Mountain Top Experience

I've heard Young Women and Young Men leaders talk about the importance of giving our youth a mountain top experience, but I didn't really understand what they were talking about until last week when I participated in giving a group of 15 year old girls their own mountain top experience.  For those of you who don't know me, I am not a camper.  Camping seems more like a punishment than a vacation. I like toilets that flush, showers and comfortable beds.


Despite the lack of modern conveniences, it was a great experience for me and the girls.  There is something amazing about being in the mountains, surrounded by the majesty our Heavenly Father created for us.  The girls cooked their own meals over camp stoves and in dutch ovens.  They dug outdoor latrines.  Best of all, they had spiritual experiences without the distractions of cell phones, computers or TV.  We broke into small groups (our families away from home) for scripture study and discussed our divine nature and the atonement.


I knew a few of these girls pretty well before our camp, and I barely knew a few others.  Over half I met for the first time, but now we all have a bond from that mountain top experience.  After two and a half days we went to the main camp and joined the rest of the girls from our Stake.  Every time I passed one my girls, we had a connection.  More importantly, they have a stronger, different kind of connection with their Heavenly Father and their Savior.  And now I see the importance of a mountain top experience.