In addition to Sunday and Wednesday night Bible classes (focused on adults), we also started a Bible study on Friday afternoons for the youth (ages 11-19).
We’ve had two sessions so far, and they’ve both been quite successful. We had 8 people the first Friday, and 9 the second. Two of the youth, who live in Tulwei Village but were in their home village because of the two-week school break, even made a two-hour hike (one-way) just to attend our second meeting!
My main goal for the meetings is to firmly ground these young people in the word of God, at a time where their brains are ripe for learning. I also hope to instill a biblical morality in them as they reach an age in which most locals begin experimenting with unrighteous practices. Of course, ultimately we hope these young people will decide to be joined to Christ and become faithful servants of His, ensuring a bright future for the church in Malekula.
The format for our time together includes, lunch, singing (American “devo songs” translated into Bislama by our very own Shawnda Brandell), study (usually about an hour), and then a game or two. We had a water balloon toss [photo] the first Friday, which was especially fun because none of them had ever seen water balloons before. The following week we played some games that encourage memorization, coordination, and fast thinking. All said, we spend about 3 hours together. Such is doable because school is only in session until lunch on Fridays.
Our first study was an overview of the Bible, considering in some detail the 11 “chapters” of Bible history, from Genesis to Revelation. The following week we considered a brief synopsis of each of the 39 Old Testament books. I lecture and write on a small white board, and the students diligently take notes. It is encouraging when, following the lesson, I ask questions to review the study and see that they are in deed learning. We’ve also been working on memorizing the books of the Old and New Testaments.
None of these youth have yet obeyed the gospel (and admittedly, some have most likely not even reached an age of accountability yet), but we hope that this biblical foundation will facilitate their obedience to the gospel when they are ready to dedicate their lives to our Lord. Please be praying for the success of these weekly studies. Upcoming topics will include an overview of the 27 New Testament books, a study of the Old Covenant, and a study of the New Covenant.
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