“Go out with the assurance that you belong, that you count, and that you are somebody because God loves you.” - Martin Luther King Jr.
As summer came to an end at Hopetown, our last week was spent with the most wonderful group of 7th-8th graders. Whether it was playing on the lake, riding bikes, or bowling this group sought to encourage one another and make lasting memories. As we gathered together in the living room for meetings each morning and night it became clear that the best memories start with kindness.
We started out the week by watching a short film we had watched earlier in the summer: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse. Despite having watched this with the 2nd-4th graders it was one of our favorite films of the summer and Melissa believed it would be interpreted in a new light by the middle schoolers. To say she was right would be an understatement.
On our first morning of the week Melissa asked us to be honest with one another and honest with God. Although camp is fun and allows us to experience new things, often we can be preoccupied with worries from our day to day lives that we miss what the Lord has for us here in this moment.
In order to give our worries to our Heavenly Father we must turn towards prayer. Melissa believed in the importance of each camper finding a place at Hopetown where they could freely pray and talk to God each morning. This allowed the campers to feel as if Hopetown was their own and that they each had a unique place here where they felt safe to talk to God.
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” - Matthew 6:6 (MSG)
In praying to the Lord Melissa recommended three things Jesus first mentions in the Bible:
Keep it simple.
Keep it real.
Keep it up.
It is okay to still feel overwhelmed with life as you pray but if we keep it simple, keep it real, and keep it up it will become easier for our relationship with the Lord to grow and for us to trust Him with our future. That night we dove further into the movie we had watched the night before.
In the film there are a countless number of quotes that stuck with us and stirred in our hearts but one in particular did we all relate to. As the mole sits on a tree branch with the boy he asks him, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “Kind,” said the boy.
Despite each of our own individual dreams and goals we all desire to be kind. How would you define kindness? What is the difference between being nice and being kind? These are questions that Melissa asked the campers and here are some of their answers:
“Kindness is when you’re not expecting a response.”
“Being nice is on the outside but kindness is within yourself and comes from the heart.”
This prompted Melissa to read a story from the Bible many of us are familiar with. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” - Luke 10:30-37 (MSG)
Kindness starts with what we see. In all three instances where another person approached the injured man they first saw him. However only did the Samaritan truly see him as a child of God and one that needed help saving in that moment. As much as we might say we want to be kind we often have circumstances or fears that get in the way of that kindness.
Melissa asked the campers to be vulnerable about what’s underneath the surface that often keeps them from being kind.
“I’m afraid I would say the wrong thing.”
“Someone else will be kind instead.”
“My kindness won't really make a difference to them.”
“If I’m kind to that person there will be a target on my back.”
“I’m too busy.”
“It only matters when there’s an audience.”
These underlying fears and doubts keep us from being the kindest version of ourselves. Thankfully by saying them out loud we are able to better tackle those worries in the future. The next day we looked at the benefits of kindness as Melissa read from a study she had found. People who are kind…
typically have more friends
have an increased confidence
are less stressed
have a sense of purpose
stay connected to others
have more energy
are more accepting
are less judgmental
These are qualities that we all wish to have more of. But we cannot have this everlasting kindness without God.
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next, to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!” - Ephesians 2:7-10 (MSG)
We first must accept his kindness and goodness and trust Him with our lives. We have to trust Him enough to let Him save us. But once we trust Him we can be sure that his love is enough for us and that we are chosen by Him. That was when Melissa shared with us one of her favorite quotes by Martin Luther King Jr, “Go out with the assurance that you belong, that you count, and that you are somebody because God loves you.”
One by one each camper was encouraged to stand up and share where they believed God was leading them to be kind. Whether it was at home to their siblings, at school with friends, through trusting in the Lord, and everything in between each response was heard and encouraged.
To symbolize this desire to be kind, after each camper spoke another camper would stand up and proclaim to them, “go out with the assurance that you belong, that you count, and that you are somebody because God loves you!”
This was the greatest reminder that because we are first loved by Christ and have his kindness to be thankful for, we can pass it on and be kind to others. As the week played out campers had the opportunity to experience the Hopetown traditions of Thanksgiving, where we made meals together and reflected on gratitude, as well as Christmas, where we exchanged gifts and wrote heartfelt notes to other campers.
We ended the week with a Hopetown tradition known as The Chair. One at a time each camper had the opportunity to sit in Melissa’s teaching chair and ask the question, “How can I bring kindness home with me?” Three people then proceeded to speak truth over them and remind them of how they had displayed kindness that week and how to continue that kindness over the next year.
As the summer came to a close we reflected on the last quote from The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse. “That’s why we are here, isn’t it?” said the boy. “To love… and be loved.” That is what Hopetown is for. To remind us that no matter our circumstances or our story we are loved and can love others in return. We can do this with confidence because Christ loved us first.
