A note from Pam: Let’s face it. Today’s teenagers are in a whole new arena when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. They’re facing consequences that teens from previous generations couldn’t even imagine. That is why it is so important to make sure that today’s teens hear straight talk…about sex, about the consequences, about the life and death choices that they meet every single day.
And she takes her message to Africa – read of her latest trip.
“My first thoughts after spending 4 days training these students, was the overwhelming need here. There has been so much “misinformation” and lack of teaching, that these young people just “soaked in” all that we taught. Many wrote notes and texts to Father Chidi, “Why didn’t we hear this before? Why couldn’t Pam have come last March…I was still a virgin.” This is not unusual, I hear this in the states a lot from students, however, with the HIV rate in Subsaharan Africa, it is a travesty that its young people are still so ignorant about the dangers of sex outside of marriage. The first night we were able to teach on what REAL LOVE IS! We talked about F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Forget About Me – I Love You) and that authentic love is always SELFLESS! We talked about the amazing love of God that He would send His ONLY Son to DIE for us! We cannot possibly LOVE OTHERS authentically, if we have not received the LOVE OF GOD!
One young woman stands out. It was Friday afternoon and she came to me and said “Some of us were offended by what you said this morning.” I asked her what she meant by “offended.” She began to share her pain. She said that she had no family and no way to get an education. She wanted to go to school (most likely trade school of some type) and could not afford it. She finally told me that in order to pay for school and the things she needed, that she traded sex for money and gifts. She didn’t see any other way! I carefully asked her if all these things she paid for with that money (clothes, cell phone, tuition, books) was worth her LIFE? Are you willing to trade your LIFE for these earthly things? What does it profit a man (or woman) if she GAINS THE WORLD and LOSES HER SOUL? She quietly, and tearfully agreed that all this was not worth her risking her LIFE…I told her there MUST BE ANOTHER WAY, and that we should pray earnestly that God would show her another way.
The next morning I sat in the back row to one side for Mass, and this young woman came and sat right beside me. During the long homily, one of her girlfriends passed her a bible and we were reading from Matthew. I was praying in my heart for her, that she would hear the voice of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit would speak clearly to her hurting heart. I felt a prompting to find a verse for her. I asked her if I could see the Bible, I turned to Jeremiah 29:11 and pointed to the scripture and then quietly said, “This is the Word of the Lord for YOU!” She began reading, and tears streamed down her face. She asked for a pen, and took her notes from the conference and opened them and wrote JEREMIAH 29:11 on her notes. I gave her a hug and quietly prayed for her.
I shared this with Father Chidi and he was able to find her and let her know that Voices of Children would help train her in computers at their school for FREE. She did not need to SELL HER BODY for an education and a chance! We are praying that she will connect with Voice of Children and get the help she needs and start a new life in JESUS!
Please pray for the students who traveled from all over the country (many of them over 20 hours on a bus). Each of them with their own struggles, but leaving the conference with hope and truth. Pray that they will not only be able to go to their own communities and LIVE the TRUTH, but by their example and teaching, that they would be able to continue to spread this message of Chastity and Faith throughout the country! We are believing God for a great Harvest!!
Please pray for Father Chidi Osundu and all those who work with Voice of Children. We are hoping to see a Pregnancy Center ministry raised up in Enugu. Most of these young girls who find themselves pregnant are disowned by family and have nowhere to go! We are praying for this center and a place to house unwed mothers, to share the love of Jesus with them, and to help them learn a trade in order to survive and support their child!
Thank you all for your prayers for us! We have had many trials, but we know that our temporary difficulty is a very small sacrifice to bring Truth and Hope to a generation of young people here in this country! We still have need of your support. We have one more conference in Lagos, Nigeria, and then rallies and training in South Africa and Swaziland next week!
To find out more about Pam’s work and message and/or to get involved visit the Enlighten website here and be sure to sign up for her newsletter too!
Hi Tricia and Pam,
Back in 1994, myself and a group of concerned moms, used Pam’s ‘Sex Has a Price Tag’ video to do a youth rally in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities in MN. God Blessed and over 700 parents and their teens showed up. Pam, I see, has gone to even bigger worlds to get the message out. I’ve never seen a video as powerful as hers. It was so good to hear about her again. She actually lives close to where my husband grew up. He’s wondering the name of her husband.
desertrose5173 at gmail dot com