Learning to Fly

When I was first learning how to be a good photographer I had the opportunity to spend time in the Butterfly Gardens at the Minnesota Zoo. What an amazing place! This was an enclosed garden full of beautiful plants and lots of different butterflies. Many caterpillars munched on leaves and there were several stations with maturing chrysalis. It was warm, almost steaming, but what caught my attention was that although there were several people walking the brick laid paths admiring the different species, it was quiet, reverent. 

One landed on my Mom’s shoulder, flapped its wings a few times then flew to the next flower. Colorful dots darted above our heads and I snapped shot after shot. These are three of the pictures I took that day.  I marveled at the Lords creative abilities. I have always loved butterflies, but this experience started a love affair.  I tried to imagine how much fun it must have been for Heaven Father and Jesus Christ to create these beautiful, graceful, delicate creatures.

Relatively unattractive caterpillars wrap themselves in a tedious process and emerge an amazing new creature full of color with new abilities. As humans we too have this opportunity. We can take ourselves from the place we are, wrap ourselves in all things good with the atonement of Jesus Christ and emerge a new incredible creature with beauty and abilities we didn’t know possible. The Atonement, or “at- one- ment” gives us wings to fly and color to vibrate.  Imagine the happiness it brings the Savior when we partner with him and turn into what we are meant to be.

Understanding and using the atonement is a lifelong process. Part of the process is finding a way to grow closer to our Savior so we can understand Him and become like Him. Girls Camp is an opportunity to do just that. Turn off the world, put aside the everyday, and as our Stake Young Women’s President Cari Ladd said this week, “Fully commit to the camp experience.”

Let the Girls Camp experience become part of your chrysalis! Commit to the experience and I promise you will grow closer to your Savior, learning to hear the Spirit easier and feel the love of your Heavenly Father in a way that is only possible at camp. 

Join us ladies, let’s learn how to fly!

-Susan Lee
Assistant Camp Director