YW camp was June 19-22 near Alturis Lake, about 2.5 hours south/west of Salmon. It was stake camp this year, and I was the only leader from our ward who could go. We had 17 girls from our ward attend--the second highest number in the stake! Another lady from our ward offered to be a driver, and she drove some girls down and then came again on the last day to help drive them back home, which was so nice. Six of the girls were Youth Leaders, so they went down a day early with the stake leaders to set up camp and get things ready, and have their own time together first. I took the truck and trailer for 2 reasons: 1: to haul all the girls' stuff to/from camp, and 2: to have my own space during camp because I didn't have that last year and I ended up having an anxiety attack which I wanted to avoid this time around (the girls and most of the other leaders stayed in cabins). The stake's theme was "The Hero Within". Each ward adopted their own hero, and made a flag and a skit to go along with the theme. Our ward YW voted to have Lucy and the Minions as their heroes, which was easy to figure out costumes for ahead of time, and they made the flag and figured out the skit at YW activities leading up to camp.
I had never driven the truck and trailer so far before, and I had never set up the trailer alone before, so I had a lot of anxiety the week before camp, thinking of everything that I didn't know and everything that I needed to learn and do before we left! The day before, Josh hooked up the trailer to the truck, and went over every step with me to hitch/unhitch/set up/take down the trailer, and I was feeling more confident that I could do it--after all, I had helped him do it multiple times! My last thought was: what if a trailer tire goes flat. I asked him that, and he got the spare tire for me and put it in the back of the truck, and he said "if that happens, just drive the other tire up on to a block to change the flat one" (he doesn't even remember doing or saying that, though...).
Coincidentally, my last fear is exactly the problem that happened the next day on the way to camp.
We met at the church that morning, and all the girls loaded their belongings into the trailer and the back of the truck, and we figured out who was driving with who. The other driver said she would follow me, but when I told her that I'll be slow going as I want to drive cautiously with a loaded trailer, she said she'd rather go ahead of me, which she did. We got to Challis without any problems. We stopped for construction, and the girls in the truck ahead of us recognized me as a leader from the Salmon ward. Their driver got out, came and asked me if she could follow me to camp because she didn't know where she was going. I told her yes, but I'd be slow. So I got her cell phone number and texted her the instructions that I was given. When we got to Stanley, we stopped and used the bathroom at my husband's aunt's store. I talked to the employee working at the cashier's desk, and she told me she was also headed to YW camp the next day! About 10 miles after we left there (with only about 20 minutes to go until we arrived at camp), one of the tires blew.
I didn't know it, couldn't feel it, and just kept on driving. But remember how the driver in the car ahead of us stopped and talked to me and said she'd follow me and I gave her my number? Yeah, Tiny Miracle #1: she was following me, saw it happen, had my number, and called me. I drove a half mile until I saw a pullout and pulled over off the road. We assessed the situation. I jacked up the trailer as best as I could, and got out the tire jack. We couldn't get it to budge a single lug nut--no matter how hard we tried! It had been put on with a compressed machine, and two ladies were no match for its tightness. So, I called my husband's aunt's store. Tiny Miracle #2: The lady that answered the phone was the same one I had just talked to minutes before. She said she'd go find some of Janet's boys to come help me. (Tiny Miracle #3--the boys were home and available to help!!). We walked by the road and waited, in order to show them where to pull over (the trailer was behind some trees and not visible from the highway). While we were standing there, several of the other YW leaders passed by, and one actually stopped. The one who actually stopped was the tire store owner's wife from Salmon--Tiny Miracle #4. She had the right tool to help remove the lug nuts--one with a foot stomper. We got the tire off ourselves! Yay! The problem was we couldn't jack up the trailer high enough to get the new tire on. Tiny Miracle #5: Janet's boys Rex and Weaton showed up with an extra strong jack, and had to use both jacks together, on different size blocks to get the trailer up high enough to get the job done. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them!! Do you think all those tiny miracles are coincidences? I don't. I believe they were tender mercies from the Lord to show me that even though my fear materialized, He would provide help and assistance to get me through it!!!
