Youth Camp

Ramona Beam had an opportunity to teach at the Youth Camp which was held at Airport Baptist Church in Bulawayo. Here is what happened while she was there: Recently I was invited to speak at a youth camp here in Bulawayo, hosted by Airport Baptist Church and attended by around 80 youth from many Baptist churches in the area. I was the first speaker on the program for this Monday morning. When I arrived at the church, about 10 minutes before I was scheduled to speak, I was greeted by the youth leaders and one of the deacons of the church. I discovered that the ladies who were to cook breakfast for the youth had overslept, and were just starting to prepare the meal. “Africa time” strikes again! But what could have been an inconvenience was turned into a blessing as I was able to sit and visit with some of the youth leaders for the Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe as we waited. That’s what it’s all about here in Zimbabwe. It’s not about time, or schedules, but it’s all about relationships. What a wonderful example of one of the most appealing aspects of the culture here. Sometimes in our fast-paced culture in the US, we forget—or don’t have the time—to stop and just visit and chat with folks. We miss out on so many rich blessings by not taking the time to pour into people’s lives, and allow them to pour into ours. This morning, I was reminded again about how important it is to allow God to speak to others through us, and to allow Him to speak to us through those around us.

After breakfast was over, everyone made their way into the church, and the day started with singing. And dancing. Unlike what we think of dancing in the states, this dance was a dance of worship and praise to God, a praise offering of pure joy. After about 30 or 45 minutes, I was introduced as the guest speaker. Only about an hour and a half after my scheduled time, so it was good. I had been asked to speak on “Relationships”, with a focus on dating relationships for students and young adults. Of course, I took the opportunity to bring some of the concepts and lessons from True Love Waits, a faith-based abstinence program for teens that started in the US in 1993, and in Africa in 1994. True Love Waits teaches sexual purity until marriage, unlike so many other programs that promote “safe sex”. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to talk to these youth about how to realize their dreams for the family they will have one day, and to demonstrate to them through Scripture how the choices they make now will affect the rest of their lives.

The lesson drew a comparison between King David, who gave in to the temptation to commit adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11), and Joseph, who fled temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him (Genesis 39). The youth were challenged to make the right choices now, in order to have God’s best for their lives. Then the discussion turned to talking about “how far is too far”, leading them to think about how far it is ok to go before crossing the line from temptation into sin. After that, they were given the opportunity to share skits about what they learned.

Hebrews 4:15 is a helpful verse in this area, so the group was led and encouraged to memorize this verse that tells us that “We do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet without sin.” Jesus is there to help us through our temptations, and knows exactly what we are going through. Please pray that just knowing this will help these young people through the temptations they face every day. My time with the group ended with a look at another Scripture, this one taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. This passage tells us how to live a life pleasing to God, a life of holiness and honor. God has not called us to a life if impurity, but a life of holiness. The kids were given an exercise, to paraphrase this passage in their own words, written as if it were a letter to their school friends. This helped them to personalize these verses and know how to apply them to their own lives. Please pray for the youth of Zimbabwe, that they will make the right choices as they grow to adulthood. Pray for those who work with the youth, for wisdom and holy discernment as to how to lead them along the right path, to Jesus Christ.