Let’s do a quick recap of where we’ve been and where we’re headed so this whole 4-day spread makes a little more sense.

We’re focusing on the different relationships we have that ultimately invite and allow the love of the Savior to change our hearts. So…

Day #1: Friends
Day #2: Family
Day #3: Self
Day #4: The Lord

 

The Devotional:

Truth, Lies, and Your Self-Worth: Great article that goes through highlighting lies we’re often fed from media and sometimes from those around us. It also shares a gospel truth that negates each lie. Awesome!

How to Define Yourself: This is a brief but powerful message from Elder Oaks about the characteristics we choose to define ourselves. A great reminder that our worth is constant and not negotiable-and that our goal of returning to live with our Heavenly Father and becoming like Him should be too.

True Confidence: Two young women share their secret for true confidence-the companionship of the Holy Ghost. They explain how living the standards makes all the difference.

Alma 24: This is one of my most favorite chapters in all scripture. It’s the story of the converted Lamanites who take on a new name, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, with the purpose of separating their new selves from their former selves. 

We read about their efforts to stay changed in Alma 24:15-19 when they choose to bury their swords deep in the earth. They do this, fully knowing that the Lamanites they have separated themselves from are almost guaranteed to come against them-and violently at that. But their gratitude for the Lord’s mercy in making them clean and their commitment to stay clean is greater than their fear.

But they seem to know themselves, or at least to know human nature. And so they take the “weapons of their rebellion”-the things they had used to sin-and they bury them. Deep. So that even when the Lamanites do return, even when they fear for their lives and the lives of their families, they cannot reach their temptation. They make the decision ahead of time, when they are strong and firm, so that in a moment of weakness, they do not break their covenant.

In Frozen, Elsa decides to “Let It Go”-and she lets go of a lot of the wrong things-things like rules and family and right and wrong. And in not too long, her so-called freedom leaves her alone and empty in an ice castle on a mountain. Far from home and the people she loves, or could love-including herself.

With a gospel perspective, we know that the things that keep us from God, our own “weapons of rebellion,” can make it hard for us to love ourselves. I find that loving myself comes most naturally when I am close to my Savior-when I’m studying my scriptures and praying, when I’m watching and reading uplifting things, when I’m completely confident that I’m dressed modestly.

So for Day #3 of camp, a day focused on learning to or remembering to love ourselves, we would invite everyone-girls and leaders alike-to decide to let go of something and bury it deep in the earth. Literally.

After sharing the story of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (and there’s so much more to share than what I’ve recounted here!) and discussing it, pass out little pieces of paper that will stay anonymous and invite everyone there to write down one sword, one “weapon of rebellion,” one thing that puts distance between them and the Lord and bury it (or throw it in the fire). Committing to themselves that that outfit that isn’t quite modest or that music on the iPod that includes words to avoid or that tendency to say unkind things about others-needs to go.

This could be a great evening devotional, after the For the Strength of the Youth Standards Fair earlier in the day.

 

Activity:

For the Strength of Youth Standards Fair

It’s a simple idea that depends on great delegation and prepared leaders. So here’s how it goes. Start first with how much time you want to spend – I would suggest not going over 90 minutes. With an an hour and a half, I’d pick eight standards out of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. This is a great opportunity to hone in on what your girls’ needs are.

Select a leader to teach each standard, emphasizing the time limit (about 10 minutes) she’ll have and the importance of really engaging the girls with an object lesson or an attention hook or game and some kind of application discussion.

When you have the Fair, break your group up into as many standard stations as you have. Place a leader who is not teaching in charge of timing. She can walk around and give people a 2 minute (or whatever) signal to let them know how much time they have to wrap up. I would suggest against some kind of noise-maker to signal the end of that 10 minute (or however much time you’ve allotted period), because the end is usually when people are finishing with testimony, and you’d hate to interrupt that with a cow bell or something.

This is an awesome prelude to the Alma 24 devotional (listed above). It’ll get their brains and hearts thinking about the standards, and the Spirit can start working on helping them see ways they can grow closer to the Savior.

For resources for your leaders, LDS.org just put out an amazing guide for leaders on teaching standards. It lists resources for every standard and questions that can generate great discussion. You can find that here. You could also take a look at our 30+ Activities Based on For the Strength of Youth for ideas on how to engage the youth around standards.

Craft:

Last year when I was planning Girls Camp, I came across Under My Umbrella, a fantastic blog-full of fun ideas. And I loved this Glass Jar Lantern for a camp craft. It’s simple,  really lovely at night and easy to match with your theme. She shows a flower cutout, but you could easily do a snowflake or a heart to match the Frozen theme.

You use a frosted Valspar spray paint (perfect look for Frozen!), but her full instructions (including a tutorial on how to do that darling wire handle) are on her blog. You can find it here. 

Letters from Home:

No Girls Camp is complete without letters from home, right? It was always one of my favorite parts of camp. Not because my parents didn’t tell me often how much they loved me or the good they saw in me-but because it was something I could hold onto. It gave me something to pull out on hard days-something to remind myself that someone really believed there were remarkable things inside of me.

With today’s scripture theme (1 Timothy 4:14-15), it might be neat to guide parents into writing about the gifts they recognize in their daughters. It’s sometimes easier to see things to love in ourselves when people we love and trust point them out to us.

If possible, it could be really special to combine the hike with the letters, passing out the letters at the peak of the hike (on top of a mountain or just at a good stopping place where there’s room for people to spread out and sit down). After the girls have a chance to read their letters, they might be ready to verbally recognize the gifts of other girls. I love group discussions with young women when they have the opportunity to talk about the special things they see in each other. It can be a great bonding moment for a group.

Hope you enjoy Day #3 of FROZEN Girls Camp! We have two more posts before we wrap it up, Day #4 and ideas for decorations and some other miscellaneous activities!

Here’s where you can find the rest of it:
Camp Kick-off Activity
Day #1
Day #2
Day #4

Natalie