It's spring break here in these parts. Last weekend we headed to the coastal town Narooma for our stake Young Women camp, Aussie style. We camped in tents, laughed, played, talked, cried, competed, climbed, learned, challenged ourselves on a hike that turned out to be way way more difficult than any of us thought, and grew our love and faith there in that clearing just steps from the sea. 

 You'd never know that just a month or two ago we weren't sure if it would all come together! As the time drew closer, most of the stake YW presidency, the food person, and the stake YW camp leader all had to drop out for various, mostly unavoidable reasons. That left the lovely remaining stake YW counselor, a convert who had never attended YW camp, shouldering the hefty weight of planning & running a 4-day camp for 65 girls and 10 leaders. Happily, people really rose to the occasion: each ward YW leadership took over the running of one of the days at camp as well as spearheading different activities and tasks throughout the camp time and (get this) the stake president and one of his counselors volunteered to do ALL of the food: planning, buying, preparing and serving (!!). Those good men quietly served and got to know the girls while the women leaders ran the show. If actions speak louder than words, their service sang arias. Everyone rallied for these girls.

They're so worth it: genuine, positive, smart, kind, and buoyant. I've not been around a group of young women with so little drama and so much light. I came back filled up with their goodness and energy.

That last photo sums it up.

So much joy.