10th Anniversary Celebration

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:25:48 -0500

Just thinking back over Monday night…I am so grateful to a merciful and loving God for giving me the opportunity to know so many outstanding, God-filled, God-ordained and God-loving young adults!

As I watched them on stage (and also the youth in the audience) I marveled at the wonderful journey Bay spoke ---a journey the Lord has taken them on, a journey that is bringing them closer and closer to Him.

I have only one regret regarding the Oct. 20th evening. There was this amazing couple I wanted to tell you all about (they were in the audience) and in the excitement of the moment (and I usually don’t get that excited on stage), it slipped my mind.

So let me tell you:
There was this quiet, talented young man that was introduced to me through Pastor Phil Truesdale’s ministry and I was told he would like to do some videos of our Worth Waiting For ministry.

The first time I met Jake, I left him waiting at Central High School, for I don’t know how long, but we finally connected and he has done the most ‘excellent’ videography that we’ve had. Our ministry became part of his ministry.

I have often told the young people the greatest way to meet that person God has for you is when you are about ‘your Father’s business’--- doing God’s work. And so one day Jake told me of his plans to go to Afghanistan, on a (clandestine)missions trip-- and that he would be videoing. A young American in Afghanistan, with a video camera---all I could do was pray. But God had an even bigger plan for Jake on that trip for it was there in Afghanistan that he met his beautiful bride, Tzarina there also, a fulltime missionary from the Philippines!

Aren’t they beautiful?
I love how God never ceases to amaze me the wondrous ways in which he works!
Please email us and let us know what you thought of the 10th anniversary celebration.

In Him I live
Pat ‘Moppy’ Pearl

Condom Culture Pt.1

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:26:03 -0500

When looking back at this video, I have a lot of good and bad memories, and a lot of good and bad feelings. The memories are of a lot of images of the worth waiting for program in its infancy. The method of educating the youth, and enabling us to go and educate our peers. Even looking back at this video, I can remember the expression on the faces of people our age. I could tell then, that we were giving them the truth in a way that they have never heard it before, or that they've actually never heard the truth at all before. I can remember a lot of conversations we had after our presentation of young men asking if we really believed what we said, and were really interested in learning what gave us the strength to maintain a lifestyle of sexual purity. A lot of my good feelings of watching these videos come from me knowing that the same people that I see in the video, I can pick up my phone at any moment and reach them to be encouraged to know that we weren't just going through a phase, or enjoying a fad. A lot of the people that are in the videos, have grown to fulfill the dream and promise that we received when we were young. The prize that was strived for was an opportunity to present yourself as a gift to your mate, and to be able to tell them that before you even knew who they were, you loved them enough to save yourself for them. There are a lot of people that weren't in this particular video, but attached to the Worth Waiting For ministry, that have gone to get married and shpw what this misitry is all about.
I also have bad memories and feelings attached to this video. My bad memories that are attached to this video stems from the mixed messages that I know were being presented then and now. This particular venue took place in a church. While we were presenting the message of sexual abstinence and moral purity, the church was sponsoring another group that was openly passing out condoms to childen. It hurts to know that this isn't a unique and isolated incident. There are several organizations that don't have faith in the people that they speak to, to believe that their audience is able to do the right thing. Their message is: "This is what you should do, but if you choose not to do right, we will help you not do right better." I know that there is a constant struggle that we face from external influences, it just hurt to know that the confusion was coming from what should have been a safe place. I also have bad feelings when watching this video as well. This is caused by the many faces in the video that are no longer with us. As much as we would like to believe that every seed planted will sprout with a 100% success rate, the reality is that some seed will fall on rocky ground.
Even though this video brings up good and bad memories, and the good and bad feelings, it ultimately represents a symbol of encouragement. It allows me to have a visual measuring tool. I have a way to measure the growth of a ministry, and the growth of me as an individual. I am encouraged to know that the ministry has a solid foundation, and that it is being continually built upon, and it has a prominent future.

-Bay

UYL Blog

10th Anniversary Celebration

Condom Culture Pt.1