Pure
8 young Miskito ladies, 1 young Miskito mom, 1 middle-aged gringa missionary talking about what the Bible says about the birds and the bees...
As in many third-world countries, problems related to promiscuity abound... teenage pregnancy, single mothers of many children, fathers abandoning their families, prostitution to feed hungry bellies and so on.
Here, there are cultural norms that expect young ladies to become involved early with young men. These same cultural norms expect young men to leave their families and become involved with whatever other young lady they wish, leaving a family behind.
Several of our friends have sponsored young girls around our town through Reach Out Honduras or through the Mama Tara organization. They want these young ladies to have a different dream... a dream to use their gifts for God's glory, whether it be through motherhood with a committed spouse or through education to further their dreams.
One of my dear friend's, Liz, sponsors one such young lady. They dream for their sweet Yosebeth. Big dreams.
Liz and I had a conversation earlier this year about starting a Bible study like the True Love Waits program, but in Spanish. She worked to find the curriculum and sent it down with our Thanksgiving Team. Immediately, I loved it.
It is a 5 week class with a leader's guide - all in Spanish.
Last Friday was our first class. Liz organized a prayer team of ladies to pray each Friday for these girls. The things we will be learning are so unique... this may be the first time anyone has ever said to them that 'they can choose to wait until they are married.'
I invited 10 girls, knowing that 4 would be away at a youth conference and would start the following week. So, I readied myself for 6. My morning quiet time was spent studying for this - I didn't want to inadvertently say something stupid in Spanish that would ruin the class.
I was expecting the group at 9:30 a.m. 9:30 came and went... so did 10:30. Things are never on-time here, but around 11:30, I really felt like they weren't coming. I drove around and bought some fruit and felt sorry for myself.
Around 12:00, a young man visiting Mama Tara's came over and I needed to drive him back out to Mama Tara's. As I pulled up to the orphanage, there were 8 girls dressed in their finest clothes with their Bibles... waiting. It seems that Mama Tara had been working on her grocery list for almost 3 hours and the girls had to wait to start walking until she was finished. They were ready to go.
I loaded our little utility vehicle with more weight than I should have and happily carried the girls to my apartment.
The discussion was lively among the older girls. The younger girls were timid and giggled a bunch.
The most telling portion of the morning for me... I asked each girl to write down what they thought made the 'perfect marriage.' Almost every girl wrote... no hitting, no screaming bad words and no fighting. Hmmmm...
We covered a lot of ground last week and will move quickly this week as we learn what God says about having a pure heart.
They finished the morning by making beautiful pictures for their bedrooms that say, in Spanish, "To be pure means to offer all of myself to God." and then adding Psalm 24:3-4.
Pure hearts... oh, I'm praying for their pure hearts to be receptive to a few new concepts. And, who knows where these new concepts may land one day.
One sweet young lady at a time.
As in many third-world countries, problems related to promiscuity abound... teenage pregnancy, single mothers of many children, fathers abandoning their families, prostitution to feed hungry bellies and so on.
Here, there are cultural norms that expect young ladies to become involved early with young men. These same cultural norms expect young men to leave their families and become involved with whatever other young lady they wish, leaving a family behind.
Several of our friends have sponsored young girls around our town through Reach Out Honduras or through the Mama Tara organization. They want these young ladies to have a different dream... a dream to use their gifts for God's glory, whether it be through motherhood with a committed spouse or through education to further their dreams.
One of my dear friend's, Liz, sponsors one such young lady. They dream for their sweet Yosebeth. Big dreams.
Liz and I had a conversation earlier this year about starting a Bible study like the True Love Waits program, but in Spanish. She worked to find the curriculum and sent it down with our Thanksgiving Team. Immediately, I loved it.
It is a 5 week class with a leader's guide - all in Spanish.
Last Friday was our first class. Liz organized a prayer team of ladies to pray each Friday for these girls. The things we will be learning are so unique... this may be the first time anyone has ever said to them that 'they can choose to wait until they are married.'
I invited 10 girls, knowing that 4 would be away at a youth conference and would start the following week. So, I readied myself for 6. My morning quiet time was spent studying for this - I didn't want to inadvertently say something stupid in Spanish that would ruin the class.
I was expecting the group at 9:30 a.m. 9:30 came and went... so did 10:30. Things are never on-time here, but around 11:30, I really felt like they weren't coming. I drove around and bought some fruit and felt sorry for myself.
Around 12:00, a young man visiting Mama Tara's came over and I needed to drive him back out to Mama Tara's. As I pulled up to the orphanage, there were 8 girls dressed in their finest clothes with their Bibles... waiting. It seems that Mama Tara had been working on her grocery list for almost 3 hours and the girls had to wait to start walking until she was finished. They were ready to go.
I loaded our little utility vehicle with more weight than I should have and happily carried the girls to my apartment.
The discussion was lively among the older girls. The younger girls were timid and giggled a bunch.
The most telling portion of the morning for me... I asked each girl to write down what they thought made the 'perfect marriage.' Almost every girl wrote... no hitting, no screaming bad words and no fighting. Hmmmm...
We covered a lot of ground last week and will move quickly this week as we learn what God says about having a pure heart.
They finished the morning by making beautiful pictures for their bedrooms that say, in Spanish, "To be pure means to offer all of myself to God." and then adding Psalm 24:3-4.
Pure hearts... oh, I'm praying for their pure hearts to be receptive to a few new concepts. And, who knows where these new concepts may land one day.
One sweet young lady at a time.
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