Girls from all over Northern California gathered at Leoni Meadows for a weekend of fun and fellowship at the end of January. Nearly 100 young women were entertained and encouraged by peers and mentors in activities, lectures and challenges.

“The exciting thing about this is that girls came that weren’t connected to an Adventist academy,” said Marit Case, associate pastor at Carmichael Church and coordinator for the weekend.

Responding to the surge in “reality” television and patterning some activities after one such show that aired last summer, attendees were each given a “passport,” Bible and armband. Throughout the weekend, opportunities arose for participants to collect stamps in their passports by completing specific tasks. At the end of the weekend, groups and individuals who collected the most stamps received awards.

Guest speaker Myronie McKee gave four presentations throughout the weekend, including, “Hey! Who Signed Me Up For This Race?” “Sputtering, Stumbling and Falling in Love,” “But What Am I Going to Wear?” and “Your Trail Map for Life and Love.”

McKee lives in Sunnyvale, Calif., with her husband, Sam, and their 16-month-old son, Kai. She has had some great adventures since she gave her life to God, including surfing and ministering in Hawaii, building a Christian café in Michigan, directing a courtroom drama in Silicon Valley and marrying a snowboarder from Colorado. “I love how God is full of surprises and truly does know what will bring me the most joy,” said McKee, now an assistant pastor of the Sunnyvale Church.

In addition to the main sessions, workshops were offered to help attendees deal with life issues. Presenters included: Debbie Craft, prevention/intervention specialist at a junior high school; Michelle Rai, director of public relations at Pacific Union College; Bethany Smith, auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers; Julie Lee, communications coordinator for Maranatha Volunteers International and freelance writer; and Shurlea Young, prayer ministries leader for her church and mother of two. Throughout the weekend, these women shared their experiences with topics ranging from dating and communication through body language to prayer and maintaining balance in life.

Elise Fandrich, a junior at Sacramento Adventist Academy, was one of the planners for the weekend. She liked the way the participants were divided up into groups for the weekend. “I got to hang out with a bunch of people from El Dorado that I didn’t really know very well,” she said.

Fandrich appreciated McKee’s presentations as well. “She did a really good job of connecting with the girls,” said Fandrich. “She spoke in a way that was easy to understand and was very open.”