Warning this is not for children to read. Parents may want to edit this one.
Ruth teaching on Dating.
As promised I’ll tell you what Ruth, myself and others are doing to help young people in Papua. It started with a conversation with Pastor Desmond my good friend here. He is the head of the College and the High School near our home. I’d counseled with a young man who had impregnated a girl and didn’t know what to do. Pastor Desmond told me that he was aware that sometimes girls get abortions. Together we agreed something needed to be done.
Then the boys dean was appointed the coordinator of a seminar. They appointed about 6 speakers to share on various things dealing with this subject. They asked Ruth to do a seminar about “Dating” and me to do a sermon for Sabbath morning. They told me the title had to be “Sex is a Gift.” Ruth and I are both great believers in Abstinence.
I shared that it is the little things that lead to trouble with the big thing. First it’s the flirting look, Then it’s the asking them out, next its holding hands, the peck on the cheek, the touches, the cuddles. I gave the illustration of how when I was a kid I opened a Christmas present secretly and then re-wrapped it. On Christmas day when we opened the gifts there was one gift that didn’t mean as much because I’d ruined the surprise. I shared that those who wait have a greater likelihood of marriage success by more than double those who don’t wait.
The greatest part of the whole seminar was the “No Holds barred” question and answer session. I was very surprised at the utter honesty. The Young people almost never come to the afternoon in as many droves as they did on that Sabbath afternoon. Nearly 300 of them jammed the chapel at SLA Advent Doyo Baru School. The wrote down question after question. The moderator had all the speakers come to the front panel discussion style. The questions were grouped and the kids asked about: 1) When they should begin dating. 2) How they could overcome thought life issues and temptations and pressure. 3) They touched on cultural issues that are only found in Papua. 4) probably the shocker for us was dealing with the advertisement that is all over Papua “Increase your Maleness increase the length.”
The story came out that there are some peddlers selling “medicine” or herbs that are to be pounded onto the male anatomy. The anatomy increases in size but not because of the herb but because of swelling. The science teacher did a great job answering this one. He said, “You’d be better off letting a bee bite you then to pound that area. You risk damaging things for life.” The evidence is the medical professionals say it it damaging men by the thousands every year.
Girls were interested in how to resist the boys advances. Interesting boys were interested in how to resist pornography. Porn has become a great curse to society around the world since the advent of the Internet especially. I shared the principles of bouncing the eyes from looking at the girls. Sealing the mind from dwelling on lustful thoughts by filling it with God’s word. Asking other guys to pray for guys to have moral strength and seeking God’s guidance day by day.
In the end they had prepared a huge banner for all the kids to sign who wanted to be men and women of integrity.
I’m praying that someone will fill called to help young people by writing books in Indonesian. By producing seminars. We will also be producing some audio material soon one the subject of dating and pre-marital sex.
Young people sign in agreement that they will be faithful for their future spouse one day.
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