moving up?

Are you going to be at InPursuit this summer? If so, check out Bounce, SpringHill's newsletter for 6th-8th graders. Subscribe today!

play the game

Want to win a free week at SpringHill AND a great waterproof digital camera to record all the fun? Go to the SpringHill Game website to play the new-and-improved game and be entered in the drawing! (Plus, we’ll be giving away an iTunes gift card every month!)

springhill stunt

If last month’s stunt — Cracker Pyramid — stumped you, watch the video solution to see how it's done. (If you missed the stunt, check out the challenge first!)

Now for a new stunt, which won't require much brainpower. In other words, yes, it's kind of stupid, but it'll help you get rid of all that Valentine's Day candy... One-on-One Skittle Skattle Battle!

1. Find a partner and some Skittles (or other small crushable candies like M&Ms).

2. Put a candy on your thumb. Have your partner do the same.

3. On the count of three, press your thumbs together. Whoever's candy cracks first loses. The winner gets to eat both candies. (Two sweaty, crushed candies. Now that's a good prize!)

i wish God would tell me

Dear Gracie,
I wish I could do something big for God. Members of my church have gone to help people rebuild their houses in New Orleans or work at an orphanage in Haiti but I’m stuck at school or watching my little sister at home. I feel kind of useless. How can God use a kid to do things for him?
—From Useless

Dear Useless,
I’d prefer to call you “useful” because that’s what you are — and what you can be! God doesn’t need you to go to another city or country to do great things for him. He can use you right where you are every day. God needs people to show his love to others everywhere. For you, this could mean talking to the girl who sits alone during lunch or choosing first for your team the boy who always gets picked last or being kind to your sister even when she doesn’t do what you want her to do. Everyone is lonely sometimes or feels unlovable. The greatest thing you can do for God is to show his love to others right where you are!
Love, Gracie

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

say something

1. Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt unlovable?
Yes
No

2. Who makes you feel most loved?
Family
Friends
God
People at SpringHill
A teacher or youth leader

3. What keeps you from loving someone?
Being hurt
Wanting to be popular
Thinking about myself
The person is too different
The person is mean to me or someone I care about

4. If you heard a secret about a friend, would you tell someone else (even if you knew it would hurt your friend)?
Yes
No

5. Have you ever gossiped?
Yes
No

If you do not receive a confirmation page after clicking submit, please click here.

what you said

· 70% of you say that God is the one you ask forgiveness from most; the rest of you are split between parents, friends and teachers.

· More than 60% of you ask for forgiveness because you are truly sorry; 30% say you ask because it makes you feel better; and 10% do it because you're supposed to. 

· 50% of you say you handle conflict by listening and talking it out; 20% say you avoid it.

· Is there someone in your life who's really difficult to love? 100% say "yes."

loving people who need it most

Have you ever done something kind for someone who was feeling lonely or left out? Are you nice to people who your friends don't like? It's tough to say, “yes,” because loving people who are different or "uncool" can put our own "coolness" in jeopardy. In other words, we risk having our friends turn on us, too. But we all know someone who needs our love. In fact, 100 percent of The Hopper readers said that there is someone in their life who is really difficult to love. With Valentine’s Day approaching, we see signs of “love” everywhere, which makes it a good time to think about how we show our love and who we show it to and who we leave out. In this issue of The Hopper, we’ll take a look at a story Jesus told about loving someone who's different and talk about why it’s so difficult to love certain people. We’ll also give you all the latest SpringHill news, link you to our new-and-improved online game and give you a silly stunt to try. Keep reading! This is an issue you'll love!

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 register!

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! 

love the one you like the least

Love your neighbor as yourself. —Luke 10:27

In Luke 10:26-37, a man was talking to Jesus about eternal life. He knew loving God and loving others was the way to have eternal life, but he didn’t live this way himself. So, Jesus told the man a story about a man who was beaten and left by the road to die. Religious people passed by the beaten man — they were too busy or too scared to be bothered with helping. Finally, a Samaritan man, a man who normally wouldn’t have had anything to do with a Jewish man, stopped to help.

Jesus tells this story so we can understand that love doesn’t follow rules or play favorites. We should and can love anyone and everyone because God loves us and because this is God’s way. Who is your neighbor? Anyone who needs help or kindness. Anyone who is lonely or left out. So, who is your neighbor?

Some questions to share with your parents: Are you willing to love people you don’t like? How can you love them? Is there someone at school or in your neighborhood that you can show love to right now? What keeps you from doing it?

a springhill counselor talks to the hopper

Former camper and Red Brush area director Ashley Warning can’t get enough of SpringHill, which is why she’ll be back at camp this summer as Red Brush area director again! A senior elementary education major at Cornerstone University, Ashley talks to The Hopper about love.

The Hopper: Was there a time in your life when you felt unlovable?
Ashley: When my younger sister and I didn’t get along. I knew we shouldn’t be arguing and fighting. When we did, I didn’t feel lovable.

The Hopper: Do you remember a time when you felt really loved?
Ashley: If I was ever sad or made fun of, I would go to my mom. She would let me sit in her lap and tell me how special I was.

The Hopper: Is there someone in your life who’s been difficult to love?
Ashley: One of my cousins hurt me and my sister a lot, so it’s been difficult to love him. But I know that God loves my cousin even though he’s so mean. This encourages me to work harder at trying to see the good things about him.

The Hopper: What keeps you from loving someone?
Ashley: If someone does something hurtful, it's harder to love that person.

The Hopper: What advice do you have for students about how to follow Jesus’ command to love God and love others?
Ashley: When you find yourself angry and not liking someone, try to focus on what’s good about that person.