Girls camp photos

Pictures from Girls camp.

The sign for our Ward.

The Young Women Before we left for camp.

Janae shooting an bow and arrow.

my Journeys after math.

Learning to live by the spirit

So this last 7 months I have had an amazing calling at church that brought me out of my comfort zone.  I was our ward camp director.  I have never been the one in charge of girls camp.  It was a bit unreal.  So knowing me I took off with it in January.   I found some ideas to help me. Created things that was never used. (That's all good.)  But most important got to know some amazing leaders over the youth in our stake.  I don't like to tell anyone what to do or where to go.  I learned that you can ask someone to do something and they will actually do it with out  giving you grief about it.  Coming from doing FRG for over 13 yrs where some places you did everything pretty much on your own (like the unit Dave is in now.) And you couldn't rely on hardly anyone to help. 
Our youth of today are so special.  They love each other.  Lift each other up when another is down.  It is so amazing to watch now that I have a 13 almost 14 yr old.   Janae cares so much about other people and their feelings.  She tries to include everyone even the leaders.  I love her so much.

Now about girls camp can I just say wow!  After 5 months of prepping it turned out amazing.  Our Stake did an amazing job and our young women's  presidency for the stake and the ward also did an amazing job.  I feel like I didn't do enough for our Young women but they said I did amazing.  These young women as truly daughters of God.  They try to live the young women values and you can see it in their eyes.  Our ward has a great group of young women who hardly complained and accepted strangers into our ward.  We had 3 visitors for Girls camp. 1 non member, 2 members who were family members, one was a cousin to a Beehive and another is the Stake young women's presidents niece.   They did amazing.  It's not very easy to leave home and go some place with complete strangers.

During girls camp the ward young women's leader put the Bishop, 3 of our youth that were visiting and myself in the hot seat.  This is where the Young Women asked us questions about ourselves.   I was asked "who is your favorite 1st yr?"  I had to say I love you all the same.  Then I was asked "what was the hardest thing you have ever done?" Now that was hard.  I thought back to the time when Dave, Janae and I moved to Guam.  We had no family or friends there and Kendrick was born there.  That was one hard thing I knew they might understand.  I have been through several hard things.  Right now going through a hard time but didnt want them to know that at the time.

As I was there we had 1 youth who is amazingly talented.  She can play the guitar and sing.  She reminds me of my cousins Jordan,  and Kate.  How amazing they are.  Well the second day this Young woman felt home sick and was missing her family.  I gave her a hug and let the other leaders know and some of the girls.  Well that evening Sister Hammond asked her to play her guitar for us.  I think that was the best idea and to hear her sing and the other Young Women to sing alone was the best thing that happened.  We became a family.  The best memories I have camping is when we all sang together.  Not everyone will sing on key but everyone can enjoy singing.   Alex shined that evening.  That same evening Sister Hammond and I had the girls in our cabin tell us 2 of their favorite parts of the day.  It was amazing.

My favorite parts of that week were spending time with my daughter, getting to know our young women, and getting closer to the other Women in our stake and ward.  We had secret sisters as leaders along with the youth.  I had the Stake Young Women's president as my secret sister and I got to come to know her and love her even more and she is also in our ward.

One thing we are about to embark on is Dave getting ready to retire from the Army.  This brings a lot of unknowns for us.  I am so scared but Dave knows that this is where we need to be.  It's hard because of all the tension he has to deal with on a daily basis since we got here.  But I know it's the right thing to do at this moment.

We have gone to church for the last 7 months only missing days where I am sick or was doing FRG stuff.  No longer will I miss Church for the Army.  I quit the FRG for good, it was taking me to bad places that I didn't want to go and it was hurting my marriage in fact it still is taking its toll but we are working on this together. 

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a true church.  The prophets are following and are in touch with the Spirit.  I know that My Heavenly Father loves me and is always there for me even when I don't think he is there.  I know that my husband is a true priesthood holder even if he is working on taking our family to the temple to be sealed so we can be together forever.  I believe in forever families and I know someday mine will be one too.  I know I am a Daughter of God and that he loves me even when I am doing the wrong things.  I know how much he cares and loves everyone.  I am grateful for several Families in our ward who let us be who we are and didn't judge us which helped us come back to Church. Heavenly Father sent them to us.  Bishop Hammond has been an amazing Bishop and the Schiess family even though they left us behind are an amazing family too.  Roger Schiess told me while I was doing FRG stuff that if I went to church again maybe some blessing would come and Dave might get promoted.  Well the promotion didn't happen but so many other blessing happened.  My 10 yr old was baptized. My 8 yr old was also baptized this year.  I love how the love they gave us and didn't ask for anything in return helped us.  I love the Gospel and I am working on becoming more like Jesus.  Jesus is perfect and I am not.  I love my Heavenly Father and my family.  I have a testimony of blessing that come from going to church.  My dad got his Kidney after we went back to church last year.  I made some new friends that I know will be true friends.  It takes a lot of courage to admit you were wrong and go back to church.  I thought Heavenly Father abandoned me when we had issues and problems in Utah but he didnt.  He just was there but I wasn't willing to listen.  Now I am more willing to listen to be a better role model for my children.  Yes we had fun when didn't go to church but there is nothing like the feeling of the spirit when you are at church. 

This next Sunday we will have to miss because we will be heading to Family reunion for The Grahams.  It will be amazing to see all of Dave's Siblings in one place.   I miss being close to Laura and Jason.  I love them all so much.  I love them as much as I love my own siblings.  When we told the kids we had to miss church they got upset.  I think we may have to go to a different ward before we head out just for Sacrament meeting. 

Well it's time to get kids up and moving for the day.