From Rocks to Rallies
The last night of summer training our Indiana staff pray for each camper registered for camp. They are given 5 rocks and 5 names of campers then proceed on a short walk and pray specifically for each camper. At the end of the walk the rocks are placed in a pile along the main road entering camp. This walk continues until every camper is prayed for.
There are now 11 piles of rocks, one for each summer of camp in Indiana. And there are over 22,000 rocks, one for each camper who has had the opportunity to hear, see and experience Jesus Christ in a life changing way since our first summer in 2000.
These rocks provide a daily reminder to all of us of the campers and their families we’ve had the privilege to serve.
Closing Day is the culmination of our preparation, work and prayers for these campers. It’s the day parents come to pick up their kids and we celebrate the campers week of camp.
As part of Closing Day we have a Closing Rally for parents, friends and staff. It’s where we hear and see what God has done in the lives of the campers we have prayed for and served during their SpringHill Experience.
We start with a rock and prayer. We end with a rally and a celebration for all that God has done in the lives of campers.
To give you a glimpse into how God answers our prayers the following are some Indiana camper quotes about their SpringHill Experience.
In answer to the question “What was the best thing about this week at SpringHill?”:
“I met many great people that have helped me in my walk with the Lord and about things at home.”
“Being so spiritually connected with my cabin and gaining so much insight & knowledge on Jesus’ sacrifice.”
“Learning about God’s forgiveness.”
In answer to the question “How was your life impacted or changed this week?”
“I know that reading the Bible is very entertaining.”
“I learned what Jesus did and what He wants me to do.”
“I really accepted Jesus into my life this week.”
“I learned not to judge people on the outside.”
“Been lost in my faith, COMPLETELY changed.”
We Love Our Job But It Isn’t Always Fun!
People think that working for a camp like SpringHill is all campfires, singing songs, hearing inspiring stories, riding horses, working with dedicated people and eating smores.
But the reality is when you serve 14,000 campers a summer from all over the world and every walk of life there will be sad stories to hear and situations we become involved with.
This week we have 2000 campers plus 700 summer staff in our camps. Enough people to be a small city. And like a small city, there is hurt, heartache and brokenness.
Yesterday I spoke to some of our leaders from around the ministry and heard a few of the camper situations from this week. I share them with you to give you an idea of what we become involved in and also so you can pray more effectively for us and our campers.
We received a call from a mother who just found out her husband and the father of her two kids died suddenly in an accident. Our staff facilitated this mother coming to camp and breaking the news to her two boys. Then our staff followed-up with their cabin mates to help them through their own sadness for their new friends.
One of our campers shared with her counselor that she has missed her cycle and believes she maybe pregnant. Now we are working through all the implications of this potential situation so we can help her make the right decisions.
Another camper we decided, after working with him for 3 days to adjust to camp, needed to go home. It was obvious from his behavior that camp was not the best place.
Finally there is a young woman who has been sexually abused by a trusted adult.
Every week we become involved with stories like this. It is a part of our work. We don’t like it and it’s certainly not fun. But we count it a privilege to be available to help these campers find the greatest Hope and Healer in the world – Jesus Christ.
On a different note here are a few photo’s from my visit to our Indiana camp.
Indiana Campers enjoying some after dinner activities. 
Campers taking the "long dive" from the Party Barge into Rust Lake. A Walk Around the Lake!
If you have never been to SpringHill’s overnight camp in Indiana you are really missing something. It is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. And better yet, we have some of the best staff here creating life changing experiences for over 2200 campers this summer.
Campers enjoying some time on the lake. My wife Denise and I are spending the week here, staying at the guest house – Acorn Pointe (check out the view we have from the house), and watching camp happen. We do this each summer. It gives us time together and also the opportunity to be with our Indiana staff, campers and supporters.
Our view from Acorn Pointe in morning as we have coffee. One of my favorite things to do while I’m here is to walk around the our 55 acre lake. I’m able to see, hear and feel camp. I’ve learned over the 13 summers with SpringHill that I can gauge how camp is going by walking around and observing.
