Anchor Yourself In Safe Waters

Hang on!

Submitted by: Lauri in St. George

Anchor Yourself in Safe Waters
Goal: The goal of camp this year is to help the Young Women anchor themselves in the safe waters of the gospel.

Like the captain of a ship chooses the direction his ship will sail, so the Young Women will choose the direction of their lives. We want them to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ will always be a safe harbor where they will find peace and safety from the rough waters of the world and the waves of Satan's temptations. The Young Women values, and the light of Jesus Christ will become like a beacon of a lighthouse showing them the way to safety.

At camp we want them to chart a course towards Jesus Christ, focus on his beacon when choices need to be made, set goals to guide them to the safe harbor of the gospel, and there anchor themselves in the safe waters.

Stake Camp: Lighthouse in the harbor To offer a safe harbor for the Young Women to begin to cast their anchors in the safe waters of the gospel, and focus on the beacon of Christ's light.

Ward Name: Choose a name of a watercraft, a color, and a roll-call cheer (the one that stands out the most were the Pirates..there's was like the Pirate's of the Caribbean song from Disneyland, "Yo-Ho, yo-ho, the righteous life for me"). You will want to decorate your camp around your name. Also use it for camp identification.

Each ward was to make a 3 ft. wide x 4 ft. high banner that was to be hung at the amphitheater (or wherever your stake gathers).

Each ward was to make an actual large model of their watercraft (using cardboard or scrap wood, etc). These were to be displayed in front of your camp. (i.e. the ward with Sailboats color was purple and they made a flat/wooden sailboat out of plywood and 2x4's the sails were purple fabric). The stake made wooden anchors (approx. 18 inch. tall) that they painted silver and had written your ward name and watercraft on. Then they made laminated paper chains that were in your ward's color and these were to be attached to your vessel.

We had a Junior Staff, and since this is the first year that our stake has done this, this is the way the request went out to the wards:

I would like to select one or two youth leaders from each ward to serve with me on a Stake level. Depending on how many 5th and 6th year girls you have in your wards that will be going to camp, I will try to be sensitive to the help that each ward camp director will also need from their own youth leaders. (being the first year, the Junior Staff was only about 8-10 in numbers, but they made such a big deal about them, that many of the 4th years want to be on Junior Staff next year). We had monthly stake meetings with all the camp directors & yw presidents (for the 6 months prior to camp). As we were leaving our meeting the Junior Staff was coming in for theirs. They truly got to help in the planning of camp. What an awesome experience for them.

We had a big "pow-wow" at our first meeting, and it was decided that everyone liked the skits, but with all the preparations for camp, no one liked having to worry about them or getting all the props up to camp. So, it was decided that each ward would choose a sack (pillow case size) of props. These were made ahead of time by the stake. These each had about 10 items in them, ranging from wigs and costumes to bubbles, phones, snorkels, balls, tennis rackets, etc. When we gathered as a stake at camp for the first time, a girl from each ward was chosen and they came up to choose a prop bag and then they were given a fun task to do. There were assorted colored paper anchors (cut from a die-cut machine at a local scrapbook store) with different nautical words, sayings or things that had to do with the ocean written on them, hanging in the trees. The chosen girls were given one minute to grab as many anchors as they could (without tearing them). All did this at the same time. When time was up, they were instructed to put them in their prop-bags, and they were to use these words in their skit...that evening.

The skits were interesting to say the least, and there are always those wards that planned a skit anyway, they sort of put the props they were given anywhere they would cause the least damage. But, overall it was easy, fun and awards were given out to each ward at our last gathering. (we always called it "meeting On-Deck").

The secret sisters were handled as a Stake this year. A month prior to camp, at our stake meeting, we were given a sheet of paper that was in our ward color. It had perforations on it, and we were to write each girl's name who was going to camp (of course, if there were any changes, even up to the day before camp, we needed to tell the stake). These were cut and each name was put in a shell. At camp, when we first met "on-deck" the girls were to go up, one ward at a time and choose from a large treasure chest, a shell with a name on it that was NOT in their ward color. I suggested that after this activity, it would have been nice for each ward to go up to the microphone and say something like, "We are the orange ward..." and then each girl could introduce herself. That way the first year girls who probably don't know anyone outside their ward could at least know who their secret sister is. But, this was never done. The stake recommended that each girl come up with 3 secret sister gifts, preferably something the girl made. If money had to be spent, then there was a total $2.00 limit (not per item).

