Mentoring: Radiant Purity conference

  On October 11th and 12th, Bright Lights was holding a Radiant Purity conference only twenty minutes from where I live.  I decided to take Sarah and Baylee to the conference as a part of mentoring them.  I have been to two Radiant Purity conferences in the past, and they are great!  Because Sarah and I are the same age, we would be put in the same small group.  However, Baylee, being a few years younger, would have been alone.  I took my sister, Frankie, along to be with Baylee since they're the same age.

  While the main topics at the conference were modesty, courtship, and guarding our hearts which I'd already covered in LIVE, the girls said they learned a lot!  They enjoyed their small group times, too, which is always an important part of the weekend.

  I took them out to eat after the conference to ask them some follow-up questions.  The girls shared some commitments they had made such as saving their first kiss until their wedding day.  They also relayed to me that several things that Sarah Mally had shared were making them consider several things.  It's very important that, when it comes to standards in relationships, we respect our parents rules.  However, I believe it's important to set our own standards, too.  Personally, I started thinking and praying about standards I would set for myself when I was 16.  Although I had no one interested in me, I still set my own rules for when someone came along.  Honestly, it wasn't until I was 17 that I sat down with my parents to hear their rules.  You can read more about that on my personal blog here.  I encouraged Sarah, Baylee, and Frankie, to start thinking and praying about it now so that when someone comes along, you know where you stand.

  They also shared that they will send anyone interested in them to their dad!  This was discussed in depth at the conference and it opened their eyes to how important it is.

  We had a wonderful time this weekend!  I'm glad I had the chance to take them.

In Christ,

   Sierra

Meeting 3: Modesty

  Our third meeting of the school year was on Thursday.  All 22 girls came, as well as a visitor who joined!  Looking forward to having this 23rd member in our group - what fun!  

  They all crowded downstairs and were great sports about being a bit squished.  We talked about Modesty on Thursday.  We discussed why we should dress modestly: because we are worth it!  We are worthy of love and protection.  We need to guard our bodies.  We talked about how modesty doesn't mean drabby, shapeless clothes.  There are a lot of modest, cute clothes out there!  It takes a little more searching, yes, but you can find them!  We also talked about what modesty is: an act of love, a heart issue, leading to where you want to go in life, glorifying to God rather than yourself, a guard to virtue, a signpost for what you believe, freeing, and obedient to God.  

What you wear is your billboard.

So, what are you advertising?

  My lesson on Thursday was longer than usual...quite a bit longer.  I was worried we'd run out of time, or that the girls would be bored silly.  However, while we did get a little behind schedule, the discussion during our lesson was great!  Girls shared their thoughts, ideas, and opinions as we went along.  After the meeting, I heard from several girls that they really enjoyed the lesson!  It made me realize that if we lose a bit of game or snack time, it doesn't matter.  As long as they're enjoying themselves and learning!  

  

  Below are a few photos from our game time.  We played the Suitcase Game.  The girls loved it!

The cheerleaders. :)

  Sierra

Mentorship

  This year, I felt called to do some sort of mentorship with a couple girls in LIVE.  Due to my school schedule and other things that fill my calendar, I was only able to mentor two girls three or four times between September and December.  I've never mentored anyone before, nor have I ever been mentored myself.  This is completely new territory for me.

  I opened it up for girls 14 and older (which consists of 6 of my girls) and it was "first come, first serve".  I was replied to almost immediately by two girls - Sarah, age 18 and Baylee, age 14.  As I was mentoring them separately, I set two dates and started praying and preparing.  I was nervous since I had no idea how this was supposed to go.

  On September 20th, I picked Baylee up and took her for breakfast.  I had decided that our first time together should be really getting to know the girls better.  I do know the basics, but with 22 other girls in LIVE, I'm not always able to have long conversations with each of the girls.  I listened while Baylee talked about her family, her friends, her hobbies, and her favorite activities to do.  I feel like it went very well.  My primary purpose with this mentoring is to listen to and encourage the girls.

  On the 21st of September, I took Sarah out for breakfast, also.  Although I graduated high school this year and she will graduate next year, Sarah is only six months younger than I am, so I was a little wary about how this mentorship would turn out.  But it did go very well!  Sarah talked about her school and the theater she is involved in and her hopes for when she graduates high school.  During each breakfast, the girls and I spent some time in prayer and at the end, I made a point to ask each of them ways I could pray for them.  I was then able to pray with them for those requests.

  I am grateful that our first meetings went well and I'm excited to see how the Lord will work within the next couple months.  On October 11th and 12th, I am taking Sarah and Baylee to the Radiant Purity conference put on by Bright Lights.  I used to lead a Bright Lights group before I started LIVE, and I've gone to this conference a couple times before.  Since Sarah and I are both 18, we'll be together, and my younger sister, who is 14, will be attending with Baylee.  Because I will be driving them to and from the conference which is 30 minutes away, I intend to use that time to discuss what we've learned so far.  On Saturday night, after the conference's final session, I will be taking the three girls for supper to discuss what we learned and how we propose to apply those principles to our lives.

 In Christ,
  Sierra

Meeting 1: Gossip

  On Thursday, we had our first meeting of the year.  We all gathered in my basement downstairs for our time of singing.  With twenty-two girls, I didn't know whether it would be an easy task or not.  Some girls had to claim floor space for themselves, but there was still enough room for everyone.  From last year, almost every girl returned with the exception of two who will not be able to attend this year.  That's sixteen returning girls with six girls who attended for the first time.  I was so excited that God sent each one of those girls to the meeting and I pray that a seed was planted as I taught my lesson on Gossip.

  Because it was our first meeting and we had so many new girls, our meeting was a bit out-of-the-ordinary.  I explained LIVE, went over rules, taught the lesson, we sang and also played games.  But my main goal was to make each girl feel welcome.  I would rather have each girl feel welcome but not have fun than have fun but not feel welcome.  Not being welcomed into a new group is a feeling I know well.  I never want these girls to feel that way in my group.  

  One thing I learned on my trip to Haiti was that people love it when you use their name.  I try to always greet each girl by name and use their name whenever I am speaking to them.  I make it a goal to take interest in each girl and remember what they've told me.  Even knowing their age, where they live, and having a general knowledge of their family is, I believe, important.

  When I teach these lessons, I try to take stories from my own life to help form the topic.  When I was in a discipleship group, it was easier for me to apply it to my own life when the leader admitted she struggled with the same issues.  Even though it's sometimes not easy to admit that I struggle, I believe it's important for the girls to know that I struggle, as a young person, with the same issues that they do.  

In Christ,

   Sierra

  

Pool Party 2013

  On August 8th, we had a pool party in my backyard.  These girls were such a joy to have!  Although we had only 12 girls (about two-thirds of our usual group), I was again reminded of this fact: it's not about the numbers!  The Lord will send who He wants to come!  Praise Him, we had two new girls who were excited to be here and who had a blast!  I am so excited to see what God will do in the group this fall.

  There wasn't much structure to the day, but it was more focused on relaxing with friends and enjoying each other's company.  I believe that goal was accomplished!

Sierra