Posted by:
Elizabeth S.
(
)
Date: March 31, 2015 01:35AM
I had been a convert to the church for 4 years, when my father died in Canada.
Six months later, I brought my 15 year old sister down to Logan, Utah to spend the summer with me.
At that time, I was asked to be the girl's Camp Director. I had NO experience with a religious camping event. I did have Girl Guide Scouting experience though, so I said yes. (they said the Lord wanted me to do it after all, lol )
In retrospect, I know they only asked me because I had a non mormon 15 year old sister, living with me, who was vulnerable and grieving.
My sister and I went together to Camp event. I wasn't versed in mormon-speak and I would never interfere with any young lady's thought processes. I was just there to babysit, and to teach the girls how to tie knots etc.
However, all of the older women were hard core mormons. They religiously pestered my sister (tried to anyway…) and I had to keep her with me at all times. It didn't keep the mormon women from trying though.
On the last night of camp, there was a Testimony meeting for the Girls, by a huge bonfire, with "priesthood" members around (I suppose to "keep order" and protect us from bears?) --
The girls were very impressionable… very emotional. This was the first time I witnessed the power of Peers and how they effected each other.
One at a time, the girls stood up, cried (sobbed)(really got hysterical)… said stupid things about the lord blessing them with perfect families, hair, pets, friends (you name it, they cried over it.) Each girl was overcome and shaking with emotion and religious fervour. As the hour rolled by, the girls grew more crazed than the one before. Soon there were groups of them, swaying, sobbing, praying. Unbelievable even to think about it now.
(Even the mormon women were getting really uncomfortable, talking amongst themselves, not knowing what to do.)
Scary thing for me was my sister ran off into the dark, alone, on the mountain side, trying to flee from what "she" thought was pure evil. I luckily found her. She thought "I" was part of them. I had to convince her that this whole thing freaked me out too and that I disagreed with all of that baloney.
She said she could sense that everyone was possessed of "something". Not only was I concerned for her mental state, but I was freaked at the mental state of mind of those girls.
I swore to myself that if I ever had a daughter, she would never be exposed to this kind of thing.
I had a daughter 6 years later, and I never allowed her to go to one of these camping escapades.