As soon as the new tire was on, and the jacks were taken down, and everything put away, and the girls back in the vehicles, I got in the truck and started bawling. I hate when things are out of my control, especially when I'm on a trip where so many things can be out of my control! It's a major trigger for my anxiety. The girls were so sweet and kind, and I was so grateful for their positive attitudes! We made it the rest of the way alright, but unfortunately the directions I had been given were pretty vague, and we missed the turnoff for the camp on the Alturis Lake road. I had no way to turn around with my truck and trailer on the narrow road, so I had to drive miles past the turnoff until there was a turning round point. Thankfully, I wasn't the only person to do so--the Leadore people were in front of us, and they had also missed the turnoff! We were the last people to arrive at camp, even though my vehicle was the first one to leave the parking lot that morning! We were about an hour and a half late. Thankfully, the stake leaders had saved lunch for all our late girls, so as soon as we pulled in, the girls got out and went and ate while I set up the trailer (after another leader helped me by backing up the trailer for me!!). Unfortunately, the trailer had to be backed down a single trail and then turned into its parking spot, and it was right by where everyone was hanging out and I knew I couldn't do it properly with all eyes on me after I was already a nervous wreck!
I was so glad to finally be there--but it was soon after I got it all set up that I realized that my water tank had leaked all over the under-compartment storage. I emptied it all out, threw several things away, let everything air dry outside over night before putting it all away the following day.
The skits and flag postings were the first night. I was so proud of our ward's girls. They had come up with the idea, written it, and practiced it TOTALLY on their own. Most of the other ward's productions were the ideas and products of the leaders. The girls all did great, and our skit was quite hilarious! Our ward was also in charge of leading/teaching a song that night to the rest of the Stake girls. It was the church's theme song for the year: "Peace in Christ".
We walked 1.5 miles to the Alturas Lake beach the 2nd day (I drove the truck with all the inflatable water toys and life jackets, though). I was in heaven laying in the lake for a couple hours that afternoon. A lot of the girls were nervous about being in cold mountain water, but it's one of my favorite summertime activities! Unfortunately, there weren't very many water toys--if I'd known that, I would've brought more. The stake had brought 3 small 2-person inflatable rafts, the Leadore leaders brought 2 plastic sit-on kayaks, and I had 2 tubes. The girls had to rotate and share for the two-plus hours we were at the lake.
Josh surprised me and came to visit me on the 2nd night. He drove up on his motorcycle, and it was beautiful weather. He joined us for dinner, the evening devotional, and left the next morning after breakfast. It made my heart so happy to have him there.
The second night was very spiritual--the girls had 3 stations where they learned about scriptural female heroes, and at the end, we all met together in a central area. It was dark outside, and the leaders lit up a giant mural of the Savior that the girls had unknowingly painted the previous day when they did a paint-by-numbers activity. Each girl had a square, and had to follow the numbered guidelines to paint within some lines that were drawn. It was beautiful! After the picture was revealed, the girls gathered around me, and I gave them all letters that their parents had written them. It was dark out, so I shone my lantern on them as they all huddled around me, reading their letters, and crying. It was a beautiful, tender moment that I'm so glad that I was there to witness. The Spirit was amazingly strong!
The 3rd day we played some Gladiator Hero games, and I got involved in them, too. I played against Sarah Hamblin, Ellie Baldwin, and "Ramseys" (from Leadore). It was hilarious fun!!!
The third night, the Bishops came up, and each ward gathered in an area with just their Bishop. The bishops brought desserts and a devotional message. It was the first time that just our ward girls were together the whole week. Afterwards, we had testimony meeting. Just as the meeting ended, the rain poured! After the rainstorm blew away, we all gathered in an area with a grove of trees, and each ward sang to a tree and lit up the tree as they sang a special song they'd picked beforehand. It had sounded weird to me beforehand, but it was actually really cool!!
