My calling as Stake YW president has been a rollercoaster ride. We hit a lot of notes after the multi-stakeholder dance last summer when Jenna Sharp was hit by a car and passed away. My presidency wanted to end on a high note. We asked to not be released so we could plan one more stakeholder YW camp and end on a high note. I felt very good about this decision because I really had wrestled with asking to be released when my clinical rotations started. After praying about it, I didn't feel good about being released.
We asked the stake camp director if she would like to be released or help with camp one more time. She was very prayerful about it and ultimately decided she wanted to help. There were multiple check-ins with her from October through February, and she remained on board. Unfortunately, that all changed in April. She decided to step down due to her mental health and her family's needs. This was very overwhelming to me, and I was so stressed and frustrated. I immediately wanted a camp assistant to step in as president, but neither assistant said they could. Both assistants said they could still help, but couldn't step in to take it all on. Then I wanted to call a new camp director. I made a list of sisters who could step in. I didn't feel good about anyone on the list. I went to the temple with my parents, prayed about it, and felt that my presidency needed to step in and take it on. We needed to divide and conquer. My presidency supported that decision. Everyone took on responsibilities. Jeanne-Marie took on the sweatshirts and decorations. Nicole took on cabin assignments. Megan took on small tasks like name tags for the stake cabin. The camp assistants each stepped up and helped plan the night activities and rotations. It was very stressful and a lot of work. I made the schedule and kept communication going. I helped plan rotations and the nightly activities.
We went to the temple together on a Saturday night, a week before camp, to have heavenly help. It was such a neat experience and very special to me.
ChatGPT helped me design the slideshow for the camp kick-off. I received so much information for camp kick-off. It was so amazing to be guided and directed through the whole process. It was so nerve-racking to get up in front of parents and young women of the stake and go over camp, but I did it. It all went as well as I hoped.
Megan was busy getting a missionary ready, so I made these for the stake cabin, and then she added string to them.
We had a YCL camp kick-off on the Sunday before camp. Payton gave an awesome devotional. Then the girls helped make the watercolor painting kits. They also got to make their Always beaded keychain. It was a fun activity, and it was good to get to know everyone and spend time with them.
My ward was so great to work with. The leaders took good care of my girls. It was a really great experience. I went to camp early with the stake YCLs. My girls came up an hour or two later with our ward. It was fun greeting wards as they rolled into camp. Everything went really smoothly as we unpacked and settled in. I conducted the opening meeting and was so nervous, but it went well. I did a positive visualization activity. It was one I learned from a BYU football coach who spoke at a youth fireside. Coach Jay Hill had everyone stand up and face forward. Then we kept our feet planted and turned the upper half of our body with our right hand extended, to see how far we could turn with our feet planted. Then we turned back and faced the front. Then he told us to visualize ourselves turning farther than we had before. Then we tried the exercise again, and there was an audible gasp from everyone as we all turned way farther than we had first. It was so cool. So I had the girls at camp stand up and do this exercise. Then I shared how James taught us to have a positive attitude and to say "I get to" instead of "I have to." I encouraged everyone to have a positive attitude while at camp so they could get the most out of it. During the week, it was fun hearing girls say I get to instead of I have to.
The rotations took place on Monday and Tuesday. We had soap whittling, embroidery, watercolor, and beaded keychains. The YCLs were so helpful in leading the rotations. That allowed me to walk around to each one.
The first night, we had a game night. I was so nervous about it, but my presidency and the assistants really came through and helped. The younger assistants, Payton and Molly, were the hosts, and that really took some stress off. The girls seemed to love the games.
My ward had Hi Fit in the pavilion on the second morning. Anyone was welcome to join. They had a good time.
I took this at the embroidery rotation. It was so fun to be there with my girls!
On the second night, we had Singing in the Trees at the amphitheater, then went to the Light Walk. The singing was so beautiful and the perfect lead-in to the Light Walk. The Light Walk was amazing. It was my own personal journey with the Savior. It was really spiritual and emotional. Everyone wrote down a trial or difficult thing in their life, and they were hung along the sides of a walkway under black light. It felt dark and heavy. Then we learned about how the Savior atoned for us and helps us through. He doesn't remove our trials, but he helps us through them. Then we wrote down what the Savior would say to us in our trial. They were hung on the sides of a lit walkway that felt so light and positive. It was so special, and I am so grateful I got to go.
We took these while we waited for our turn to go through the Walk.
The wards each took turns going to a low ropes course, high ropes course, tomahawk toss, and the lake. I got to see our ward at the Tomahawk Toss and high ropes course.
Lynnlee on the left and Sienna on the right.
Lynnlee had most of her friends' group at camp. It was so fun to sit by these girls at meals.
The lake was on the last day. That night, we had Bishop Olympics and a testimony meeting. Jeanne-Marie was in charge of that, and she did an awesome job! The testimony meeting was so spiritual. It was so nice and comforting to go with my ward. It totally made up for two years ago.
There were a lot of emotions knowing this was our last hurrah for our presidency. I love these women so much.
I had my kids carve soap so I could have examples to show the girls. I knew it would help and give them direction with whittling their own bars of soap. My kids and I really got into it and enjoyed carving soap one weekend.
We came home Thursday morning. It was a great week. There really is such a special spirit at Heber Valley Camp. I was so grateful for a wonderful week with nothing bad happening there.
Side note: on the last day, we got news that Sister Ott was out for a run and was hit by a car while crossing Pioneer Crossing. The car ran a red light and hit her while traveling at 50 mph. She was being life-flighted to IMC. We were at the high course, and we stopped what we were going, and all said a prayer. You could feel the spirit so strongly. It was so emotional but also so spiritual. Thankfully, after a few hours, we found out she was going to be ok, and she only had a broken leg, some broken ribs, a concussion, and a small brain bleed, but they weren't worried about it at all. It was totally a miracle. Wow! So something bad did happen back home, not at camp. Thank goodness!
We had a camp recap about a month after. It was actually the Tuesday after being released, so it was the perfect way to say goodbye to the old presidency and welcome the new one. We had a slide show and movie treats. It was stressful leading up to it, but Michelle Stradling took on the movie treats. My neighbors had a screen and a projector, and they let us borrow it. Marshall helped me with setup and cleanup, and it went well. I felt so much relief when the activity was over, and I knew I was released and could hand everything over to the new president.