I watch and listen to staff and campers as they are walking to and from their activities. I look to see their countenance, how are they interacting with each other, are there stragglers, is there a pep in their step?
Campers spend their entire day with their cabin mates and counselors. Our goal is to create an intimate community within the cabin area. These relationships are the context within which we share spiritual truth with our campers.
This week, on one hot and muggy afternoon walk around Rust Lake, Denise and I could hear singing coming from across the dam. As we looked we could see a group of TSTer’s (our high school campers) walking towards us. There was certainly a pep in their step. They were obviously enjoying their time together.
Walking, singing and laughing together. A sign of community being formed. It’s in these simple moments that the relations, so key to the camper’s openness to spiritual truth and ultimately to Christ, are developed. As we walked by these campers and their counselors Denise and I quietly prayed (another thing I can do as I walk) that God would use this community to help these campers to know and grow in their relationship with Jesus.
“48214”
48214 is the zip code where our inner city Detroit day campers live. It is another world from the more famous zip code 90210. In contrast 48214 is the second poorest zip code in Detroit. This is remarkable because this community includes some of the “wealthiest” neighborhoods in Detroit. So in reality 48214 has some of the neediest and poorest citizens, not only in Detroit, but in our country.
Playing the famous Skittle Skattle Battle - a SpringHill version of capture the flag. Yet it was in this community and with these campers that we were affirmed that this is one of the places we are to serve kids, their families and the local church. Let me just share a few of these affirmations with you.
One of our staff told me that these campers are very thankful and appreciative of their experience. For example, we have an ice cream social for the campers and their families as part of our closing ceremonies. When one camper was told they would be having ice cream he said “really, we get ice cream, really we do?” A glow was on his face as if he was just told he was going to Disney.
By the second day campers where calling their counselors “auntie”, “uncle”, “mommy” or “dad”. They clung to our staff and in a sense adopted them as their parents. Many do not experience this kind of love, the love of Christ, at home.
During the mini rally on closing day one camper would not let his counselor stand. He wanted to be on his "auntie's" lap. On the last day the kids from Hope Community Church, http://www.hopedetroit.org/homepage.html , said to Monique Holliday, the Hope coordinator, “can we come back next week?”.
Monique answered “no SpringHill is moving on to another location.”
Kids responded “but can we go where they will be?”
Monique told them “they are going far away.”
In which the kids responded “we will just go with them, they will take us.”
Although we can’t physically take these campers with us there is no doubt after this remarkable week, that in a deeper way, they will never leave us. And our prayer for them as well is that the love of Christ they experienced will never leave them.
“This is The Best Place Ever!”
“This is the best place ever” yelled one of our inner city Detroit day campers. It was Wednesday morning during our hottest week of camp and Danae Durling, our Detroit Day Camp Director, worked her magic and recruited the neighborhood fire station to fill our water activities with water (this was faster than doing it by a hose).
C.I.T.'s thought I needed some cooling off. Then the fire fighters followed this gift of kindness with another – they sprayed all the campers and our staff with their hoses. Campers and staff were gleefully running around under the mist of cool water. It was one of those moments we can’t orchestrate at camp. They just happen and we run with it.
During this spontaneous moment of fun, Liz Taylor, our Detroit team administrator, heard one of our summer staff cry out “This is the best job ever!”.
Liz, one of our counselors, presented a character quality trait award to one of her campers. “This is the best place ever” and “this is the best job ever.” There just might be a correlation between the two. Take a look at the photo’s below of the neighborhood in which this day camp took place. Now align those photo’s with the statement “the best place ever”. Being “the best place ever” is more than a location. It’s staff who love their job and love those they serve, who believe they have the “best job ever.” This is what creates “the best places ever”.
It was a remarkable week for these campers and staff. I will share a couple more stories over the next few days.
A home across from our Day Camp. 
