At SpringHill, our mission is to glorify God by creating life-impacting experiences that enable young people to know Jesus Christ and grow in their relationship with Him. We want all kids to experience the love and hope of God, and one way we make that happen is through scholarships. We never want money to be the reason a kid can't come to SpringHill! Kalaysia came to Michigan Overnight this summer because of a scholarship fund. Her story of overcoming her fears and experiencing God's love during her week is exactly what the SpringHill experience is all about. "I didn't end up in the same cabin as my friends, so I didn't know any of the girls in my cabin. For the first day, I was quiet and stayed to myself. But then we started doing 'get to know me' games and it was really fun. I started to come out of my shell a bit. I've gotten to do a lot of new things here. I was really scared of riding a horse, but I wanted to face my fear. And so I just got on and it was actually really fun. We got to ride through the forest, and it was easy to control my horse and learn how to stop her. Another thing I tried was tubing. I had never been on a boat before, but it was so fun to go tubing, bouncing around with the water splashing everywhere. I also went on the zipline, even though I'm afraid of heights and I've never been on a zipline before. I was really scared to jump down, because when you're at the top everything is so small underneath you and you realize how high you are. I was like, 'Oh, I can't do it.' But I wanted to go with my summer leader, Angela, and a friend from my cabin. They both jumped, and I didn't want to jump too late and be riding by myself, so I jumped too. I thought it was going to be scary, but it was so fun! I loved looking around at everything and spinning and going so fast. I think I'm here for a reason; I think that God wants me to open up and try all these new things so I can see how capable I am. Every time I was scared, I thought to myself 'if I wasn't meant to do this, I wouldn't be here right now.' I would just say a quick prayer, like 'protect me, God,' and then I would dowhatever I was afraid of. It always ended up being fun, and different than what I expected.Now, I know more about who God wants me to be. I can tell He wants me to come out of my shell because of all the people who say, 'Come on Kalaysia, you can do it! I know you can do it!' He sent these people to me because He wants me to open up. After camp, I know I'll be braver and ready to try new things. I would tell anyone coming to SpringHill that you don't have to rush anything, but if you really want to try something, just go for it! It'll always turn out great because God's got you."Kalaysia's transformation is just one of many stories God is writing this summer, and it wouldn't be possible without the support of the SpringHill community - that means you! Become a volunteer, prayer partner, host home, or a donor and join in. Learn more here.
