moving up?

i wish God would tell me

Dear Gracie,
My parents are so mean. They have more rules and make me do more chores than any of my friend’s parents. They won’t even let me watch the TV show all my friends get to watch. I am so angry at them. I know I’m supposed to forgive them, but I really don’t want to.
- From Unforgiving

Dear Unforgiving,
Your parents probably have good reasons for their decisions, even if they don’t make sense to you now. It’s a parent’s job to help you make the right choices and to help you grow into the person God designed you to be. Try to see their decisions from a different perspective. Try to think about how much they must love you and want to keep you safe and help you become a thoughtful, giving person. Then, talk to your mom and dad about your feelings. You might better understand why they make the choices they do and be better able to forgive them.
- Love, Gracie

Is there something you wish God would tell you? Ask Gracie.

what you said

· Over 75% of your families volunteer or do things for others during the holidays.

· Nearly half of you agree that giving and receiving gifts is your favorite holiday tradition. Around 20% say picking out the Christmas tree tops the list. Another 20% like doing things for others best.

· More than half of you agree that it’s hard to forgive someone who hurts your feelings, even when they say, “I’m sorry.”

· Who is most difficult to forgive? Results were evenly split between siblings, parents, kids at school, strangers and yourselves.

an awesome new look for an awesome new year

If you’ve been receiving The Hopper every month, you probably are noticing a big change. Well, it all started with our website. We’ve created a new website that's super awesome looking (just like this newsletter) — check it out! The new design makes it easier to find out what’s happening at your camp, as well as important news, like all the details on Summer 2007, and fun stuff, too, like our super cool online game. As for The Hopper, deep down we’re still the same, with important real-life issues to think about (including a look at God’s view of things and interviews with your favorite counselors), fun stunts to try and all the latest news about what’s coming up at SpringHill. This month you’ll find out a lot about forgiveness as well as when to register for Summer 2007! So look around, click on stuff and let us know what you think!

what's happening at springhill indiana

Are you ready for Summer 2007? Check out the SpringHill summer schedule and the fun adventures and majors for  Red Brush grades 1-3 and for Red Brush grades 4-6. Then, start planning the week you’ll be talking about for the rest of the year! Be sure to remind your mom or dad that they can go to the SpringHill website NOW to create an online account to be ready when registration opens January 22 at 6 p.m.!!

Want to help SpringHill get ready for an awesome summer? Bring your family or your youth group to SpringHill for a volunteer day or weekend: Saturday, March 2; Saturday, May 12; or Memorial Day weekend, Friday, May 25 - Monday, May 28. It’s a great opportunity to serve at SpringHill and have a blast doing it! For more information, visit our website. Then, have your parents or your youth group leader call Pam Wilkerson at 812-479-0008, ext. 102, to register. Don't wait — space is limited! 

fight back with forgiveness

Jesus said, “Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” —Luke 23:34

Have you ever had a good friend talk behind your back? What happened? Chances are you got angry and said mean things about your friend. Then, you weren't just fighting, you probably weren't even friends anymore.

People, even good friends, can hurt us sometimes. And, naturally, we want to fight back and get even. But fighting leads to more fighting, and unkindness leads to more unkindness. Jesus showed us another way.

Jesus was beaten and spit on and hung like a criminal to die on a cross. He had every right to hate the people who did these things to him, right? But he didn’t. In fact, he never even fought back. He forgave them! Because he forgave, we can, too. Do you want to save a friendship? Forgive. It’s much better than getting even.

Some questions to share with your parents: Have you ever been hurt by someone? How did you respond? Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive right now? Why is forgiveness better than getting even?

a springhill counselor talks to the hopper

Last summer’s Red Brush Area Director Scott Michener describes his first experience at SpringHill as “amazing” and “a million times better than flipping burgers for the summer.” Scott is in his junior year studying pre-seminary Bible at Cedarville University in Ohio and hopes to teach Bible at a Christian high school when he graduates. Here, he talks to The Hopper about forgiveness and how he handles conflict.

The Hopper: Can you remember a time where you had to forgive someone or be forgiven for something big?
Scott: I was a pretty mean, stubborn kid, especially in the way I behaved toward my parents. I grew up in the church and went to a Christian school but at home I talked back and had to win arguments. I had to seek a lot of forgiveness event by event, but as I got older it became really obvious to me how much I had taken my family for granted and how rotten I had been.

The Hopper: What did you experience as a result of seeking forgiveness?
Scott: For me, just saying “I’m sorry” after all that time wasn’t enough. It’s easy to go through the motions but it’s another thing to do something about it. By helping out and showing my mom especially that I was sorry and really did care helped me see that instead of being a burden I could be a help.

The Hopper: What seemed big to you as a kid that now looks small?
Scott: Growing up I always had to have my way over my younger brother. If I didn’t get to do something at age 7, then I’d be furious if my brother got to do that thing at age 7. Looking back, I see that it would have been nice for me to be happy for him. Having everything fair and equal is not going to change the face of the world.

The Hopper: How did you handle conflict as a kid? Have you made any changes as you’ve grown up?
Scott: I was argumentative and tried to talk my way out of everything. I always had to have the last word. These days I am still direct and confident when I approach conflict, but I try to listen more and identify the real problem. I am not in an argument to be right but to solve a problem and help set things right with the other person.

The Hopper: What advice do you have for kids about forgiveness or handling conflict?
Scott: Try to understand that getting your way and being right are not the most important things. Also, you are going to make mistakes and there are going to be many things in life that you’ll need to ask forgiveness for and forgive others for. Our job is to forgive as Jesus forgave us.