BASEcamp: Believe. Act. Serve. Endure.
This summer marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I have the opportunity to be a counselor for a new program called BASEcamp. It is an area wide youth conference for 14-18 year olds. Let me give you some background information on the name, what it involves in relation to the Gospel, and how it has already blessed my life.
When climbing, a BASEcamp is a place for rejuvenation and preparation for the rest of the climb up the mountain. Directly from the BASEcamp website: "BASEcamp: (bās’-cămp) n. 1) a gathering place to gain strength when attempting to ascend a mountain. 2) a position of safety and preparation for the challenges ahead. 3) a protected environment to gain greater knowledge and confidence for future opportunities and responsibilities. 4) Believe. Act. Serve. Endure. (B.A.S.E.)"
This world is getting scarier and full of more temptations each day, and we need to become more prepared for what lies ahead. The youth of this church have also been given the call the serve the Lord on missions, as well as us not out in the mission field to be member missionaries. Everyone needs to know how they can battle the rest of the climb up the mountains of our lives and make it back to our Father in Heaven. BASEcamp is a place for youth to come and learn ways to do just that.
If you've ever been to EFY (Especially for Youth), you know that it is a place for fun, games, and spiritual growth. BASEcamp is similar in that those same things happen, but what sets BASEcamp apart is taking the new youth curriculum and applying it. "Come, Follow Me" the Savior said, and that is done in the new curriculum by allowing youth to teach and apply the Gospel more personally. BASEcamp allows youth to do the same thing.
As a counselor, I have already been extremely blessed through my first week of BASEcamp. Not only was I there to share my testimony of my Savior and how I have come to know that the Gospel is true, but I was strengthened by the testimonies of the youth that participated. Another climbing analogy we use is that the BASEcamp is a place where they've already gone part of the way up the mountain. They have already battled hard things to get that far. Spiritually, the youth have already fought many mountains in their lives and have gained a testimony, no matter how strong it is. They already have brought with them tools they need. At BASEcamp, they are learning how to teach, ask questions, and use the tools the Lord has given us to climb up the rest of our mountain(s).
The youth I worked with this week taught me so much. As mentioned before, BASE is also an acronym for Believe. Act. Serve. Endure. Groups of youth made up companies and during our first session we had four companies. We used those names for company names. My company was BELIEVE. I learned so much about what it means to believe. You can believe even with the smallest amount of faith. You can show that you believe in everything that you do. They taught me what it means to say, "Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief." When we don't know something but we have the desire to know, we can pray for help, we can ask questions, and the desires of our heart will be granted to us. So many of my prayers were answered this week. If many of mine were answered, I can only imagine what other prayers He heard from everyone else there.
I also learned the importance of believing in yourself and the goals you make. We as a group (me and the girls I was directly over) and as a company (girl groups combined with a boy group) made goals together. My girls and I would review our goals each night and evaluate what we did that day to reach that goal. In my own life I have made goals, but haven't been very good about following through with them. This inspired me to be better.
Also, watching the example of the amazing youth and my fabulous co-workers has made me want to be better and serve those around me. I never realized how strong you can be when you are doing the things that you need to be doing. It's incredible what the Gospel really does for you. I know that it was the Spirit that we all had there, and I love that feeling we had together.
I am so excited that we have two more weeks of BASEcamp this summer! I am grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony and be strengthened by the amazing youth. They are a lot stronger than I ever realized and they are the rising generation. We all are being called to hasten His work. BASEcamp will help us do just that.
For more information, feel free to visit the BASEcamp website and follow us on Facebook! Stay tuned for more adventures from BASEcamp! :)
When climbing, a BASEcamp is a place for rejuvenation and preparation for the rest of the climb up the mountain. Directly from the BASEcamp website: "BASEcamp: (bās’-cămp) n. 1) a gathering place to gain strength when attempting to ascend a mountain. 2) a position of safety and preparation for the challenges ahead. 3) a protected environment to gain greater knowledge and confidence for future opportunities and responsibilities. 4) Believe. Act. Serve. Endure. (B.A.S.E.)"
This world is getting scarier and full of more temptations each day, and we need to become more prepared for what lies ahead. The youth of this church have also been given the call the serve the Lord on missions, as well as us not out in the mission field to be member missionaries. Everyone needs to know how they can battle the rest of the climb up the mountains of our lives and make it back to our Father in Heaven. BASEcamp is a place for youth to come and learn ways to do just that.
If you've ever been to EFY (Especially for Youth), you know that it is a place for fun, games, and spiritual growth. BASEcamp is similar in that those same things happen, but what sets BASEcamp apart is taking the new youth curriculum and applying it. "Come, Follow Me" the Savior said, and that is done in the new curriculum by allowing youth to teach and apply the Gospel more personally. BASEcamp allows youth to do the same thing.
As a counselor, I have already been extremely blessed through my first week of BASEcamp. Not only was I there to share my testimony of my Savior and how I have come to know that the Gospel is true, but I was strengthened by the testimonies of the youth that participated. Another climbing analogy we use is that the BASEcamp is a place where they've already gone part of the way up the mountain. They have already battled hard things to get that far. Spiritually, the youth have already fought many mountains in their lives and have gained a testimony, no matter how strong it is. They already have brought with them tools they need. At BASEcamp, they are learning how to teach, ask questions, and use the tools the Lord has given us to climb up the rest of our mountain(s).
The youth I worked with this week taught me so much. As mentioned before, BASE is also an acronym for Believe. Act. Serve. Endure. Groups of youth made up companies and during our first session we had four companies. We used those names for company names. My company was BELIEVE. I learned so much about what it means to believe. You can believe even with the smallest amount of faith. You can show that you believe in everything that you do. They taught me what it means to say, "Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief." When we don't know something but we have the desire to know, we can pray for help, we can ask questions, and the desires of our heart will be granted to us. So many of my prayers were answered this week. If many of mine were answered, I can only imagine what other prayers He heard from everyone else there.
I also learned the importance of believing in yourself and the goals you make. We as a group (me and the girls I was directly over) and as a company (girl groups combined with a boy group) made goals together. My girls and I would review our goals each night and evaluate what we did that day to reach that goal. In my own life I have made goals, but haven't been very good about following through with them. This inspired me to be better.
Also, watching the example of the amazing youth and my fabulous co-workers has made me want to be better and serve those around me. I never realized how strong you can be when you are doing the things that you need to be doing. It's incredible what the Gospel really does for you. I know that it was the Spirit that we all had there, and I love that feeling we had together.
Me and my co-counselor Natasha
My co-counselor Kolten and a few of our company's girls
I am so excited that we have two more weeks of BASEcamp this summer! I am grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony and be strengthened by the amazing youth. They are a lot stronger than I ever realized and they are the rising generation. We all are being called to hasten His work. BASEcamp will help us do just that.
Week 1 BASEcamp: Concord, CA at Camp Liahona Redwoods
Me and my girls
For more information, feel free to visit the BASEcamp website and follow us on Facebook! Stay tuned for more adventures from BASEcamp! :)
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