When high schooler Samantha Dalby was accepted as the Georgia delegate for the National Youth Science Camp — a prestigious four-week science and outdoors program in the West Virginia wilderness — she was overjoyed.
There was just one thing that dampened her excitement: having to miss church for three weeks.
Luckily, not long into camp, she met Utah delegate Benjamin Chiu, whom she recognized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she saw his backpack bearing the For the Strength of Youth logo.
Dalby said finding other members of the Church at camp was an answer to prayer.
“I was over the moon.”
Soon Dalby also met Virginia delegate Breanne Graham, who had contacted Chiu before camp to ask if he is a member of the Church. Graham said she figured he was when she read his introduction stating he was from Utah and played the organ.
Lastly, the trio met Ellie Kinghorn, the West Virginia delegate who is also a member of the Church.
“It was meaningful to me that I wasn’t the only member of the Church at camp because it not only showed me that I wasn’t alone but that the Church has such a wide reach,” Kinghorn said.
Together, the four youth taught other campers about the gospel by serving, sharing testimony and keeping their standards.
The courage to share
When other camp attendees heard Chiu was from Utah, many of them had one question: “Are you Mormon?”
“At the beginning of the camp, answering that question made me nervous, with my heart pounding,” said Chiu. But he said that with the Spirit, he was able to become more comfortable and confident and answer with an emphatic “Yes,” he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Chiu said he had chances to teach other campers about missions, temples, Church history, the Word of Wisdom and more.
Graham shared her beliefs in a normal and natural way after teaching a swing dancing class with Chiu to other campers.
When people asked how the two learned to swing dance, Graham told them about FSY conferences, which is where she learned.
“People were genuinely just curious, and it was amazing to see all of the opportunities we had to be missionaries,” said Graham.
Teaching through example
The Latter-day Saint campers taught with more than just words — they lived their beliefs.
“Our actions in showing kindness and upholding our standards were a kind of missionary work you couldn’t get through words,” said Kinghorn.
“Keeping our standards was more important than how people perceived us,” she added.
Dalby said she shared her testimony by serving other campers, especially during an overnight backpacking trip.
Being one of the few campers with backpacking experience, she helped others through obstacles on the path, set up tents and cheered others on.
“Being able to serve others on the trip was an amazing opportunity to let Christ’s light shine through me, and I made sure to be an example of what He would do.”
Rejoicing in the sacrament
A highlight mentioned by all four youth was getting to take the sacrament while at camp.
Because the youth weren’t able to attend church while at camp, Chiu reached out to the local bishop for permission to bless and administer the sacrament.
With priesthood-leader approval, the youth gathered each week to participate in the ordinance.
“We approached it with respect by finding a quiet place to gather together,” said Kinghorn. “We shared experiences we had at or before camp that gave us strength and then sang a hymn together.”
Dalby said there were occasional interruptions to their worship efforts, but they always found a way to complete the ordinance.
“Seeing [the other youths’] faith and determination to partake of the ordinance, even when everything was working against us, was inspiring to me.”
Chiu could see the joy partaking of the sacrament brought to everyone.
“Through these experiences,” he said, “I deeply felt the power of holding the priesthood and the privilege of serving God by serving others.”
