Wednesday evening and was truly touched by these young girls testimonies. They are remarkable young women and my hope is that Madison will have good, strong friends as she enters the young women's program in the next two years. I am very blessed to be a part of Country Crossing 10th Ward. I love the neighborhood and friendships my family has made over the past four years. Like the song says "It feels like home to me."

I am grateful I had the opportunity to go to girls camp and for the opportunity I had to have my faith and testimony increase.