Ever gone to a show that was hard to enjoy because people around you were being too noisy?
Distractions can be annoying... and they can make it especially hard to feel the Spirit. Maybe that’s why ancient prophets often went to quiet, natural settings—like mountains—to ask the Lord for guidance.
About a 120 years ago, Church leaders worried that young women didn’t have enough opportunities to be spiritually fed in quiet, natural settings.
So a woman named Emily Higgs of the Liberty Stake organized the first Young Women’s camp!
It was held in August 1912 in a glen of trees with a creek. Each camper paid 25 cents for a hayride to the location and spent a week pitching tents, relaxing in hammocks, swimming in creeks, cooking over campfires, and sharing testimonies. They called it Liberty Glen.
Thus began one of the most popular parts of the Young Women program. Nowadays, the idea of “camp” looks very different in different parts of the world. But the goal is the same: reconnect with the Savior in a quiet place.
Millions of you will participate in a camp this summer. And the Church History Department needs your help learning about it! Your leaders can log onto this Unit History Tool, where you could record stories of camp that will be automatically cataloged for future generations to read.
Think about:
- How did getting away from the noise of daily life help me to hear the voice of the Lord?
- What spiritual experiences did I have at camp?
- What traditions do we have at our camp?
- Where did we hold our camp?
- What was the first young women camp like in my area or country?
The Church History Department looks forward to hearing stories of your camp history!
Add Camp to Your Journal
NOTES