This past week I have been to Girl’s Camp. This particular activity is distinctly different from any activity experienced through church. Fifty or more young women between the ages of 12 and 18 come together for a week or so of camping, singing, laughing, eating, praying, crying and bearing testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We uplift each other through words, songs and skits and we experience all of this in nature’s surrounding.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our young women have a theme they rehearse every week in their Sunday class:
“We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:
Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue.
We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.”
This oration was repeated twice (morning and night) during each day at girl’s camp reminding these beautiful girls that they are of great worth to the world and to their Heavenly Father. At a time when teen girls are feeling low or not worthy, this theme helps all to reinstate who they are and what they need to strive for in their life.
Some times when I repeat these words with the girls, I get choked up because of their powerful meaning: “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us and we love Him.” How mighty those words are for young women who are lost and overcome by tragedy in their life from abuse or sadness. We HAVE a loving Heavenly Father who loves us. What a wonderful message.
Striving to live a life of faith, divine nature, good works, integrity and virtue along with attaining knowledge, making good choices and being accountable for their choices guide all youth to be better people.
When youth ages 12 to adulthood accept these values in their life, they accept a life of purpose and they can follow a path which will lead them to a happy life. With the encouraging words of the young women values, these young women are reminded every week that they can prepare themselves for any career they choose including motherhood.
So what do I tell these beautiful young women during a night time devotional? I talked to them about the atonement of Jesus Christ. I wanted them to remember that through faith in Jesus Christ, they can lift their worries and tragedies to the Savior. I gave each girl a small framed picture of the Savior and then read a scripture. From Isaiah 53:4 it says:
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted…”
This knowledge brings a greater understanding of trials and gives us comfort in troubling times. During the week right before camp, I placed a small picture of the Savior on my window sill in the kitchen as a friend of mine had done and forgot about it.
Every time I washed the dishes or did something at the sink I could look to the Savior. It made me so happy and I suggested this to the girls.
Girl’s Camp came to an end and we all parted inspired and uplifted. We should all know that we have a loving Heavenly Father. We should all strive to incorporate the Young Woman values into our life. As we do, we can strive for higher standard in our life. We can strive to do better in a predominately negative world.
To view more of Valerie’s articles, click here.
Valerie Steimle has been writing as a family advocate for over 25 years. As a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she promotes Christian living in her writings and is the mother of nine children and grandmother to twelve. Mrs. Steimle authored six books and is a contributing writer to several online websites. To her, time is the most precious commodity we have and knows we should spend it wisely.
To read more of Valerie's work, visit her at her website, The Blessings of Family Life.