Another burned out home across from our location. The Story Chapter 4: The Gathering
Providence is the care, guardianship, and control of the events of life exercised by God. Many believe, or want to believe, in Providence. Joe, Arvin, Darlene and Colin have experienced it first hand and thus know it’s true beyond a shadow of a doubt. This past week Providence brought together the “ambassador”, the two “big hearts” and their “inspiration” to write the next chapter in this special story.
Colin, Darlene and Arvin on the porch of the Founder's House We all met together as a way to dedicate and celebrate the loving Providence of our Lord in bringing us all together.
We shared with Colin and his parents, Rick and Dawn, that because of Colin’s inspiration and his “voice”, the Van Hall’s have underwritten new Special Needs housing for SpringHill. This housing will allow us to double the number of special needs campers who have special housing requirements and reduce our waiting list for this program.
The Van Hall’s asked that this new building acknowledge Colin and his inspiration. It will be a part of the Peaks (all the Peaks are named after peaks in North America) so we wanted a name that would be fitting to both this theme and to the inspiration of Colin and all the campers like him. With the help of Chris DuMond from DesignVox, who provides our marketing and creative leadership, we identified a name for this housing unit.
Colin Ridge will be our new Special Needs housing. Colin Ridge is a 8409 foot high peak located in Canada’s Jasper National Park, a part of the Colin Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Our vision is that all campers who come to SpringHill will have a “mountain top” spiritual experience. Colin Ridge reflect’s our continuing commitment to assuring every one of our campers, no matter who they are and where they come from will have this type of life changing experience.
We are thankful for the Spirit filled time we had together, for Colin and his family, for the Van Hall’s and their faithfulness and for all the people over the many years who have helped assure that Colin and campers like him can have a life transforming experience at SpringHill.
As you might have guessed this story is not done and some time in the future I will be able to share with you the next chapters of this amazing SpringHill story.
Colin looking at plans for Colin Ridge 
Arvin and Darling looking at the plans and the location 
Colin learning that the new housing will be named Colin Ridge 
Arvin sharing the moment with Colin 
Rick & Dawn, Colin's parents, join the photo session The Story Chapter 3: The Inspiration
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” But the person in the picture is of infinite value as Arvin and Darlene Van Hall can attest to. This past May I was sitting in a restaurant in Pella, Iowa with the Van Halls talking about our families, life, faith and SpringHill.
I shared with the Van Hall’s our 2013 Ministry plan we call Journey Forward. As we were flipping through the Journey Forward booklet the Van Hall’s eyes stayed on the page with this photo on it.
They looked at it for a long time as tears welled up in their eyes. They asked me “who is this young man in the photograph and what was his story?”
I then shared with them how we have campers with special needs participate in camp alongside our other campers. That we embrace all kids and want them to experience the truth that they are created in the image of God and thus are valued and loved by God as His children. This means we will do everything we can to have these campers participate in, along with our other campers, every camp activity possible (including “Crud Wars”).
So who is this camper? His name is Colin and he has been a “SpringHiller” for a number of years. He has Cerebral Palsy so he uses a powered wheelchair and has a one-on-one counselor with him during his week of camp. He is at grade-level both cognitively and with his speech thus communicates very well for someone with his condition. He loves camp and is one of the heros of the week when he is here.
Because he is able to communicate so well Colin has become a voice for others like himself but who are not capable of speaking on their own behalf. Just as he did “speaking” through this photo directly to the Van Hall’s hearts inspiring them to do something significant, not just for Colin, but for the 100’s of other special needs campers and the 1000’s of kids who have the opportunity to attend camp with them each year.
In Chapter 4 I will tell the story of the meeting of Colin and the Van Halls and exactly what Colin inspired the Van Hall’s to do on behalf of every camper who attends SpringHill.
The Story Chapter 2: The Big Hearts
“…love one another deeply, from a pure heart.” I Peter 1:22. The first time I met Arvin and Darlene Van Hall was at our overnight camp in Michigan. They had come, per Joe Yahner’s recommendation, to see what SpringHill was all about. They wanted to understand what it takes to build and run an effective camp for kids.
