Oh the places I'll Camp!

I feel blessed to serve with amazing woman and have another year of girl’s camp under my belt.  I don’t love it yet I’m not a camper but this year I didn’t have an anxiety attack so I am making progress.  Next year Rianne will be coming how crazy is that?  The theme this year was Oh the places you’ll stand to go with the Young women’s theme of “Stand ye in holy places and be not moved”.  It was a beach theme and It was an inspiring and reflective week for me. 

On the hike Bishop took us to a canyon that is a beautiful sight but stopped the youth just before the tree line breaks to see it and us leaders went on to look at it we took pictures and came back to show the girl’s.  They were disappointed they wanted to see it for themselves.  Bishop gave a great parallel of Lehi’s dream.  

I was asked to finish skit night with a reading of “Oh the places you’ll go”  by Dr. Seuss.  How could I top a cross dressing sasquatch, Debbie Do-lee or a fire walker?  It was fun to get “scared right out of my pants” 

 I ended by trying to tie in the beach theme with the poem footprints in the sand.  I then reflected on last time I was at girl’s camp I got the call that my brother’s wife had passed away.  I shared this with the girls

 “That was 2 years ago and at the time I thought it was so unfair.  My brother has some limitations…well what the world considers limitations, he doesn’t fit in, he is weird.  He sees the world different and they see him as different.  My parents were told he would never live on his own and he would never be able to maintain relationships.  Here he had overcome all the odds went places no one thought he could go, served a mission, He had a family a secure job etc.  I questioned why him, he still has post-it notes to tell him to comb his hair.  He is extremely smart but socially and emotionally unaware.  Why would God ask him to travel this road, alone with 2 teenagers to raise?  At the viewing his children we’re too distort to even stand in the family line.  So there next to the casket ALONE stood my brother.  When my mom went up to stand by him she told him “I can stand here with you so you don’t have to be alone” He quietly said mom I have never been alone.  When my mom returned to her seat and shared this with us we looked up to see Christ perfectly placed standing next to my brother in the picture that hung in the back of the room.  I had no idea what the Lord had in store for my brother Oh how far he has come.            

Girls:












You will see the path differently than the world and they will think you are weird too.  In your most trying time will also come those moments of clarity.  Those moments will make up who you are where you’ll go and where you stand.  Stand ye in Holy places right?   

In D&C 68:6 Wherefore be of good cheer and do not fear for I the Lord am with you and will stand by you.  I testify that he will stand by you I would add he can also carry you.  Oh girls the places you can and will go with Him!  

The next night each leader brought shoes with a story, these leaders knocked my socks off.  Kathryn may not like monkeys but gave a great story of being in someone else's shoes.  Sister Travis also gave a great story using the scriptures.  Diane used Uchtdorf's talk about walking in circles.  Jolan brought baby shoes and talked about her mom.  I was uplifted and inspired, so blessed to serve with such incredible woman.  I even learned some Navajo words and laughed late into the night, I shot a bow and popped a balloon, and got the girls to eat sand! 

Oh the fun I had.