Jennifer M., Rachel W. me, Erin Mc, Ashley M., Tricia, Connie, Hannah, Katie, Emily, Chelsea J., Rachel's friend why can't I think of her name?, Andrea, Christina C., Mandy, Eliza
I am going to post this on Facebook, because a number of the people in this photo are on FB. But I wanted to reflect a bit on the whole Girls' Camp experience I had for 15 years.
From the time Phoebe was almost 12 and was going to be allowed to go to camp, until Hannah's last year before college, I went along to Girls' Camp. Once I was in charge of cooking - that was hard. Many times I was in charge of crafts - once I got a system going, it was not a hard job. You just had to monitor the girls and keep the brushes clean!! (Thank you Magnusson girls for knowing this lesson so well!!)
Sometimes I was in the YW Presidency in my ward. For 4 years I was the YW President. A few times I was in the Stake YW Presidency. Always I was someone's - Phoebe, Eliza, or Hannah - mom. Often I went along as Aunt Barbara, because my nieces came along. Always I was Sister Terrill.
We went to Cachuma Lake, we went to Catalina, we went to Big Bear. We went to places I can't remember the names of - but one of them was near Valencia and it was awful - hot, bees, bears, conflicts with girls and women!!
Always it was a task to get ready - shopping, packing, loading up the car, driving to the location.
Always it was a task to go home - packing, loading up the car, driving home - some years in terrible traffic that made you curse the fact that you'd ever heard of Girls' Camp! (And why were there only traffic jams on the way home?)
I would not trade the memories and experiences of those 15 years for anything. I really wish I'd kept a journal. While sorting through photos, I've come across my girls' camp photos - but they don't reveal much. (It would probably have helped if I'd labeled them immediately after getting them developed!)
Always I got to know the sisters there better - and it was a blessing. Always I came to love the girls - even the difficult ones. Always I enjoyed the lack of the 3 Ms - you know, make-up, mirrors and men!! Always I wept at the testimony meeting and had hope that the spirit would linger longer for some girls.
The first year I didn't go, I was sure I'd feel a void or a lack of some kind. But I didn't. Camp has changed quite a bit from what I hear. If the change had occurred incrementally while I was going, I probably would have handled it just fine. Now I just say, upon hearing what they don't do anymore, "Oh, that's too bad. That was the best part of camp."
So if you have a YW age daughter, and they ask you to go to camp, be sure to say yes. You'll be glad you did.
And if you read this, and want to share a camp memory, please do so - we need to keep the love alive!!
6 comments:
i was supposed to go to girls camp for friday/saturday last week, but for many reasons (including the derecho that blasted through dc, the record 100+ heat wave, and our two attending girls being exhausted and complaining and going home early) i didn't end up going. it made me a little nostalgic for my own girls camp experiences, because our stake's camp is COMPLETELY different. it's much more regimented, longer, and just not really focused on the fun that camp can be. anyway, i have good memories of arcadia stake camps.
also, rachel's friend is taryn dudek.
also also, our stake doesn't allow shorts at camp. even in 100+ weather. SERIOUSLY?
I have not had much luck with camping lately. But I did always love girls camp. And am so glad you were always there with is.
With us, not with is.
I love camp, and have been blessed to go many times as an adult. This will be my 5th year of going to camp with Sarah. Two of those years I was ward camp director, but this year I am once again going as "Sarah's mom". My sad thing about camp is that the only year I went with Emily was her last year-she had already graduated and she was a jr adult leader that year. I wish I had had more years with her. But for some reason it just didn't work out (probably because I was not a camp leader or a YW leader during that time period.)
I kept thinking of Taryn's sister's name - which is Hannah!! Thanks for the reminder.
Much of what I hear is how camp is so much more controlled and regimented - I'm sure there are good reasons - but above all the girls' needs must be the most important factor.
The whole shorts thing - well, there seem to be two camps - and it seems as if "never the twain shall meet!"
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