Forget Social Media---Plug into Nature at Girls Camp 

This year marks the 106th anniversary of Young Women's (YW) Girls Camp for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The 2018 theme was "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. Doctrine & Covenants 19:23." Fifteen young women attended camp August 30-September 1st, with as many as eleven leaders at the New Era Organic Farm, Kampun Janda Baik, Benton, Pahang, Malaysia. A fund raiser dinner enabled many girls to attend.

Since 1912, many Young Women camps have been established and dedicated all around the world.  A camp with the most basic and simple accommodations can become a sacred place where the Spirit of the Lord is present, where daughters of God put the principles of the gospel into practice and where the glorious blessings of nature are appreciated in happy ways.

"One of the benefits of girls camp, is to disconnect from electronics to enjoy the outside world, cummune with nature and to draw closer to God," said Claire Lim, Kuala Lumpur District YW President. 

Former, KL District Young Women President, Lee Chen Ying, expressed her gratitude for camp by saying, "At camp this year, there were devotionals, s'mores, pancake making, raft building, fun singing session, value bracelet making and a shaving foam war.  We even learned orenteering skills and how to star gaze using an app.  Relationships among the young women and leaders are strengthened through these unique eperiences. We also learn from one another's testimonies the relevance of the gospel in our lives." 

Camp has always been a favorite activity, because it is at camp that you can establish a mini-home. Your tent becomes your home, and there you can gather all the essentials you need to be happy, comfortable and progressing. At camp you can discover that the Lord is great. He has provided this beautiful earth for us to enjoy.  And at camp, you learn that you really don’t need much to be happy. You leave your makeup and music behind and learn to become self-sufficient. You learn the importance of a strong, healthy body so you can climb mountains and swim in the ocean or in streams.  You learn that the scriptures can speak to you very personally and you also experience what it feels like to be still and listen to the song of a bird or to the voice of the Spirit sometimes for the first time. 

Anesha Augustin, a Laurel from Puchong Branch, Kuala Lumpur who attended camp this year said, "A favorite part of girls camp is sitting under the stars near the warm glow of a campfire, listening to other young women and adult leaders bear their testimonies helping me to realize the impact the gospel has had on all our lives.  I was spiritually fed to help me remain faithful in this mortal life filled with challenges." 

Spiritual experiences are plentiful at girls camp. "One day there was a downpour of heavy rain just outside the area of Girls Camp---yet, we were kept dry with no rain, so that we could carry out our outdoor activities. Then, at the end of camp---it started to rain again," shared Claire Lim, District YW President.

Girls Camp helps young women grow in faith, personal righteousness and testimony of the Savior, while enhancing their abilitity to feel and recognize the Spirit's guidance in their lives.  As young women unplug from their electronics for a few short days and leave the world behind, they will be better prepared to make and keep sacred covenants and to enter into the holy temples of the Lord.