The Fishpond: Young Women

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Young Women

I had the privilege of attending Young Women's Camp this year..... ss the camp nurse. When I was first asked, my girls were ecstatic and I was pretty nervous. Yes, I am a nurse. Yes, I have an active license, which I have kept up with continuing education. But, A LONG time ago I made the decision to stay at home full time rather than try and work part time. It has been a long time since I have worked so I am often hesitant to tell people I am a nurse. I guess that cat is now out of the bag. Let's just say I have spent the last 6 months doing a lot of reviewing and studying, all in the hopes that if I was prepared the Lord would help me out when I needed it.

Camp went great, all the girls survived. They returned home tired, dirty, grateful they didn't have to haul anymore lake water to flush the toilets, and many on a spiritual high. I couldn't believe how fast camp went. Saturday evening, as I sat, trying to stay awake as my family watched a movie, it was hard to believe that camp was even a reality. Had I really just survived a week of managing medication for over 200 girls, burns, cuts, nose bleeds, sprained knees and ankles, stomach upset, cramps, dehydration, headaches, asthma and a concussion? Not to mention emotional support for leaders and girls that just needed to talk. I had a hard time believing that all that had really happened. I knew that the only way I had made it through was with Lord's help. Being camp nurse was something I grew and learned from. Boy did it come with a lot of responsibility and anxiety if I truly would be prepared for the unknown.

On top of all this, two weeks before camp I was called into the bishop's office and called to serve as the YW president of our ward. I had kind of thought that I was needing to refresh my nursing skills so that I could be the camp nurse for a few years. I know my girls wanted this, especially Minnie for next year would be her first year at girls camp. Little did I know the Lord didn't call me to be the camp nurse for the first aid portion, but so I could learn about the Young Women's program. I have never served with the Young Women since I was a YW myself (we won't say how many years that's been). The past six months, as I have sat in meetings with various stake leaders, I have learned about the YW program. I have seen how to run meetings and how to work with the youth to help them be leaders. There were times that I left those meeting thinking how grateful I wasn't actually in YW for it is so busy and a lot to do. What a responsibility to be a teacher and role model for these choice daughters of God. I was so grateful that wasn't my current calling. Apparently the Lord didn't agree.

The YW in our ward knew that the YW president was going to be changed the Sunday after camp because the previous YW president had already moved just a couple weeks before camp. It was a fun experience to be at camp and listen to various conversations as they speculated. The Stake cabin and our ward's cabin were close to each other so I was able to visit my ward often. How grateful I was for this. It gave me a chance to get to know some of the girls. While I was at camp, I had a pretty powerful witness that this wasn't just coincidence. This was further reinforced when my husband told me that my first counselor shared with my him that a few weeks before camp she had the thought that the new YW president would be able to be at camp but not as a current leader. She didn't know it was me who was the new president at that time and really wasn't sure what this meant.

I am grateful for the Lord's plan in my life at this time. I know that serving as YW president is what the Lord wants for me and he saw a way to prepare me for this. Most days I waffle between feeling extremely overwhelmed and inadequate but I have great counselors, good YW, the Lord is in charge. I pray I'll be able to know his will. I am thrilled to be able to have a calling where I get to associate with my girls. We are all looking forward to camp next year. I'm sure next year will still be laden with responsibility, just different and hopefully just as fun.

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I should write that down

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