Akron Ohio Stake News

by Jessica Wilkinson, Stake YW President 

For the Laurel Retreat, we took the Laurels of the stake to Seneca Lake Camp near Palmyra, New York. Our theme was “Be still and know that I am God.” We felt it was important for the girls to learn tools and techniques to be still and quiet the distractions in their lives and focus on their connection with their Savior. We had workshops on understanding their why, finding answers through the scriptures, praying to receive revelation, and deepening their relationship with the Savior. We did yoga, swimming, kayaking, meditation, hiked up the Hill Cumorah, walked through the Sacred Grove, and visited Joseph Smith’s childhood home. Sister Springer gave a lesson at the Hill Cumorah talking about adding oil to our lamps drop by drop and the importance of having a reservoir of spiritual strength for times of trial. We met sister missionaries, who bore strong personal testimonies of their conversion and the importance of understanding Joseph Smith’s experience in the grove. Since many of these girls will be going on to Relief Society in the coming years, we had a campfire discussion about their concerns or fears in regards to graduating from the Young Women’s program and moving on to Relief Society,  and then the value of their opinion and perspective to the women in the Relief Society. It was a truly powerful weekend for all.

 

Girls Camp was the #bestweekoftheyear!

Our theme was “If we love Him,” based on the church mutual theme “if ye love me, keep my commandments.” We had workshops on scripture study techniques, healthy mental health habits, knot tying, car care, and making camp journals. Each day we had a different focus-

Tuesday, Love God

Wednesday, Love yourself

Thursday, Love others

Tuesday night’s activity was a hike down two paths.

One was recognizing the thoughts and feelings we have when we are choosing not to repent. This path leads to darkness. The other path is recognizing the thoughts and feelings we have when we choose to use Christ’s Atonement in our lives, and repent and draw close to him. The key message was how repentance is our greatest gift, not a punishment and how to use it daily in our lives. We also talked about cultivating our relationship with the Savior and how He meets us where we are, as we are on the path.

Sisters Shannon Stiggins and Trisha Adams were our camp directors and did an AMAZING job! We also cooled off at Pioneer waterpark, hiked Kennedy Ledges, had a musical fireside, toured the John Johnson farm, and did a service project for a homeless shelter – making placemats with words of affirmation.