(James, Dave-o and Steven taken in July at the ranch)
James and Steven, along with several other YM, were asked to speak in Sacrament meeting about their experience at Zion's Camp. Here is a copy of their talks:
Steven's:
As a
second year, a lot of the week was spent working on Merit badges. Small boat
sailing was my favorite activity because we got to capsize and tack the boat.
Next is swimming. Once my body got over the shock of the freezing pool, I had
fun. My cabin and I went swimming every day the whole time we were at Zions
camp. We played catch with a football in the pool when it was our free time,
but when we did the swimming merit badge we practiced our strokes, saved each
other from drowning with giant poles and floaties, and did races. Next was
pioneering. In pioneering we got to make a 10 foot tower using only logs and
rope. When we were finished, our cabin counselor, Brother Whitmarsh, climbed on
top. The amazing thing is that it held up. Then we had to take it all down,
which was not as exciting.
Thank goodness the food was yummy at camp
because I needed the extra fuel to make it through the merit badges. (Don’t
worry Mom. It wasn’t as good as your cooking.) By the end of the week, I had to
loosen my belt one notch.
Not
everything was great about Zions camp. For example, clean bathrooms were hard
to find. One night myself and two other people from my cabin, went out in
search for a bathroom that had no surprises lurking in the toilet bowl. And
yes, boys do care about these sort of things. We checked every toilet at the
camp (that we knew about anyway). We finally found one that was clean. On a different night, Ben, Alex, and I, who
share the same tent, found a humongous spider.
My leaders would probably tell you it was this big. But, I’m telling, you it
had to be THIS BIG! We all screamed
like little girls and unanimously agreed to crash someone else’s tent. In the
end there were 6 of us sleeping in a 3 man tent.
One of
the activities we did up at Zions camp was gospel adventures. In gospel
adventures my cabin and I got journals to right in about our experience at
Zions camp. My most spiritual experience was when I walked out into the woods
to write in my journal and pray. Our instructors had challenged us to ask
Heavenly Father if the Church was true and if we were in the right place, doing
the right things. At the end of my prayer the Holy Ghost testified to me that
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is indeed the true Church.
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James':
This year at Zion's camp I was a fourth level. This meant that I could do many new and fun activities. My favorite was the land luge. In groups of two, we were given the supplies necessary to build a go-cart that we later rode down a steep hill. During the races a certain individual would crash into my car so I wouldn't win. The rest of my week included swimming, rock climbing, eating, archery, eating, firesides, gospel adventure, oh and more eating. At Gospel Adventure, we heard stories about the most recent prophets. One that stood out most to me is the one by President Gorden B. Hinckley called "Lessons I learned as a Boy."
It is about an older and a younger boy who found an old pair of work shoes and sees that it belongs to a farmer working in the field. The younger boy suggests that they should hide them. Bit the older boy points out that the owner is very poor and that putting a dollar in each shoe would be a better idea. They watched in a concealed location at how grateful the owner of the shoes was. He was so grateful for this gift that he got on his knees and prayed a prayer of thanks.
I like this story because it shows the unselfishness of two young boys and how small acts of kindness can really make the difference to somebody. After hearing this lesson, we were each given a gold dollar to secretly give to one another throughout the week. Some people got creative like hiding them in people's food during mealtime. Others slipped them in pockets or in tents. One of the tactics I used was to give it to them while giving them a high five. While this method wasn't as discrete, it was just as effective.
Another story that we heard was from President Monson called "Dare to Stand Alone". He says, "Navy boot camp was not an easy experience for me, nor for anyone who endured it. For the first three weeks I was convinced my life was in jeopardy. The navy wasn’t trying to train me; it was trying to kill me.
I shall ever remember when Sunday rolled around after the first week. We received welcome news from the chief petty officer. Standing at attention on the drill ground in a brisk California breeze, we heard his command: “Today everybody goes to church—everybody, that is, except for me. I am going to relax!” Then he shouted, “All of you Catholics, you meet in Camp Decatur—and don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!” A rather sizeable contingent moved out. Then he barked out his next command: “Those of you who are Jewish, you meet in Camp Henry—and don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!” A somewhat smaller contingent marched out. Then he said, “The rest of you Protestants, you meet in the theaters at Camp Farragut—and don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!”
Instantly there flashed through my mind the thought, “Monson, you are not a Catholic; you are not a Jew; you are not a Protestant. You are a Mormon, so you just stand here!” I can assure you that I felt completely alone. Courageous and determined, yes—but alone.
And then I heard the sweetest words I ever heard that chief petty officer utter. He looked in my direction and asked, “And just what do you guys call yourselves?” Until that very moment I had not realized that anyone was standing beside me or behind me on the drill ground. Almost in unison, each of us replied, “Mormons!” It is difficult to describe the joy that filled my heart as I turned around and saw a handful of other sailors.
The chief petty officer scratched his head in an expression of puzzlement but finally said, “Well, you guys go find somewhere to meet. And don’t come back until three o’clock. Forward, march!”
As we marched away, I thought of the words of a rhyme I had learned in Primary years before:
