Girls camp is an opportunity for LDS Young Women to grow closer to each other and to their Heavenly Father.
Each year, the Young Women organization in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) organizes and attends a girls camp. The camp is meant for girls between the ages of 12 and 18. At camp they have fun, build friendships within their wards (local units of the church) or stakes (made up of several wards) and focus on their testimonies.
One camp tradition is the "secret sister." At ward camp, assign each girl a secret sister to give gifts to each day of camp. For stake camp, each ward can be assigned another ward within the stake.
Inexpensive
Secret sister or secret ward gifts are not meant to show off how much money you can spend. Some girls may not be able to afford expensive gifts. Instead, the gifts should be spiritual in nature and from the heart. Each girl can choose her own gifts to give or, for stake camp, leaders should discuss their ward gifts with the girls prior to leaving for camp.
Consider candy bars along with a scripture or spiritual thought written on a card. Pictures of Christ with scriptures written on the back or even rocks with a reminder to pray written on them are some inexpensive gifts for the girls to consider.
Coordinate With Camp Theme
Girls camp usually focuses on a single theme or message, such as faith in Christ. Secret ward or secret sister gifts can highlight the theme. If the theme is faith, for example, a girl can leave her secret sister a small pot and a package of flower seeds, along with the saying "faith is like a seed."
Encourage the girls to be creative and find ways to highlight the camp theme. A quilted or embroidered piece of fabric with a reminder that the Holy Ghost is a comforter can help remind girls to follow the promptings of the Spirit.
Value Gifts
The LDS Young Women's theme states that the values of the Young Women are faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, integrity and virtue. Secret ward and secret sister gifts can correspond with this.
A light switch cover with the words "let your light so shine" can remind the girls that they are divine daughters of Heavenly Father with light and love to share. A notebook or journal and set of pens gives them a chance to record their personal experiences to share with future generations. Scripture markers or highlighters can be a reminder to continue gaining knowledge. The girls can select one of the Young Women's values for each day of camp and give a corresponding gift to her secret sister.
Notes
Secret ward or sister gifts can be as simple as a note. Write down something you saw your secret sister doing during the day that was a good example to you. Tell your secret sister about a quality you admire in her, or leave cards with scriptures, quotes from the Prophet or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles or spiritual thoughts written on them. Cut the messages into puzzle pieces so the recipient has to solve it before she can read them, or write them in a notebook with room for the girls to add their own favorite quotes and scriptures.
Mailboxes
Before camp, give each girl the opportunity to decorate her own mailbox. Use a shoe hanger, tin cans or shoe boxes for the mailboxes. Ask each girl to write her name clearly on her mailbox so that her secret sister can find hers easily. Display the mailboxes in an open location at camp so that each girl or ward can deliver the secret sister gifts throughout the day.
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