Our Girl's Camp Kick-Off was this past Saturday. Last week I briefly mentioned it and said I couldn't say what we were doing as the main part of the activity was a surprise to the girls. We had a variety of reasons for not wanting to tell the girls what was happening. Among the reasons - we were a little scared they wouldn't show up if they knew and we also thought the message could be a little more powerful if sprung on them.
Here is what went down . . .
We met the girls at the church at 8:45 in the morning (which is painfully early for our girls on a Saturday!) and watched a video called
"Only a Stonecutter." It is a short film about a man, John Rowe Moyle, who was called by President Brigham Young to be a stone mason during the construction of the Salt Lake City Temple, despite living over 22 miles from the temple. John walked the 22 miles to and from the temple every week for over 20 years to help complete the work of the temple. And in the middle of those 20 years, he was kicked by his cow and lost the bottom half of one of his legs . . . and he kept on walking because he had a sure testimony of the importance of the temple and that every calling we receive is a call from God to help build His kingdom and strengthen His children. It is a true story and fabulous example of someone who did a hard thing because it was the right thing.
After watching the video, we talked to the girls about the incredible example John Rowe Moyle can be to us. We then took the girls down to Julia Davis Park and told them we were going to walk to the temple from there. It was only a 6 mile walk from that point but we figured it was long enough to get our point across.
Look at how thrilled the girls were to be walking . . .
They actually did awesome . . . with exception to these "I really don't want to" looks, there was no complaining! I was really proud of the girls.
{The whole crew right before starting our walk.}
Along the way, we had three different water stops. The first was our awesome Bishopric . . .
The second was all of the girl's families and our Bishopric's families . . .
My friend Nicole (who is also one of our Young Women's mom) took charge of the family stop and went above and beyond the call of duty. She decorated the stop with balloons and pictures and had water, snacks and a card for each girl, testifying of the importance of the temple and eternal families. It was such a sweet addition to our walk.
The second stop was at our church where the Bishopric was once again along with their Sunday School teacher and their previous Young Women's President, Piper.
{Sister Lisa . . . who is in my YW Presidency . . . and her daughter Libby . . . one of our YW.}
On our walk we walked past the Marler's home (Nicole's house . . . the same awesome lady that helped at the family stop). She and her family were outside, cheering us on and had put balloons and pictures on this pole by their house. It was the little things like this that really made the activity special.
How grateful I am for an amazing husband who supports me and helps with my calling as the Young Women's President. A lot of time, energy, prayers, and thought goes into my calling . . . and this awesome man is right beside me, helping me with absolutely anything I need. I loved having him there with us as we walked to the temple.
Almost there! At this point, we had just come out of a neighborhood and we could see the temple. It was in our sights and so close!!!
Finally there!
Once we got to the temple, we had a short devotional and lunch with the girls and related the short, 6 mile walk to their own personal journey to the temple . . .
Many times our journey to the temple is not easy. There are bumps we encounter, hills we have to climb, and blisters and bruises we have to endure before we make it there. All along the way there are people (our friends, family, ward members, and church leaders, etc.) who help support and get us there. But in the end, it was us who took every step and got there. We wanted them to know that even though it is sometimes hard to make the right decisions, to live the standards given to us by our Heavenly Father, and to stand up for what we believe in at school or work everyday, it is ALWAYS worth it. Our goal was to help them keep their eyes on and their steps focused towards the temple because we know that the blessings of the temple and the joy of an eternal family make every hard step worth it.
