Frequently Asked Questions

In partnership with Camp Andrews in their ministry to youth, we at Meadows of Hope serve teen girls who are struggling socially, emotionally, and spiritually.  We serve girls between the ages of 13-17.  Many of the teen girls who have entered our program over the years have been adopted, or undergone enough hardships or trauma to need more assistance than her parents and community can provide while she is at home.  We help teen girls who are willing to work on their struggles to find hope for better relationships.  We do not work with teen girls who are pregnant, actively suicidal, or psychotic.  We do not work with girls who struggle with severe eating disorders, alcohol addiction, or drug addiction, unless they have successfully completed an eating disorder program or a detox/rehab program.   

We serve teen girls who are between the ages of 13-17.  Applicants are not accepted over 16 1/2 years old. 

18 – 24 months

Holtwood, Pennsylvania, which is in Lancaster County

We invite parents and families into a journey of restoration.  Parents, as well as their daughter, must be willing to grow and learn new relationship skills through their MOH experience.  Parents are required to attend parent seminars and equine/counseling sessions as requested by Meadows of Hope.  Parents are expected to write weekly letters and be available for scheduled phone calls to their daughter, in order to be actively involved in their daughter's life and healing. The short and long term success of the program is significantly based on the love and support of the parents/guardians before, during, and after involvement with the program.

We expect each teen girl in our program to have an older female mentor from her home church or home community.  As well, churches can support the teen girls through prayer and by writing letters.  Our girls love receiving mail.

The girls have a home visit every eight weeks, where they get the opportunity to put into practice the skills they are learning at Meadows of Hope.

We arrange an individual financial agreement with each family who enrolls their daughter at Meadows of Hope.  We have many generous donors who cover the balance of the cost per month for families who are unable to provide the full tuition.

Please contact Phil Hollinger at 717-284-2019 or phil@meadowsofhope.org.   We would be happy to discuss the situation to see if MOH would be a good fit before moving ahead with the application process. 

There is generally a waiting list.  It often takes an average of 4-8 months of being on the waiting list to be enrolled. In order to be placed on our waiting list, we will need to receive two completed applications (teen girl and parent) from you. We do not wish anyone involved to make a hasty placement decision, so we want to become better acquainted with your situation and for your questions to be answered.

Yes. We are affiliated with the conservative Mennonite Church.  Our Statement of Faith can be found HERE.   

Meadows of Hope is an extension of Camp Andrews.  Camp Andrews is the “parent” 501(c)(3) private, non-profit, Christian para-church ministry of Meadows of Hope.  Both Camp Andrews and Meadows of Hope are governed by a Board of Directors who are responsible to: maintain legal control of the corporation, safeguard the assets of the corporation, approve all personnel policies prior to their implementation, evaluate the program annually for strategic planning and/or corrective action, reviews and approves the annual written budget, makes resources available for staff salaries, equipment, supplies, and facilities to ensure the program is capable of providing appropriate and adequate discipleship training services to Meadows of Hope students. Camp Andrews has been in operation since 1973.  Meadows of Hope has been in operation since 2014.  These two ministries are governed by the same Board of Directors and operate under the umbrella organization of Silver Springs Ministries.   

We have capacity for 8 girls in our program.   

We usually have around 10 staff on our team.   

No.  However, we utilize some of the tools of these programs, such as groupwork and canoe/hiking trips.  We see ourselves as a residential discipleship program.  We value developing better relationships with others and a deep relationship with Jesus. Our program is situated in a house, with two female mentors who lead the group.  

In addition to the essential component of therapeutic groupwork (daily living with staff and other teen girls where difficulties are addressed constructively), the girls at Meadows of Hope participate in various types of programming.  The teen girls typically meet with a trained Christian counselor for a fifty-minute session every week, or as it fits the goals of their individualized care plan.  The girls participate in equine sessions each week.  The girls also participate in creative expression sessions, and culinary arts, lawn care, and house chores to build responsibility.  

Meadows of Hope Christian School (MOHCS) is located on campus at Meadows of Hope.  MOHCS offers a unique educational program for grades 7-12, tailored to the needs and goals of each student. The curriculum attempts to focus on the basic academic disciplines while providing variations and opportunities for hands-on and real-world learning.

The mentors lead and love the group of girls through the routines and activities of each day, coaching and inspiring them towards healthier relationships with God and others.  They also provide firm boundaries when needed, help the girls plan fun times to connect as a group, and extend second chances over and over.  

In order to keep Meadows of Hope a safe, therapeutic home where healing can happen, we carefully monitor who comes on property and how often we have visitors. There are designated times to visit, usually when the girls are away.   Please contact the office with your request. 

Our days start at 6:15 am with morning routines, barn chores, and personal devotions. After breakfast and house devotions, the girls spend the morning in school, counseling, and individual equine sessions. Lunch and siesta are next. In the afternoon, there are times for trip prep, culinary, Phys Ed and creative expression. Evening activities vary, according to what the girls and mentors have chosen.  Evenings may include anything from trimming flowers to dehydrating food to trip planning to inviting guests over.  

We teach the girls to take care of their property, which includes cleaning the house and taking care of the lawn and flowerbeds.  After the work is done, we can play. We enjoy hiking the many trails around Meadows of Hope, using the recreational areas at Camp Andrews, or spending a quiet evening doing an activity that the girls choose. 

We attend a local Mennonite church that has graciously taken us in. 

Ultimately, transformation happens through the work of the Holy Spirit and a relationship with Jesus Christ. At MOH, the accountability of living in a group guided by caring staff, gives a teen girl many opportunities to be faced with how her actions affect others, start to realize her underlying beliefs, and choose better ways of relating with God's and others' help. 

We work toward helping teen girls be able to return home as a positive member of their family and community, having learned better relational tools and healthy coping skills for life.  We hope the girls will find healing for any wounds of the past, learn more about loving God and loving others, and develop responsibility for their life.  Each girl ultimately makes her own choice what to do with what MOH teaches her, but we will walk with her through the daily challenges while she is here and help her to build a better relationship with her group and parent(s)/guardian. 

Each girl works with a horse for a time, and in this partnership, the goal is to build a healthy relationship based on understanding, respect, and trust.  Through this process, the girls learn more about good communication, boundaries, solving problems and how a relationship can benefit both parties.  These skills can be used daily in the girl's human relationships. 

Each girl typically attends a weekly individual counseling session with a trained Christian counselor.  In the sessions, the girls learn to identify lies they believe and replace them with truth.  Also, they learn about their specific life struggles or mental health diagnoses, and learn about ways to heal and grow through them, all under the umbrella of seeking Christ as the ultimate Healer.  Although they continually talk about personal things with their therapeutic group, this is a place to share in a one-on-one manner.

During creative expression sessions, the girls learn to express themselves in redemptive and artistic ways.  This happens through basic art classes, nature and music classes.  We spend time drawing, painting, singing, and learning more about God's creation.