Girl's Camp...Happily Ever After

I had the greatest opportunity to spend four days with the Young Women in my ward.  Girl's camp was a blast!! I laughed so hard that each night my abdomen was sore and aching.  I grew to love each of the Young Women as individuals.  It's funny how water fights, playing silly games, and singing silly camp songs bond people together.  I don't think I've ever been so drenched with water and happiness at the same time.  There is a certain innocence and purity found in these young girls.  Being around them lifts my spirits to heights I haven't been in a long time.  Do any of you Jr. High friends remember playing 9ers?  I taught the girls that game and they loved it!  And even though I won nearly every single game (mwa ha ha ha) the girls kept wanting to play.   

After complaining about my poor handwriting, I convinced the girls to decorate my camp shirt.  It was seriously the coolest in the camp!!  They nick-named me Mamma Anne, and so they wrote it on the back of my camp shirt.  : D

While we were decorating our camp shirts, one of the girls was fixing another girl's hair.  She decided to be funny and put the hair in a hideous bun.  We all choked laughing and before we knew it, all of us had crazy hair.  The girls didn't stop there.  When the secretary to the bishop arrived, the girls sat him down and put three tiny devil-like pony tails in his short hair.  I can't wait to show the pictures (I didn't have my camera there and I have much regrets of leaving it home).

This year our Girl's camp theme was "Happily Ever After."  The theme was based off of President Uchtdorf's talk to the Young Women entitled, "Your Happily Ever After."

The following is the link of Elder Uchtdorf's talk...
http://lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/your-happily-ever-after?lang=eng&query=happily+ever+after

Along with our theme, the girl's memorized a song that went with the theme. Below is the song...

The song is so poignant.  The lyrics are as follows, 

Once upon a time
A child was born into this life
Heaven could be seen in her eyes
There was no doubt she was divine
And if you are still you will feel the truth
That the princess in this wondrous story is you

[Chorus]
It’s your time
It’s your destiny to shine
So arise
Be true to the royal
That’s inside of you
Don’t settle for the story that
The world would have you write
You were born to reach eternal life
Let faith fill every chapter
Let the Savior lead you to
Happily ever after

Sometimes in your life
The world will cast a spell
And try to make your conscience fall asleep
And forget the woman God would have you be
But if you are still you will understand
The noble role you play in his plan

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
When the forests fills with darkness
And wolves seek your soul
Just know
You are simply in the place between
Your once upon a time and your triumph in the end

[Chorus]

As we sat around the camp fire during testimony meeting, I looked around at all the girl's faces.  The girl sitting next to me had her head on my shoulder and kept hugging me and saying, "I love you, Anne."  In this moment I truly felt like I was surrounded by royalty.  Princesses sat all around me and bore their testimonies of our King and Heavenly Maker.  Tears were shed and the fire crackled as we shared our beliefs of our Savior.  Each girl shed holy light brighter than any trophy or worldly figure.  They are truly noble, and I am proud to call them my sisters.  

In my heart of hearts I want them to know how much I love them.  I will constantly think and pray for these young princesses.  If there is one last thing I can tell them, it is that there is nothing greater than being married to a royal prince and sealed for eternity in a temple castle to live happily ever after.  

Today I taught the lesson about sacrifice to the Beehives of the Young Women.  We discussed what it meant to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  I started a list of things that we sacrifice to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Among the list was going to church for three hours every week.  A shy girl raised her hand and asked, "well, what if going to church is something I want to do?  I don't feel like it's a sacrifice."

I was literally stumped.  Feelings of guilt rushed into my heart.  I knew that it was truly the Young Women that were teaching me.  I looked at her and trembled, "that is exactly what it means to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit."  

She smiled and cheered, "sweet!"

I wanted to pause the moment.  For the last several months I have been cursing God for the trials He has sent to me. I have been so angry that He won't give us children.  I haven't even stopped to think about what "sacrifice" means.  I better learn how to sacrifice with a broken heart and contrite spirit or else I'll be a hypocrite.  After all, I am asking some girl some where to give me her baby to love and raise...and that is perhaps one of the greatest sacrifices a woman can do in this world.

Right now I do not feel excited and happy to say "I want to do the Lord's will."  However, I hope one day that I can follow the example of these young princesses which will ultimately lead me too my "happily ever after."