{Testimony Bonfire} A Girl's Camp Devotional

Before testimony meeting at Girl's Camp, the leaders gave a brief devotional on creating and maintaining a "Testimony Bonfire." This lesson was based upon this conference talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in October of 1992. He opens with the following story...

Many years ago, large packs of wolves roamed the countryside in Ukraine, making travel in that part of the world very dangerous. These wolf packs were fearless. They were not intimidated by people nor by any of the weapons available at that time. The only thing that seemed to frighten them was fire. Consequently, travelers who found themselves away from cities developed the common practice of building a large bonfire and keeping it burning through the night. As long as the fire burned brightly, the worlves stayed away. But if it were allowed to burn out and die, the wolves would move in for an attack. Travelers understood that building and maintaining a roaring bonfire was not just a matter of convenience or comfort; it was a matter of survival.

Elder Wirthlin relates this story to the importance of building and maintaining a testimony of the Lord, to avoid the attacks of Satan {wolves}. He states that we are all vulnerable to attack, and that we must protect ourselves through our burning testimony which we must build adequately and maintain carefully.

I was charged with creating a handout/s'more kit with components that would tie into the devotional. Each Leader, including myself, spoke briefly about the steps to building and maintaining a bonfire, using a part of the s'more kit for reference as well as quotes from the conference talk.

I also included a small bottle of water in the kit to represent "sin." Sin can quickly extinguish the Holy Spirit in our hearts, like water on the fire. Overall, I think this was a powerful and meaningful lesson for the girls. The Spirit was felt so strongly and the testimony meeting that followed really touched my heart. With so much media attention surrounding the LDS church regarding the Ordain Women Movement, it was comforting to know that these young girls have built their {testimony foundation} and are working hard to maintain their {spiritual bonfire}.

{One Kit... showing front and back view}

Testimony Bonfire Labels {click for pdf}

Build S'More Testimony Inserts {click for pdf}

Girls Camp 2014

Some how, I convinced my mom that YW Girls Camp just wasn't for me growing up. I never went as a youth. So naturally, it was the thing I feared most when I was called to be a leader in the Young Women program at our church. Which, lucky for Brielle, meant that she got to come before she actually turned 12.

As it turns out, I can handle girls camps and all the crazy fun things that happen there. I created some amazing relationships with our Young Women, proved that even though I'm not a camper, I know how to camp, and that even in the worst of weather, you can still have a good time.

I also learned that when in doubt, just pack double of everything and hope that's all you'll need.

Due to rain and snow {yes, I said snow}, we spent a good amount of time playing games in the {heated} bathrooms. Unsanitary? Yes. But comfort calls for desperate measures sometimes.

Turns out Subaru's aren't just made for hippies and Democrats. For the conservative Mormon church leader, it converts nicely into the comfiest of beds. Disclaimer... it was a little creepy being off on my own, in the dark. I kept waiting to be awoken by some sort of prank. And my suspicions proved correct, though it wasn't a prank. It was a sick daughter than needed to be taken to the bathroom. My heart literally stopped when she tapped on the window.

The clouds cleared, the sun came out and we headed to Bear Lake for some Raspberry Shakes and some water fun. It was the perfect way to conclude our week long adventure.

 Also, I'd love a paddle board. It was a huge hit!

 

And to those who doubted my abilities to make it home? Clearly, I've survived to tell about it.

Spring Recital

I am amazed at the talent this girl has! Now that it's summer, she practices in the morning while I'm at work, so I rarely get to hear her play. And she plays beautifully! But just like her mama, her nerves get the best of her and she stresses about performances a lot. Though she doesn't need to.

I snapped this cute pic on our way to her Spring recital. She was "air-practicing" the fingering for her piece. So cute!

Isn't she beautiful???

Lacrosse

I don't understand it. It is a sport with more complicated rules than I'll ever be able to follow. But it's one of the funnest sports to watch! Brielle decided to get involved this summer with her friends and had a fantastic experience!

 

Games took us all over the northern part of the state every Saturday for 6 weeks, but it was a lot of fun! At the end of the season, 3 girls from each team were selected to play in an All-Star Match in Salt Lake. Because of the effort Brielle put into supporting her team and learning the sport, she was one of the three chosen from our team.

 

I hope she looks for opportunities to improve this skill and continues to play. I'll never understand the game completely, but I'll be her biggest cheerleader!

6th Grade Star

Brielle really shined during her 6th grade year. I could have done without some of the tears and fights over homework and schedules, but I really am proud of all her hard work and effort.

Breakfast of Champions: awards were given to students who have received and maintained a 4.0 GPA during the school year.

This was the photo text I received from Chris. I was in Washington DC for work meetings when this special day took place.

School Awards Ceremony: awards were given for achievements during the school year. Brielle received the Math Champ, Math Achiever, Honor Roll & Citizenship awards.

 

She raced across the stage so quickly, I didn't get a good picture. That girl doesn't like to be the center of attention and will get up and down just as fast as is possible for her.

The first year of middle school was not easy and juggling a schedule that included sports and music made it all the more difficult. But my sweet girl stuck it out and did what she needed to do and I couldn't be more proud!