The Larsen Family: Girls' Camp Shanghai

On Saturday, Sept 10^th John got a phone call that a member of the district presidency wanted to come over and talk to us. The district Young Women president had moved over the summer so I was feeling nervous. He came over at 10pm and extended the call to be the district YW president. I said, “Yes.” A change of heart is a real thing – because a week earlier I had told John that I felt sorry for whomever they were going to call to that position. Mostly I was nervous because girls’ camp was on the calendar for October 14^th and 15^th and nothing had been planned for it. And I don’t camp! The next five weeks I spent preparing girls’ camp. Our district has five branches; three of those branches have young women (a total of 34 girls). I was given a counselor in the Shanghai branch (Julie Wardle), and the young women presidents were very helpful. I could not have done camp without John’s help!

I used the theme that my sister-in-law’s stake had used that summer – B.O.O.T Camp (Building Our Own Testimonies). Some of the highlights were camp skits, horse back riding, a testimony hike, certification (on first aid, fires and knots) tin foil dinners and hot chocolate, t-shirts and dog tags, and the testimony meeting Saturday night by the camp fire. It was a success. The greatest highlight for me was having John and Emma there! I love serving in Young Women!