The hike that turned into a walk.

As ward Camp director I was tasked with planning and carrying out the hiking requirement for our girls.  I had planned an awesome and challenging nature hike for our 12-18 year old young ladies at church. Unfortunately for me, (and them) their leaders decided at the last min to cancel my hike and plan their own due to a little bit of rain.  Just hours before we were to hike  a local nature trail "rainbow mountain trail"  The leaders decided, without discussing it with me, to change the location and duration of the hike.  They decided that instead of going on a hike, that we should walk a paved, level,  jogging and biking path located near the church.

Of course, they still expected me to lead the hike.. .  I was hurt and angry that my plans, preparation, and my calling as Camp Director had been discounted.  I am still very upset that my opinion and input was not sought after or once I learned about the changes, listened to, as my stewardship over the camp activities should have given me at least some say.  Unfortunately, I was not consulted and was informed that my Calling had "no point", and that I was required to do what they said and nothing more.  At this point, I seriously considered not going to the walk, and letting them figure things out for themselves, as they had thrown all of my preparation out of the window.  But then I thought about the girls, and how important this is to them, and how I had given them my word to be there and support them.


 So I showed up, walked the same 1 mile path over and over again to get the 5 miles in, and stewed over the lack of confidence that their leadership has in the girls.  At the end of the walk, my group was done early so we went wading in the little creek for a while and had fun waiting for the rest of the girls to catch up.  Since we didn't actually go on a hike, we had time left over at the end and so the older girls sang camp songs with the younger girls to fill up the rest of the time.  

I am disappointed in the way things played out.  I wish that I had been given a vote of confidence by the leadership, I wish that the girls had been challenged instead of  having them take the easy way out.  I wish that I had been able to magnify my calling the way I intended to and I had been allowed to do what I was called, set apart and tasked by the Lord to do.  But it didn't work out that way.  However, I did have a nice time talking to the girls, and spending time with them.   And the girls are what is important.