Consider this then:
I would like to share a small testimony of the power of Purity.
As most of you know, I was in Moscow a few months ago doing missionary work. We were part of a youth camp for teens as well as helpers to the Russian missionaries in Moscow. We went to orphanages and the like. While at the youth camp for about 40 teens I spoke at the girls' small group studies. Each night I'd go to a different small group of girls to share about purity. Now in case you didn't know, aids is rampant in Russia, particularly in Moscow. There are several million homeless teenagers in Russia. Orphanages are packed. the average Russian woman has had six abortions. These are big indications of the state of the Russian people. They desperately need people to go there and invest time into them by helping in orphanages and in soup kitchens.
The first night that I was to speak at small groups, I was praying to God alone outside to ask Him for some sort of illustration that I could use for the girls since there was a huge language barrier (Praise God for the translator). I looked around. Nothing to use. Ah, but wait! There were daisies and wild flowers growing in some of the brush. I plucked two daisies.
I entered the group of about twelve girls and had a seat. The girls had gotten to know me thoughout the day already and they very much were interested in this petite american chick. I (through my Godsend of a translator) started to share about my testimony to remain sexually pure until my wedding night. I shared my struggles, my efforts as well as my successes while giving all the glory to my precious Savior. Their eyes were hanging onto my every word for they had never heard of staying sexually pure before. They didn't know it was possible. they didn't know that a guy existed that didn't demand of his girl to have sex with him. I held up a daisy and said that every girl needed to pluck one petal from the daisy and hold onto the petal. They passed the daisy around while I explained to them that they each represent the daisy - pure, pretty, special, unique, still maturing, beautiful, with much worth. I held up the second daisy that was full and had no plucked petals. I held the sad little daisy that had barely any petals left on it. I explained that every petal taken represents a time when each of these girls has given their body physically to a man. I asked "Now which daisy is more whole, more pleasing to behold?". they all pointed to the daisy with all the petals still on it. I went into detail about the effects of sex before marriage. Many started to weep. One girl asked, "But how can we be like the daisy again if we've already given our bodies up?". I said, "Ah, that is the beauty of this story, you see, even though this one daisy has been picked over it can be replanted and grow into a beautiful daisy all over again." They asked, "But how?". I answered, "Through the love of Jesus Christ you can be whole again." I then went into great detail of the love of Jesus. many girls were teary eyed. I said "Jesus is the daddy you never had, the brother you never knew, and the friend you've always wanted." many started to have peaceful expressions. I said, "If I could, I would take each of your faces into my hands one by one and speak of your incredible worth in Jesus." One girl said, "Will you?". Caught off guard but more than willing I went around to each girl and held their sweet faces in my hands and told them how unique, special, beautiful they are." let's just say many breakthroughs occurred that night. There was one very hard-hearted girl there that started to melt when I took her face in my hands. I bowed down on my knees to look beyond her slumped shoulders and gave her the beautiful daisy that had not been picked apart and said "This, precious girl, belongs to you." She started sobbing and hugged me so tight saying "Spasiba, Spasiba", (Thank you, thank you).
I left to go back to my barracks and the girl came running out with the translator to say "I am the new daisy now! I choose the new daisy." I hugged her and we wept.
On the last day as we were all saying goodbye, all the girls came to me to show me they had eached picked daisies to keep. I was the one that cried this time!
Purity.
I have a picture of "my girls" in Russia that I'll try to scan into the gallery somewhere.
God is the God of Second Chances. And this, my friends, I have evidence of.
