There’s a Warrior in Me

This is our Original theme song for girls camp this year. officially registered with a copywrite and everything! The story behind how it was made was exactly the point we wanted to get across to the girls this year at camp. For my Devotional on our last night, the theme of the day was Women of God, so I shared this story with the girls, after I told them about the meaning behind their t shirts. I will try to retell the story, but it wont be as good as when I spoke from the heart in front of all those girls!

I wrote the song for girls camp this year, but it has been weird for me to get attention for it. Which is highly unlike me! I love attention! I love preforming! But this was different.
We had a whole lot that we wanted our girls to take away from our Women Warriors camp this year. When it came time to choose a theme song I really wanted to find the "perfect" song! Music speaks deeper than words alone. Music is powerful. Music is a universal language that can connect people that don't even speak the same language!

I searched for about a week. I searched everywhere, every combination of words. And I was coming up dry. As I sat down to search again wondering where else or what else I could search, I had the thought
"You could write a song"
"No, No I cant write a song. That's too hard, that would take too long." And again I thought
"You should write the song. That's the only way you are going to convey the message that you are looking for!"
And again I chased the thought away. "I am NOT qualified to write a song!I have never written a song!" And then the thought came to me
"...Well...if Nephi can build a boat!" (After I said this I paused and the girls all ERUPTED!! I did NOT expect that reaction! But it must have struck a chord with them, and I LOVED it!)
So I thought with the Lords help, I can do it! I prayed and I fasted and then I could see the song. I couldn't hear it yet, but I could see the blueprints of how it should go, "She is a warrior, I'll be a warrior, I AM a warrior!"

I would write lines in my notebook when ever I'd get an idea. But when I would sit down and try to come up with it on my own, nothing would come. As I would get in my car to drive, I turned off the music. I just drove in silence. (Earlier in the week we had a class about being still and listening, and letting the Lord talk to you and guide you) As I would just be still and listen things would pop in my head. Lines of lyrics, or ideas of what the song should say. And then I would hear music! Lines of melodies would pop in my head! I would pull out the voice recorder app on my phone and sing the melody, or say the lines I thought of so I could remember them later.

I had a whole notebook full of random lines, and verses. Some I used, some I didn't. Then I would start putting the words to the melodies. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But Sometimes I would begin to sing and then I'd get all chocked up and I'd go "Yep! That's it! That's the one!"

Then I began putting the music into a program to write the music and play it back. And I could start to see the song come to life just a little. I would get this section done, and then another section done. Every time I listened to one small section I'd get SO excited! I couldn't wait to hear it beginning to end all together for the first time! When that moment came, I held my breath and listened. As soon as the song was over my heart just sank.
"What was I thinking? I can't write a song. This is never going to work. It doesn't even sound good. I just wasted 3 weeks of my life. I'm going to start searching again"

I sat there, sad and defeated for a few min, and then I thought again
"No, if Nephi can build a boat! I can do this, I just need more help"

Much more prayer, and fasting, and with the help of several very talented people in the stake I was able to learn more about how to write a song, and I kept working and working. It was really hard, and it took a long time, and it was ALL I could think about while I was writing it!

It is not a professional song. And it still has some mistakes. It is an electronic piano playing without any dynamics or emotion. And I can still hear so much more to the song, more layers, more instruments. But I don't have the skills yet to produce it the way I can hear it in my head.
But I have no doubt that the message of the song is for those girls. This song, is THEIR song. And I told them as they sing, to know that it is about them. Each of them individually. Its not just a song I searched for on the internet and we made it work. But it was written for them, and about them. And as they sing that last Chorus, I am a warrior! To BELIEVE it!

And let me tell you, they DID!! We sang this song every night at the close of our devotional. And after they heard the story behind their song, the conviction with which they sang was tangible! It was such an honor to stand up in front of them and conduct them as they stood and sang! It is an experience I will cherish forever and never forget!

If nothing more ever comes of this song, those 3 mins on that night made all the work I put into writing a new song 100% worth it!