Anyway, back to why I am writing this article in the first place! It's about girls camp last year. More specifically, about the Spiritual Program last year. It was my 6th year at girls camp. Top of the food chain (almost). And instead of interacting with the program, we were the program. All the 6th years and our cabin were the Great and Spacious Building. We spent the hours before the program decorating our cabin. We hung streamers, and put in our mixed CD. We loaded our faces with gobs of make up and put in our fake nose rings. I had on my jean shorts with the rips in them.
I helped to set up the tree of life and we decorated that meeting area. We took a walk to see what the whole course of the Iron Rod would look like. Definitively, the Great and Spacious Building was the main attraction of the course. Besides the Tree of Life of course. After the Great and Spacious Building, they would go into the midst of darkness, and finally, to the Tree of Life.
Finally, after a long day of preparation, it was time for it to start. The girls would come in waves of 6-10. Each group had a fifth year with them that was supposed to represent the Holy Ghost. They were only allowed to talk quietly to them, and give them small guidance. And we would be dancing, drinking sparkling cider. We would be asking girls to join us, and if they lifted a single hand of the rod (rope), then we pulled them off. There were about three or four girls downstairs, and two of us upstairs. I was upstairs. I typically just beckoned them, and I got a few. I finally broke out my phone and I beckoned to the girls, saying they could talk to someone if they wanted. I also told them that it was Sister Farmer's (camp president) phone, and that she needed it right away. I got a few girls that way. A particularly difficult moment came when a girl from my ward was wavering with the phone. I literally saw her battling with herself whether to take my phone or not. I wanted to scream, "NO! Don't BE AN IDIOT! Keep to the Rod!", but I kept tempting her. Eventually, she finished through. A sigh of relief from me.
Another moment that was significant, was when the bridge that led from the Great and Spacious Building started to break. Acting as Satan, I made the perfect plan. I told the girls that because the bridge had broken we had been asked to reroute them back down the stairs. I tried so hard to get these girls to come with me. I only got a few because the Holy Ghost(s) were doing their jobs.
Finally, we were done. Finally, we had taken all the souls that we were going to take.
When it was just us left in that room, the silence was deafening. Sure, the music was still blaring, but nobody said a word. Finally, someone went to turn off the stupid stereo. Almost everyone went immediately to the bathroom to vigorously scrub off the globs of make up off of our faces. I just sat down. My stomach was in knots. I felt to evil, and dirty, and sick. I wanted to throw up. Girls around me were breaking down into tears. But I couldn't cry. I don't know. I just sat down at the top of the stairs with my head in my hands. Finally, we all got together upstairs. And sat in a circle holding hands. I offered a pray. I prayed out loud for what seemed like twenty minutes. I sure it was only one. I commanded Satan and his evil spirits to depart. I don't know how it felt for the other girls, but I felt the warm of the Spirit immediately come back into that room.
I felt like the Lord actually had his arms around me telling me that it was okay, that this was a necessary event for me to be able to understand his plan. We finally had dried our eyes enough to head up the trail. When we had nearly reached the Tree of Life, I noticed something. Off to the side, I could see a group of probably fifty girls who had been pulled off the rod. The emotion in my chest built up all over again. I saw those girls, and I realized that I had helped to pull them off. I had screwed up their salvation, potentially. I choked it all back down, and we sat down in front of the Tree of Life. People spoke, and my life won't be same.
From this experience, I have learned that I never want to be in a position when I feel like that again. If I had to be in that evil, I will leave.
I know that the Holy Ghost is there to comfort us. And that Christ loves us. I know that he wants us to live with him forever. And He will always be there when we need him. He knows so completely, that He will do what he has to to get us what we need. I know God lives. I know that this is the true church.
Amen.
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