Children Learn to Be Disciples of Jesus Christ at Stake Primary Day Camp

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By Mary Richards, Church News

Valiant-age Primary children in the Gilbert Arizona Val Vista Stake are learning and growing from a stake Primary day camp modeled after For the Strength of Youth conferences in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The day camp has registration, companies, counselors, activities, service and more — all with the goal of helping the children become stronger disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Thomas Millett, 11, said, “I loved being together with a large group of kids that I knew were learning about Jesus and trying to be like Him. The other kids were really nice and kind to each other and my counselor was awesome. I felt like I came closer to Christ through the activities and lessons.” 

President Emerson Lovell, the second counselor in the Val Vista stake presidency, said the camp provides spiritual, social, physical and emotional activities. 

“I was blessed to witness the selfless dedicated service of youth, young single adults and adult leaders combined with the pure testimonies of children to invite all in attendance to come into Christ,” President Lovell said. “I truly saw the Lord’s hand in everything that took place from the field games to the conga lines and everything in between.” 

Kirstin Lundahl, the stake Primary president, said when she was first called around three years ago, she felt a strong prompting to plan a day camp for the Valiant-age children. She wanted it to be an FSY-type experience where they could not only have fun but also feel God’s deep and abiding love for them. 

After she completed her first version of this day camp in 2023, she saw a Church News article of a stake in Utah that followed a similar pattern. This “was a powerful testament to me that God speaks and inspires His people,” Lundahl said. 

The Val Vista stake’s latest day camp, held in September 2025, had the theme “Look Unto Christ,” from Doctrine and Covenants 6:36. 

Jonathan Niec, 9, has enjoyed going to the camp twice. “We always have lots of activities and food.” 

This last time, his favorite activity involved keeping a balloon in the air while getting across the stake center gym. Each time the children went across, there were different distractions to keep them from getting to Jesus Christ. 

“The leaf blower was the hardest one for me,” Jonathan said. “But I learned even though there are distractions I can get to Him, because I am a disciple of Christ.” 

Emily Niec, 11, said during the camp, she saw people she knew but also met new people. 

“The camp helped me become closer to Christ because of the activities we did and the people I met,” she said. “I enjoyed the activities because they were fun and Christ based.” 

Mabel Fox, 8, said her favorite game was a red light green light game outside. “I even made a new friend,” she said. “I also loved watching a video about service. It really helped me feel closer to Jesus.” 

Planning and executing the stake Primary day camp 

Lundahl said they started advertising three to four months before the camp and made sure families knew they could invite other Valiant-age children. Because of these efforts, the majority of the eligible member children in the stake participated and around 10% of them brought a friend. 

The planning committee included a member of each ward’s Primary presidency and two activity leaders from each ward. 

Each ward Primary presidency in the stake planned an activity to go along with the theme that would fit into five, 40-minute rotations. The activities included archery, field relays, a Word of Wisdom game show, a craft and a service activity. Each rotation included a spiritual tie-in between the activity and the theme. 

Children were grouped into companies, and children with special needs had a companion for the day. Each company was given a name based on the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum from the year and the same color camp shirt. 

Melanie Johnson, a Primary activity leader in the Lakeside Ward, helped participate and plan. 

“Children thrive in an environment where they have positive interactions with older youth leaders, spend time in engaging activities that teach true principles, connect with their peers through service, play, food and feel the fruits of the Spirit in reverent and lively ways,” Johnson said. 

She said it takes “dedicated and inspired leadership” from the top down, with many adult and youth leaders planning together and seeking personal inspiration. Their goal was to “help children feel loved, find activities that they genuinely enjoy and appeal to a variety of personalities, and also teach truths in a succinct and powerful way.” 

Meredith Whatcott, the second counselor in the Lakeside Ward Primary presidency, said the opportunity for the Primary children to invite a friend from school or from their neighborhood was a beautiful thing to see. 

“What we feel is the Spirit testifying that the activities they are doing are right and good,” Whatcott said. 

Her ward taught the topic of the Word of Wisdom and saw the children learn the physical and spiritual blessings of being obedient. 

“I have gained a strong testimony that children can play and have fun and feel the Spirit, they can work together towards a common goal and feel the Spirit and they can listen to inspired talks and feel the Spirit. To me this is what sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like,” she said. 

The Importance of Primary Day Camp Counselors 

Each company of children was assigned two counselors for the day who were young single adults or youth that came recommended by the bishops in the stake. The counselors underwent training before the event, Lundahl said. 

“These counselors really worked hard to lead the Primary children and help them have fun. It was beautiful to watch,” she said. 

The children looked up to their counselors with admiration and respect, and Lundahl said next time they plan to give the counselors more time to teach and testify. “The kids hang on their every word and these counselors have a uniquely powerful influence for good.” 

Hunter Millett, 11, said, “I loved having the older youth and young adults as counselors because they had lots of energy and were really fun to be with.” 

The counselors talked about how much fun they had being with the children. Holli Fox said she loved being able to teach her group. 

“It was really awesome to see all these kids have so much fun playing games, learning skills, making friends and growing closer to Jesus Christ,” she said. “I know experiences like these are so important for little children because this is how they start to gain their own testimony.” 

Gavin Irvine said the children in his group understood how to feel the Spirit. 

“I was shocked by how powerful their testimonies were, and the love and comfort they felt when they talked about Jesus was so inspiring. I couldn’t have asked for a more Christlike group to watch over,” he said. 

Gloria Coon said her favorite part of the camp was the individual group devotional. She played the song “I Will Walk with Jesus” and without prompting, the children sang the song together and shared what they loved about Jesus Christ. 

“The Spirit in that room was so strong and you could feel the pure love of the Lord,” Coon said. “I know that in those little experiences is where Christ leads in our lives, He truly is amazing. I love those kids and I am so grateful I got to be there to experience Heavenly Father’s love with them.” 

Lundahl said she hopes other stake or ward Primary presidencies around the world might be able to learn from their day camp and make any adjustments they need. “I know that the Spirit can and does inspire these Primary leaders on behalf of these beloved children of God.” 

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