Last week, Jason and I had the opportunity to serve as volunteer cooks for our church’s annual youth girls’ camp. It was our daughter’s first year to attend, so it was fun to see her there and make sure she was having a good time, but not hover. And boy, did we work our tails off! It was good, fun service, though.

When you have a bad hair day from not showering at camp, just wear a wig!

The theme for this year’s camp was based on Dr. Suess and went something like this, “Oh the places you’ll go and the service you’ll do.” So naturally Jason and I had to ham it up and get into character. We wore our Thing One and Thing Two costumes while we helped serve Roast Beast for dinner on one of the nights.

So what did we do? We washed lots of dishes…

Washing dishes for 250+ girls was no small feat. Thank goodness there were lots of helpers!

We learned a great way to make instant mashed potatoes. The secret ingredients? Butter, cream, and mayonnaise! (Oh – and a mixer attached to a drill to make it all go much faster!)

Girls with power tools!!

 And Jason had a great time cooking ALL THE BACON for a delicious breakfast of egg burritos with all the toppings! One of the benefits of helping on the cooking crew was being able to sample before, during and after each meal!! To say we were well fed is an understatement.

You can never have too much bacon!

While we cooked, cleaned, and cooked some more, the girls participated in scheduled activities like first aid, crafts, camping skills and several fun physical activities like zip lining.

Our daughter’s favorite activity was zip lining. We are not surprised at all!

The craziest part of our week was on the last full day of camp. Just after lunch, a torrential flash flood swept through camp, causing us to evacuate for safety. There was muck and debris everywhere and the girls had to wade through mud up to their knees to get to higher ground for safety.

Flash floods are common in Las Vegas – they come quickly and without warning!

Fortunately, due to quick thinking and good leadership from those in charge, there were no injuries and all made it down the mountain safely. Other than a few tears, the majority of the girls were proud of the story they could now tell and are already looking forward to next year’s camp.

Yes, I will volunteer for treats! The white chocolate version of green eggs and ham were divine!

Once Jason and I were home, dry and unpacked, I unwrapped this lovely thank you gift that the organizers gave to each of the cooking crew. In spite of the flooding, we had a great time and look forward to helping out again in the future. 🙂