Our wards made 2 of the 3 gifts as part of our camp activities for YW the month prior to camp. There was a long table at the amphitheater where there were 9 large black treasure chests, with laminated paper locks the color of each ward. All day long you were to put your secret sister gifts in these according to the color on the name you chose. These were collected after our evening gathering. Our ward gave these out during our ward campfire time. The stake passed out nautical type thank you cards for each girl to reveal herself to her secret sister on the last day.

I will admit, this is my first year as camp director, and last year it was done on a ward basis. I have been asked which one did I prefer, and I will have to say there are problems with both. I was told that last year some girls forgot, and the same thing happened this year. I just feel that anytime you do things along these lines (ward or stake) you as a leader had better have some extras put aside, just in case, so there are no hurt feelings.

We asked for more ward time, so most crafts were done at the ward level (ours kept with our ward's watercraft theme, however, many just used the anchor or lighthouse or nautical theme). The stake had one craft, and the girl's loved it. The stake camp director had gone on a trip to Hawaii during the year, and either purchased kits or pre-made puka shell type necklaces. These were in assorted colors (black, brown, white, mixed). If these were premade, they simply kept one of each type for an example, then cut the others and put them in zip-lock bags for the girls to string.

The stake provided one lunch, which was (of course) "Submarine Sandwiches" (a local store brought them up in 6 foot lengths); "Watermelon" and "Chips Ahoy" cookies.

Everything (signs, flyers, etc.) went along with the nautical theme (use your imagination). They asked for any birthdays (in advance) that were going to be celebrated at camp and the girl was sung to when the stake had gathered, and then given a cute tin candle with shells on it. The tag had a boat on it and it said "Happy Birthday...'Sail'ebrate!" Love, YW Stake Leaders.

I will end this by bragging a little about my own ward (after all this was my first camp). Our watercraft was Outriggers. That is a Polynesian canoe. Instead of getting matching T-Shirts like some of the other wards did, we made lava-lava's (Polynesian wraps). Our color was blue, so we took 2 yards of fabric (a bit more for some of us leaders who needed more) and just put a edge on them so they wouldn't unravel (we didn't touch the selvedge). It was fun wearing different styles everywhere as the girls experimented with wrapping around the waist to full on dresses). They were even so excited about them, that when the Bishopric came up on the last night, they got permission to wear them (with a shirt underneath, of course) to Church on Sunday. That was quite a sight. As a ward craft, we strung silk flowers for our heads and some for leis, depending on what the girls wanted to do. For our secret sister gifts we made candy leis for one of the gifts, and a cut magnet about going to the temple (a lesson the beehives had, and their advisor helped make). We have a Samoan family in our ward, and their eldest girl taught our girls an easy hula before camp. On the last day of camp, the father of this family (who is also the 1st counselor in our Bishopric) came up early and actually buried the pork and potatoes in the ground. What an eye opener for these girls...many of them said they would skip dinner. But, when it was done, we couldn't control their eating. In fact, since that was the night that most of the wards had their priesthood leaders there, we ended up with a lot of stragglers who had served Polynesian missions, and said they hadn't eaten like this since their missions!! Our girls performed their dance, and then they each chose a Bishopric member, or husband of a YW leader to come up, learn and perform the hula. We had so much fun!!

The last thing that I wanted to share, was that we gave each of our girls one of those long fabric-type key chains that are so popular now. A sister in our ward made them out of blue Polynesian fabric. I went to a craft store by my home and found these keychain charms by the company "GANZ" (you can find them on the internet and they will tell you of a retailer close to you that sells these). I gave the key chain out at our first dinner together, after the food was made and before the prayer. This way I had their full, undivided attention (and they listened because they were HUNGRY). Each dinner I would read a story, and then gave a charm that related to it, so they ended up with 3 charms by the end of camp. Also, our stake gives the girls laminated schedules along with a list of their certification requirements for that year. They usually put these on a string for the girls to wear at camp. Our girls hung these from a small hook I attached to the keychain and were pretty much asked by all where they got the keychains. It's nice to see them still using them after camp. (We had a garage sale for our fundraiser, and many of the items were cute painted wood items with from past YW activities or camps...I really wanted it to be something they would like and use).

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