LXP Lesotho

When the Beat the Drum outreach concluded on 9^th August, the team had to say goodbye to the students they had so quickly come to know and love. Some of the students feared that with the departure of the volunteers, the journey of hope and purity they had begun would also come to an end. However, we had the pleasure of telling them “We aren’t going anywhere; LXP Lesotho is here to stay!” Their faces lit up with excitement as we told them that even after the Beat the Drum team had gone, we would continue to meet with them every week for “Abstinence Club”. During the past two months we have had the privilege of leading these A-Clubs and seeing the fruit that is coming from the seeds sown during Beat the Drum.

The Abstinence Clubs have taken different forms at the two high schools at which we did Beat the Drum, due to the differing availability of the school campuses for extra-curricular activities. At St. Phillips, we have been granted use of the school immediately after school hours on Tuesdays. At St. Paul we were not able to meet on the school grounds, so we meet a small group of students after school on Thursdays. We have been so encouraged by the passionate response of many of these A-Club attendees, a few of whom have begun attending the Saturday Program and came to camp with us earlier this month as well.

The meetings with the St. Paul students have been very fruitful because of the intimate nature of the group. The students have begun to open up about their lives and the challenges they face and are so open to guidance on how to live a lifestyle of purity that is pleasing to the Lord. At St. Phillips, the Abstinence Club has been very dynamic. The first few weeks there were about 170 students in attendance, both boys and girls. We discussed the challenges one faces in keeping his or her commitment to abstinence, the importance of respect, the ability to say “no”, how to control ones feelings, and how to set boundaries. We also discussed what it means to have a relationship with Jesus that empowers you to live in purity, as opposed to a religious mindset that limits you with rules and guilt.

Last Tuesday there were only a few boys in attendance as we discussed the role that values play in our lives. We gave examples of good values and discussed how they help us choose good behaviors. Today we continued with the discussion of how our values determine the way we think, and our thoughts in turn dictate our behavior. We had a lively discussion about whether love equals sex, or if true love can be shared in purity. The conclusion was that love does not always involve sex, and true love is based on the good values of patience, respect, honesty, trust, and commitment. We encouraged the students that we do not come every week to tell them what not to do in their lives, but we come to offer the hope and joy found in purity. As we seek to purify our hearts and our minds by filling them with good, noble, and righteous things then we are free from the pain,insecurity, and guilt that comes from an immoral lifestyle.

It is such a privilege to share with these students each week and to hear from them the way God is renewing their minds and healing their hearts. Please pray with us for wisdom as we continue with the A-Clubs, for deeper understanding of God’s truth for the students, and for complete healing and restoration in their areas of brokenness and pain. Also, our message is more readily accepted by the girls and we ask for your prayers as we seek to reach the boys with God’s message of love, hope, and purity.

St. Phillips High School Abstinence Club

Good behavior” src=”https://lxplesotho.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/img_9471.jpg?w=640″ width=”640″ height=”480″ /> Discussing how our values determine our thoughts which in turn dictate our behavior. Good values => Good behavior

Demonstrating with water the way our hearts and minds are purified as they are filled with righteous things.