And the heavens opened....

This last week was our church's young women camp. We were at a new location as we had outgrown Camp Peine where we'd gone the previous 4 years. So new location, new traditions to make, new territory to explore. The biggest difference is the waterfront area. Camp Peine is on the Pend Oreille River. Camp Zion is on the Little Spokane River which IS little as it goes through Camp Zion.

There will be bugs(literally-the bees can be agressive) to work out, but I really like Camp Zion. I'm also more of a lazy river kind of girl than a swiftly moving river kind of girl so water-wise, Camp Zion is my cup of tea!

It was very hot the beginning of the week and there were girls and leaders that had heat issues. I helped someone get help and in turn someone helped me before I got to the point that I needed nursing kind of help. It's that light complexion of mine. Even when I'm not overheated it LOOKS like I'm overheated; but in this case I WAS getting overheated so glad that my friend intervened. It was coming on so fast...I THOUGHT I was drinking enough, etc... While I'm not glad that I experienced some of the early warning signs of heat issues, I am thankful that now I can RECOGNIZE when it's coming on in myself and others. That knowledge may come in handy this next week when we do the youth handcart pioneer trek.

Camp ended up ending early. The heavens crashed, thundered, lit up and poured torrential rain on us Thursday evening just after 7:00 PM. The decision was made to send the girls home and end camp a half day early. There was a lot of rushing around trying to take advantage of the remaining daylight. Our stake leaders called the bishops from each ward and arranged for drivers to come get the girls and their gear. After helping the girls get situated, we loaded up our personal gear and worked on striking the camp as best we could.

I rode back to Liberty Lake with Jenna Lake and we got to the stake building at midnight. There were just a few people left there as the girls parents had already picked them up. I was home and in bed just after 1:00 AM.

It was very interesting to see how the girls/young women reacted...Some of the younger girls were frightened by the thunder/lightning. Other girls comforted them. We sang hymns and songs and I threw in some comic relief when I showed up in my "rain gear"--a gallon sized ziploc bag opened up on one side as my bonnet-fastened with a safety pin and still faintly smelling of the cooked chicken it had once held (I wore it inside out so my hair wouldn't smell like chicken) and a clear garbage bag with head and armholes.

The YCLs (youth camp leaders) and the adult Level Leaders met with the camp leadership to hammer out the details. I requested that this year's 4th level help choose songs etc. as they will be NEXT years YCLs. I could almost literally see them square their shoulders and step up to the plate figuratively speaking. I spoke to one of them later and she said that what I had observed was true in her point of view. It was a changing of the guard.

Back home I've been going through the items that were in the Lost and Found. If there's one thing I would preach to people it would be...MARK YOUR ITEMS!!! There are only a handful of things that have been labelled. Those I'll get to people prior to the post-camp fireside. The rest will be placed on the lost and found tables at the fireside.

Some of the lessons I've learned this week:
**Take care of yourself (put your oxygen mask on first) so you can help others.
**People will rise to the occasion if you expect them to.
**Don't complain unless you have a suggestion to help make it better.
**Give others the gift of the benefit of the doubt--don't jump to conclusions.
**This too shall pass.
**You'll probably find bruises that you didn't know you had when you wake up in the morning.
**Choose to bloom where you're planted.

NS