My friends Arvin and Darlene visiting SpringHill. After spending a few hours with the Van Halls it became apparent that these business people, parents, spouses and now grandparents from Pella, Iowa had big hearts to help kids. Especially kids who don’t have all the advantages that “normal” kids have in life.
Over the next five years I, and some of our staff, made a number of trips to Pella to visit with Lakeview Camp and meet with the Van Halls and enjoy Dutch pastries and coffee together. It was apparent every time we were together that they wanted to do something to make a difference in the lives of kids.
This is why the Van Hall’s were involved with a camp that served kids who had a parent in prison. They want to help these kids have experiences and opportunities that impact their lives today and for eternity. It is their big hearts that have moved them to give of their time, talents, resources and their prayers to ministries that serve kids, especially less fortunate kids.
Over the years the Van Hall’s have become friends of mine and friends of SpringHill. They are the type of people who make me love my work.
It was on my last visit to Pella in May that I witnessed the Van Hall’s, because of their big hearts, take a huge step of faith. They were moved by a photo of a SpringHill camper they had never met. One, from all appearances, who did not come into the world with all the advantages of other kids. This camper, Colin, as it turns out, has a habit of moving the hearts of people in ways they could never expect.
In Chapter 3 you will meet Colin and see how God is using this young man to move the hearts of others.
The Story Chapter 1: The Ambassador
Joe Yahner is one of SpringHill’s key leaders. Through his job as our Michigan Facilities Manager he daily makes a significant impact on our campers, staff and guests. But there was a day five years ago when he made an impact in a way that he, nor any of us, could have ever envisioned.
Joe sitting on his chosen method of transportation for getting around camp. On that day Joe stepped out of his normal role and became a SpringHill ambassador, something all of our staff do on a regular basis. Little did Joe know that he would be initiating a story that would become, for many of us, one of the most remarkable SpringHill stories we have had a privilege to be a part of.
Joe was doing some “side” work installing new appliances for a local company (he was doing extra work so he could save for a new house for his family) when he was sent to a house in Big Rapids that had just been bought by a recent college graduate from Iowa.
As Joe was doing his work he began talking with both the home owner and his parents, Arvin and Darlene Van Hall, who had come from Pella, Iowa to help their son move in. During the conversation Joe shared that he had a “day job” working for SpringHill Camps.
Arvin and Darlene then shared that they too were involved with a camp in Iowa, called Lakeview, that focused on serving kids who had a parent in prison.
Joe then explained that SpringHill’s vision is to reach more and more kids beyond our current markets as well as helping other ministries fulfill their own visions by sharing our experiences and know how with them. Joe gave Arvin my name and number and encouraged him to contact me to see how we might help Lakeview in its next stages of development.
Arvin and Darlene made a trip to SpringHill, spent time with our staff and talked about how to reach more kids in Iowa and here in Michigan. This visit, the result of Joe being a SpringHill ambassador, was the beginning of blessed relationship and the next chapter of this incredible story.
A Calling at age 8
- “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.” Sir Winston Churchill. Friday afternoon Denise and I were at our Grand Rapids Christian School Day Camp closing ceremony. Closing days are always inspiring whether at a Day Camp or one of our overnight camps. And this one was no exception.
Camper singing a song at closing rally. One young camper, about eight years old, was interviewed during our closing rally (in front of 400 or so campers and parents) by one of our staff about his week of camp. Here is loose transcript of the interview:
Staff – “What was your favorite thing you did this week at a camp?”
Camper – “To study the Bible and learn more about it.”
Staff – “What are you going to do with this when you get home?”
Camper – “I want to tell people about Jesus”
Staff – “Now you told me this afternoon what you want to be when you grow up, will you share that with everyone else?”
Camper – “Yes, I want to become a missionary so I can tell lots of people about Jesus.”
One of the life’s best kept secrets is the fact that, while at camp, more people receive (and later follow through on) their vocational calling than any other place else on earth.
Blog Note: This week I will be doing a four-part post about one of the most amazing stories I have had the privilege of being a part of while at SpringHill. The story will reach an important milestone over the next few days and I want you to share in the blessing of it.
