Adventures in Paradise 45

Adventures in Paradise 45

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts concerning the contents of a teenage boy’s brain. We have been exploring the depths of the thought processes of young men here and have been stunned by our discoveries! So, to begin, we would like you to meet our eight “test cases”. These handsome young men are our new students at Monday Bible class.

It is the practice of each college (high school) here on the island to devote a specific amount of time for religious study or Bible classes. Some schools set aside one hour every two weeks for this class, still others have opted to meet every week for half and hour. During that time, members of the religious communities are invited to speak to the students. The students are not given the option of skipping the class, but they do have the choice of which class or denomination they would like to attend. The instructors prepare a lesson, present themselves at a specific classroom and hope that young people will choose to listen to them. It is a daunting responsibility and one that we have loved. We have been teaching at Teroroa College and have been thrilled to consistently count about forty young people in attendance. Most of the students in that class know us because they see us in church. Some have brought friends with them and we have had some really interesting discussions with this group. The young men in the photo do not belong to this class.

One month ago, we were asked to take on a new and in some ways, much more difficult assignment. Titikavika College asked us to spend every Monday morning at their school. It is a small school and the administration could not guarantee that anyone would attend our class. There are very few LDS students registered there, so our community visibility would probably not be a factor in attracting attendance. We were nervous! To make our long story a little shorter, we now have eight or nine young men, none of whom are LDS, who regularly attend our class and we are working hard to build a rapport with them. We want them to trust us and to feel comfortable in asking any questions that they would like. Teachers love questions! We also always hope that we will be able to supply answers! I suppose that it doesn’t hurt that I bring them a little treat each Monday, but kids need to be fed in many ways, do they not?

So, here is the experiment that we conducted: I gave each student two slips of paper. On the first slip, numbered one, I asked them to write down any question that they would like to ask. It could be about anything, however mundane. It was theirs to ask and we would do our best to answer them all. What did they want to know?

The second slip of paper, numbered two, was reserved for subjects that these young men would like to have us discuss with them in lesson form. What did they want to learn? What were their concerns? Where were their hearts? While we had no preconceived ideas of what they might request, we were still stunned by the questions that these students posed. We were taken aback by the seriousness of their requests.

Slip number one: What questions do you have?

1. What do you think of our country?
2. How has your stay been so far?
3. Which Saturday or Sunday church is the real one?
4. Do you like it here?
5. What is your favorite fast food in America (I like McDonalds)
6. What does fast food in America taste like?  What do doughnuts taste like?
7. What are the youth like?
8. Can dreams mean anything?

Couched in what at first presents itself as a list of trivial questions, is an opportunity for great discussion, don’t you think?

Slip number two: Subjects to discuss

1.     Learn more about teenage issues

2.     Learn more about America

3.     To know about God more

4.     To know more about God

5.     Is the other name of the Bible really called the Sword?

6.     Would God forgive you for anything?

7.     Joseph, son of Jacob

8.     Like to know about friends 

    

What a revelation! These young men, who come in late and slouch in their seats, have life-altering questions. These boys, whom we know to be rugby players, scooter-riders and junk food junkies are concerned about subjects of eternal importance. These kids who notice cute girls, want to party on weekends, and just “hang out”, are taking life seriously enough to ask questions about forgiveness. And we have the opportunity of helping them find their direction. What a responsibility! Ward and I both feel like we are right back where we started. We are spending countless hours in study and preparation so that when we enter the classroom, we can be helpful to these young men. We are also becoming more educated in the process. Haven’t we all found that when we seek to impart information to others, we are the ones who learn the most? Isn’t that just the way that life is?

So, as usual, we are happy and trying to work hard. We hope to make a difference here. If any of you have any magic-bullet answers for any of our student questions, we would be most grateful to entertain them. We know you to be wise and thoughtful. We appreciate the examples that you have been and continue to be in our lives. And for those of you who may not consider yourselves to be a teacher, you may need to reconsider. After all, isn’t the best teacher one who leads by example? We could not ask for any better examples than all of the friends and family who are so much a part of our lives. Thank you and wish us luck!

Love, Ward and Susan                       Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks