Eleven-Year-Old Day Camp

I was in charge of the Stake 11-Year-Old Day Camp this year, and after months of planning and organizing, the day was finally here! We arrived at President Brimhall's ranch in Florence, AZ, that morning and enjoyed beautiful blue skies as we set up all the shade structures, tables, and teaching stations. At 11:00 on the dot, just as we were checking in the first arrivals, the heavens opened and a deluge of rain began to drench us all. We gathered what we could and all took shelter in a garage on the property, hoping the rain would quickly pass.

It didn't. We tried to carry on in the cramped quarters with the classes we could do indoors but we were soaking wet and freezing!

Here I am, trying so hard to concentrate on writing because I literally couldn't feel my fingers. When Niki showed up with the food, she told us that the desert roads were flooding and washing away and that soon it wouldn't be safe to drive. The agonizing decision was made to pack everything up and go to Plan B: the Stake Center. Breaking camp was a nightmare; that was when we got REALLY wet and covered in mud!

During the long drive back to Gilbert, we made many cell phone calls to get things ready for us when we arrived. Greg Marble dropped everything at home to meet the boys at the building and speak to them about the Constitution until we could get there. He is a hero. Another hero is my husband. He greeted me with dry pants, socks, and shoes! I've never been so grateful.

Then it was my turn to speak about the theme for the day: "With Mine Own Hands," the words of King Benjamin. I talked about how the Scouting is all about service, and so is the Priesthood. King Benjamin himself made an appearance and each of the boys got to handle an exact replica of the gold plates.

Next, the boys went to their rotations. Here they are making banana s'mores. They had fun slicing the banana open and filling the space with marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham cracker crumbs.

Jennifer and her sons taught the boys how to cook their banana over coals and then eat it. We were kind of surprised at how much they loved this treat!

Niki the Magnificent. She single-handedly cooked all the food in advance and then her mom helped her put out a spread to beat all! The scout leaders were asking if they could hire her for their own campouts.

A doctor from our stake taught first aid to the boys. He was very thorough! Noah loved it.

This is King Benjamin, "serving with his own hands." The boys loved sharpening axes and knives and thought it was cool!

President McClellan (on the right) is our biggest cheerleader and advocate of Primary and Scouting. We are so appreciative of everything he does for us!

Dutch oven chocolate cake deluxe: MaryAnn's creation and a big hit!

It was so fun to be at day camp with Noah. He is so grown up and an awesome scout! He is serving as patrol leader.

President MaryAnn is Amazing! During this experience I got to see the depth of the dedication of my Sisters and what super-strong, hardworking ladies they are. I am so blessed.

It was so fun to see all the patrols do their very creative patrol yells and show their patrol flags. This is our ward, the Vikings.

By the end of the afternoon, we were famished. The food was a welcome sight and was so yummy! When we were full, we gathered for a "campfire" closing, with President Bluth speaking to us about using our Hands for good. I've never been so exhausted, both physically and mentally, but it was a wonderful day! Everyone pulled together to make it work and we were all spiritually fed. Awesome!