Thank you all for playing. Now everybody, turn to your crew and talk about these questions... Thanks for taking time to unpack that game. We'll talk more about suffering and rewards later. But first, let's hear stories from the day. God is with us everywhere we go. That message never grows old. And that's why we spend time at Workcamp sharing how and where we've seen God at work. It's a practice we call God sightings. During each evening program, we'll hear a few stories from the day about God's goodness, faithfulness, and love. Let's hear how God has been working in and through all of you today. I want to invite blank to come forward and share how they saw God today. Thanks for sharing.

Devotion leaders, when you check in every afternoon, I'll ask where and how you've seen God at work. Or if anybody has a God sighting to share, you can come tell me about it any time. I love hearing about the ways God s working here at camp! Speaking of working here at camp... Let's see what happened today at the worksites.

Yesterday we talked a lot about hope. The hope you brought with you to camp. The hope that you'll make friends, have great projects to work on, and have a fantastic week. Most of our lives, we exist in that kind of state, looking forward and anticipating good things. But sometimes life throws us a curveball, sweeping us out of a season of hope into a season of suffering. Keep that in mind as we hear tonight's scripture reading. I'd like to invite blank to come read our Scripture passage for tonight. Please stand for the hearing of God's word. Thank you, blank. You may all take a seat.

The passage we just heard from the book of Matthew describes an encounter that Jesus had with a man who had leprosy. I want to talk to you about the significance of this brief episode. First, you need to understand what leprosy is and why it was so frightening for people who lived when this event took place. Leprosy is an infectious skin disease that causes severe nerve damage. People with leprosy have arms and legs covered with horrible, disfiguring sores and scabs. In the time of Jesus, lepers- what people with this disease were called- were required to isolate from the rest of the community. By law they had to wear torn clothes, let their hair hang loose and messy, and cover the lower part of their faces.

As lepers approached people, they had to shout, "unclean!" to let others know they were infected. That's why people steered clear of lepers. people feared them, avoided them, and I'm sure, judged them. Back then, everyone believed leprosy was a result of a person's evil thoughts and actions-a physical representation of sin. The suffering that lepers experienced went way beyond physical. They were stripped of their humanity and dignity. Understand that when Jesus reacts with compassion to the leper's request for healing, that is a bold move. I'm not sure if Jesus was breaking the law exactly, but he for sure was breaking convention.

By simply touching the man, Jesus challenges the stigma surrounding people with leprosy. He makes it clear to everyone around him that a diseased person is a valuable child of God. The people had never seen that kind of fearless acceptance and validation. Jesus doesn't condemn the leper for his sickness or pain. He doesn't turn away or judge him. And Jesus doesn't tell the leper to just tough it out. Instead, Jesus reaches out in the presence of the leper's greatest suffering and touches him. He remains with him. And with compassion, he heals him. Let's watch tonight's drama and meet three young people all suffering in their own way.

Thanks for talking that through. Just as Jesus recognizes and validates the leper's suffering in out scripture passage, Jesus- the wonderful counselor in our drama- doesn't judge or condemn the students who come to him with their suffering. He doesn't tell them to "just hang in there" or to "get over it". Jesus sits, listens, and suffers right along with each person. Imagine the leper before he contracted the disease. I'm sure he was a contributing member of his community. We don't know his details, but let's imagine he was preparing to get married and start a family. He was living in a state of hope. And then he got sick, and everything changed.

The students in our drama were all in states of suffering; however, it's easy to imagine them feeling hopeful before things took a bad turn. Before the team roster was announced Before the student became overwhelmed with worry Before life was so painful no words could describe it Nobody get through life without difficulty. And when you're going through a really tough time, it feels like you're being torn down. The hope you previously felt can seem so far away. When you life moves from HOPE TO SUFFERING, that can be a dark time.

This morning you did some journaling about a time in your life when you suffered. And you'll continue to write about that throughout the week. But remember: Our journey begins with hope and ends with hope. Suffering is a stop along your circular journey... but it's not where it ends. We have a Savior who understands our pain. Jesus knows about every wound and scar we carry, and he reaches out to us with compassion and hope. I promise you: God doesn't want us to remain in a state of suffering. But God will never waste our difficult experiences. God uses our suffering to FORGE us and prepare us for whatever we face. When we come out the other side of a season of suffering, God fills us with purpose and new energy to help others.

God sees to it that our suffering transforms us. You'll talk more about that in your youth group devotions later. But for now, I want to make sure you understand a couple of things. Your suffering doesn't define you, and it doesn't lessen your value as a child of God. God will use the "heat" of suffering to soften your heart and make you more compassionate and Christlike. Your suffering is valid. Whatever you're going through, if you're hurting, God cares. If something matters to you, it matters to God. I'm so grateful for how God works. Remember: Youth group devotions start in minutes! Good night, everyone. Remember that you're here for a reason! See you tomorrow morning at :00.