I played Mexican Train Dominoes during some of the free time with a group of girls all week long. I LOVE that game! I taught it to several of the girls last year during camp, too! We played it several times throughout the course of the week, which was a highlight for me.
During down time, I also read a lot of my "Outlander" book. Darcy and I started watching the TV series based on the books every Tuesday, and I tried to read enough each week to stay ahead of what we were watching. I enjoyed relaxing outside, hearing the girls, but immersing myself in the book while they had activities that I didn't need to be in charge of.
On the last morning, as we were packing up, cleaning up, and getting ready to leave, I informed my girls that we might blow another tire. I told them my plan: to leave the trailer if it blew a tire (as I had no more spares), and after I got home, I'd come back and get it with extra tires and then deliver their belongings to them the next day. One of the girls said "Maybe we could just pray for the tires to not blow?". Brilliant! I don't know why I'd never thought of that! I'd said the prayer before we left the first day, asking for the truck to work properly, and the girls to arrive safely, but I'd never prayed for the tires! And guess what?! We made it home without incident!!! Well...almost. We had to stop 4 different times to close different compartment doors. It had never happened to me before that so many compartments randomly opened up on a drive before. I didn't realize until after we got home that when the trailer tire blew, some of the tire pieces shot through the trailer--breaking part of its frame, and it wasn't completely level on its wheels, which is why the doors kept opening, even though they'd been locked shut.
On the way to YW camp earlier that week, we'd passed a "Stay Happy" graffiti sign on the road, and the girls used that as their motto with me all week. They said it repeatedly to me, wrote me notes saying that, and we had our own little inside jokes about it. So, on the way home, we stopped to take a picture by the sign that was so important for me to remember all week--and a message that the girls emulated all week long. I was so blessed to spend the week with these girls and their happy spirits!!
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| Waiting by the side of the road after the tire blew |
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| Mrs. Bird brought the right tool to help us take off the lug nuts! You can see part of the ripped tire in the photo too... |
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| Weaton and Rex saved the day--here they are using different block sizes to elevate the trailer and alternating using both of the jacks to raise up the trailer. |
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| We made it! This was taken from the lodge area--you can see the road that the trailer had to be backed down before turning into its parking spot! |
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| Our flag--the girls did a fantastic job drawing and painting it! |
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| All ready for the skit! Mackay was Gru, Keely was Lucy, and Kendra was the "Director's Cut". The minions each had a role in the skit: Myah, Janessa, Shaylee, Monta, Mackay's cousin, Raven, Ariana, and Sara. |
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| Everyone waiting by the lodge for the skits to start. |
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| The YCL's (Youth Camp Leaders) did a skit called Women In Black, each musically auditioning for a spot on the WIB team. |
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| Leading the song "Peace in Christ" |
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| Such a beautiful lake! |
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| Playing in the lodge during free time |
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| Reading my book during down time |
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| My handsome hubby makes me happy! |
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| Breakfast in the Lodge--the paint-by-number mural of the Savior is on the back wall |
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| Gladiator Games--Bumper Ball with Sarah |
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| I tried to use my butt to deflect her, but she gave up after a while. Eventually, she bounced me right out of that circle using some trickery ;) |
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| There was a giant catapult with an Angry Birds target across the road |
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| I played this Noodle-fighting, balance game with both Ellie and Ramseys. Ellie was creaming everyone else that she went up against. I think I won against her, but she says she did...who knows! |
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| Dinner with the bishops and stake leaders and wives. It was crowded in the lodge on Thursday night! |
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| Sitting in our own area for the Bishop's message |
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| The other half of the group--with the Bishop! |
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| Waiting for testimony meeting to start |
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| Those are my girls! And the message I needed to hear! |
