Welcome to your last evening program. Over the next hour or so, we'll wrap up our week by celebrating what we've done. You'll meet with your crew one last time, and we'll talk about how God continues to transform us as we Forge Ahead. As we've done every night here at camp, let's sing together to celebrate God's goodness. Please stand one last time.

First, take a couple of minutes to turn to the person next to you and share how you've seen God's love expressed today. Thanks for sharing! Now I'd like those people I asked to share God Sightings with us to come down. I have my own God Sighting to share. I saw God's handiwork all over this camp. I personally witnessed your hard work. Your crews persevered through so many roadblocks and challenges. I've watched you roll up your sleeves and blank.

And you've done more than that. You've built relationships too. I've seen so much of God's love in the way you've connected with the people you served, with you crews, and with your youth groups. I have seen Jesus in all of you. It really has been a great week. Out theme was Forged, and we've spent lots of time exploring how God shapes us throughout our lives. We saw how, like a metalworker uses a forges process to shape metal, God uses the the heat of our suffering to soften us so we can be transformed. And through the stages of being forged in faith, we change.

Today as we prepare to head home, our theme is Forged Ahead. We pray that you are: Prepared for whatever difficulties you'll encounter in the future, knowing that God walks with you. Ready to persevere through whatever challenges you face. Confident that your strength of character will guide you in making good choices Equipped with your own story to help others who suffer Filled with hope, knowing that God will never give up on you. More is coming!

So get ready to forge ahead. Tonight's scripture passage is known as the woman at the well. It's perfect for tonight because it's all about sharing hope. Take a look at this video... At the beginning of the story, the Samaritan woman is hopeless. She feels judged, scorned, and unaccepted in the community. She feels shame because of her past and assumes that nothing better is in her future. But by the end of the passage, the woman is overjoyed. She overflows with hope. I love picturing her running down the road, arms in the air, rushing to tell everyone she met the Messiah. What exactly happened to the woman at the well?

Just meeting Jesus is enough to fill a person with joy. But she is transformed when she realizes that Jesus truly knows her. He tells her everything she's ever done. And Jesus approaches her without judgement. Jesus is there to give the woman hope. He wants her to know that he's the Messiah. And his plan is to have her shout the new everywhere she goes. The Bible passage about the woman at the well end this way:

The woman Forges Ahead with the truth of what she experienced. And many people hear her testimony and believed. I'm sure anybody who know the Samaritan woman before her encounter with Jesus noticed her undeniable transformation. Her joy. Her hope. Her willingness to say what she'd experienced opened the hearts of many people. It was a first step in them believing that Jesus was the Messiah. Because the people heard about what happened to the woman at the well, they were ready to receive what Jesus had to say.

What will it mean for you to Forge Ahead with the same kind of enthusiasm the woman had as she left the well? Are you prepared to share the truth of what you experienced this week? When you go home tomorrow, will you be running, filled with joy, eager to share what happened here? Maybe Forging Ahead with that kind of energy would feel strange to you. Sharing your faith journey might feel outside your comfort zone.

Remember that your story is yours, and God is with you as you Forge Ahead. I encourage you: Find a way to share your experience. Maybe you'll tell one friend. Maybe you'll sit down and tell your family about the circular journey from hope to hope, and how God uses our suffering to shape us and make us more like Christ. Or maybe as a group you'll stand in front of your church family and let them know you had an experience here that challenged and changed you. Whatever you do, I pray that you don't tuck away this whole experience, keep it to yourself, and return to your regular routine.

Share your story. It can be a source of God's hope for the people you tell. Maybe your story will prepare somebody else to receive the truth about Jesus. Speaking of stories, we've been sharing specific stories with each other all week. I've told you my story about blank. You've been writing about your won experiences with suffering, perseverance, character, and hope in your journal every day. And now, I'd like to invite the following campers to come down and share their stories with us. Each of these individuals volunteered to share their stories. I want to thank them for having the faith and courage to share their personal stories from their journals. Open your hearts to what they'll share. Something you hear tonight may vary well be a source of hope for somebody in this room. It may be a source of hope for you. Thank you all for sharing

The end of camp week always brings a mix of emotions. Excitement that we finished our projects. Sadness as we say goodbye to new friends. We smile because we know we'll be heading home to our comfy beds and hot showers. But we feel sad because this adventure is nearly over. However you're feeling tonight, tomorrow morning you'll forge ahead. And before you leave, we want you and your crew to have one final time together. You and your crew have been through a lot. So in a minute, I'll invite you and your crew to find space to circle up and talk. Spend one minute focusing on each member of your crew, one at a time. When the crew focuses on you, just sit quietly while the rest of the crew affirms you, using the questions on the screen. With any time that remains, chat and enjoy being together one last time as a crew. You'll have minutes to reminisce, laugh, hug, and celebrate what God has done.

Thanks for taking time to encourage each other. Please take the hands of the people beside you. Let's pray: Jesus, thank you for all you've done through these crews this week. Thank you for shaping and transforming us in unexpected ways. Thanks for the people we were able to serve and for the time we spent in relationship with them. Continue to mold us, Jesus, to give us strength, faith, and courage to Forge Ahead when we leave this place. In Jesus' name. Amen. Before you head back to your seats, hold on for just a minute.

You may have noticed that our cross on the stage has been transformed since last night. At the end of last night's program, you left your washer hanging on the cross. Those worn, scuffed washer have been replaced by shiny new ones. On your way back to your seat, stop by the cross and take a new washer. put it around your neck and then take a seat back in the stands. I want to tell you about the washer around your neck. All week we've been talking about a circular journey- one that starts with hope and ends with hope. When we all arrived Sunday, one of the first things I talked to you about was the hope we all felt. Hope for a great week, hope for new friendships, and hope for growing with faith.

I don't know what this week's journey has been like for you. But we want to send you home with hope. That's why we're giving you a shiny new washer. After we go through difficult time, God always provides a new start. When you get home, put your washer somewhere you'll see it often. Add it to your keychain. Attach it to your backpack. Slip it onto a chain. Or just keep it the way it is now and wear it everyday. Whenever you see the new washer, remember that God is with you through every challenge in life. When you face a season of suffering, know that hope and healing will come. God will use that time to shape you, transform you, and make you stronger. And every time you journey around that circle, it prepares you for whatever comes next. That is the promise and goodness of God.