Good Morning! You should be sitting with your crew. If you're not, find them now. They should be in the same place you sat last night, and they're looking for you! You all look super fashion-forward this morning. Thanks for wearing your camp T-shirt today! After you meet the staff at your site, you can change into another shirt, if you want to keep that one clean.

This morning we have a lot to do, and hopefully you have your Mission handbook. Bring it with you every morning, and be prepared to take it with you to your worksite. It's important to have it because what we do each morning will carry over into your daily crew devotions. Last night, right before you met your crews, I shared about a time in my life when things were going really well. Sometimes those are the moments when life tends to go from REALLY GOOD to REALLY BAD.

You're probably thinking: "Why are we starting off Week of Hope like this?" Well, we have a reason. This story I'm sharing is all about how I learned that my own suffering has meaning. God saw me through the toughest moments in my life to forge something lasting in me. That's a little bit of a spoiler. But I hope you come each morning expecting to hear what God did for me and can do for you. Let's take a look at this short video that demonstrates the heating/melting stage of the forging process. This process is very much like what we go through as we deal with hardship in our lives.

Our suffering can sometimes feel like it's getting so intense we can't stand the heat, just like that metal almost fell apart. We too get pushed to the edge. So let's define suffering before we move on. Suffering is defined as "undergoing pain, distress, or hardship." Think of a few times where you, your family, or your friends had to suffer through something. It may be a long-term illness, the loss of a home in a natural disaster like hurricane or tornado, the death of someone dear to you, or even divorce.

SUFFERING can also be personal to the point no one else knows it but you... like the aftermath of a breakup, not getting the part in a play, getting passed over for a spot on a team. Disappointments, frustrations, and the agony of feeling alone are all types of SUFFERING as well. SUFFERING takes all forms. It can be physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual. I know what you're thinking: How do you compare the loss of someone you love to not getting picked? But that's the thing. This week we won't compare our experiences; we'll share them. Because we all have something to learn from one another.

During the next few moments, think of several incidents that caused suffering in your life. Then turn to page blank in your mission handbook and write down two or three of them. You won't have space to write down the whole story, but a few words or even a sentence will do. Be sure to give a rough estimate of how long ago each incident happened. I know this is a tough way to start camp. But I want to remind you of my words from a few moments ago: Our suffering has meaning. Remember these verses in Romans we looked at last night? I want to point out two of them.

In a least one of those moments of suffering you experienced, I hope you'll realize that God is turning what was a rough moment into an experience that has brought you HOPE in him. God has a way of doing that. God does incredible and unexpected things, often when we least expect it. I can't wait to see what God shows all of us this week. Let me pray for us today. God, we're going to go ahead and thank you for the tough moments in life. We all have something to learn from them, and you have a way of using them to help us know and trust you more. That's why we're saying thank you today-for walking with us through every moment in life. Walk with us this week. Keep us close to you. Amen.

I know you're all excited to get started. But first, please pay attention to some important safety issues. We don't want anyone to miss out on all the fun due to injury. We want you to have plenty of fun and work hard this week, but safety is you number-one job. Will eight you volunteers please join me up here? Here's how this will work: I'll read important safety tips, one at a time. For each one I read, one of you will do your best to act out what I'm saying. You'll each do one tip. We'll start with this person closest to me and then go down the line one by one. Got it? Here we go with tip #.