Hero Camp

Last week the kids went to “Hero Camp.” This was the second year of it and last year the theme was “Heroes”, thus the camp’s name. It was organized by two fantastic mothers, Amber and Stephanie, who enlisted the help of all mothers of children participating. Each Mom volunteered for at least one day doing either a lesson, craft, or physical activity, and signed up to bring a treat one day as well. I was astonished at the organization and creativity that went into the week.

This year’s theme was “Mission Possible – Operation: Divine Love.” Every child was given a T-shirt on the first day and spent Monday through Thursday from 9-12 accomplishing various missions. The children were put into groups according to their ages which were named: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc. Emma was in Charlie and Hunter was in Foxtrot.

Their first mission was called “Love of God.” They walked along the iron rod toward the Tree of Life past the temptations in the Great Buildings. Next was “Love of Family.” As part of this the moms wrote a letter to each child telling them why they are an important part of their family and about the attributes that make them special. I volunteered on “Love of Leaders” day. The bishops from the wards came and talked to the kids. Then during craft time the children decorated paper hearts and hung them on the office doors of the bishops and stake leaders.

On Thursday the mission was “Love of Neighbors.” All week long the children went through their clothes, pantries, and toys to bring in things they don’t need for those less fortunate. There was also a coin jar where they could donate money to the Wheelchair Fund for children around the world who need wheelchairs but cannot afford one.

On Friday there was a closing ceremony where every child received their “Great Choice Award” and a book with some of the papers from their lessons and also the letter written to them from their parents. There were three impressive songs that the kids had worked on throughout the week to sing for the parents. They were written specifically for camp, amazing!

Every Mom filled out a “Great Choice Award” Certificate for each child and told of a good choice they had recently made. Hunter’s award told how he got up early and did his chores before I got up in anticipation of our trip to Oregon. He was such a hard worker that we were able to leave a day early! Emma’s told how she loves to take care of her sisters. Especially by helping them dress up and do their hair for little fashion shows.

It was a fantastic experience for both Hunter and Emma and we are all looking forward to doing it again next year!