I’m so excited to share with you some of my thoughts and experiences from this year’s Girls Camp. If you’re unfamiliar with what that is, you can read a general overview that I wrote about it here and you can also read about my experience from last year’s camp here.

Each year, our church has a scriptural theme for our youth (ages 12-17) and this years theme was James 1:5-6, which reads: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.”  Because that has been our theme the whole year, we decided to have that be our camp theme, as well, because it’s such an important piece of doctrine. (Read more about why these specific verses are important to our church here.) But really, this scripture teaches us so much, and is so important to learn about. God wants us to ask Him, He wants to give us truth as He knows it! Isn’t that amazing?

I’m planning on sharing (a lot) more thoughts on this with you at a later date, because I’m reading some books that really talking about faith and asking and my thoughts call for a long and in depth post about what I’ve learned this summer, but I did want to just share a little about camp with you, especially now it’s been more than a month since camp.

Camp was so amazing this year. Our girls were all helpful and kind to each other, and there wasn’t much drama. We played at the lake, enjoyed some amazing devotionals, had a fun lip-sync night, ate good food, had went to a play, went on a hike around another lake, and just spent time getting to know each other better. That’s what camp is really all about – spending time with our girls outside of a church setting and really getting to know them. Their strengths and weaknesses and personalities. It’s amazing to feel of their spirit’s throughout the week, and get a small look into their lives.

The last night of camp is usually the time when we have someone come and speak to the girls, followed by a testimony meeting. This year, we were blessed to have the amazing Jensen Parrish Hall. A few years ago, while Jensen and her brother Ian were serving missions, her parents and two other brothers passed away in their house from carbon monoxide poisoning. (See a news story from that time here.) It was a terrible tragedy, and all over the news. Since this awful event, Jensen has used her newfound “fame” to share her experiences with others, to encourage them that they are not alone, no matter what happens, and that God has a plan for each and every one of us.

As she shared her experiences, her thoughts, and her testimony, my heart was so full, and I felt the Spirit so strongly. God does love us, and He does care for us, even when (and especially when) things go wrong. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has felt our anguish, our fears, our disappointments, and He will come to us at our time of need. I have such a strong testimony of this principle, and I hope that you do, too, or if you don’t, that you gain one.

I feel so blessed and humbled to be able to work with these amazing young women, as well as the women who are my co-leaders. They are beautiful and strong and amazing and continue to teach me so much. Girls Camp 2017 was a wonderful experience, and I’m already looking forward to next year.