Seminar inspires youths

By MALUM NALU
OUR young people, if nurtured properly, become useful citizens of this country.
If not, they become walking time bombs, fueled by the scourge of homebrew and marijuana which is tearing apart the very fabric of society in this country.
That’s the thought that came to my mind after attending the end part of a week-long Seventh Day Adventist youth seminar in Goroka last December.
More than 200 Seventh Day Adventist youth from different parts of the country attended the seminar.
The 9th Annual Youth for Christ Seminar was held at the Kama SDA Church in Goroka last Dec 18-24 and attracted young people from the Highlands, Lae and Madang.
Several keynote speakers addressed the young people on various matters affecting the country.
Goroka MP and Kama SDA Church elder Bire Kimisopa told me that that the church had hosted the seminar every year since 2008.
“The sole purpose of the seminar is to empower, enrich, nurture and counsel young people in all matters of life,” he said.
“This is basically in dealing with marriage, dealing with money and also trying to tackle some of the social ills of society such as HIV-Aids, corruption and a lot of things the church felt was important.
“It (church) had a role in mentoring and encouraging young people so that they not only know the work, but they are also doers of the work.”
Kimisopa said the seminar, since its inception in 2008, had “overwhelming support” as shown by the attendance and the caliber of speakers.
“Speakers have included Deputy Chief Justice Sir Gibbs Salika, former Ombudsman Commissioner Ila Geno, ministers Richard Naru, Sir Puka Temu, Prof Glen Mola, and overseas speakers,” he said.
Speakers for this recent seminar included former University of Technology Cchancellor Sir Nagora Bogan, who spoke on a wide range of issues to the young people.
“I felt that the YFC was quite impressive in terms of the presentations, and the kids who attended,” Kimisopa said.
“We’ve had kids from all over the country attending from Wewak, Lae, Madang, Hagen, Chimbu, and most of Eastern Highlands.”
A highlight of this year’s seminar was a visit to Bena where the young people were able to see how honey was produced from bees, as well as aquaculture (inland fish farming).
“The whole idea is that the church has a critical role to play in nation-building, but more importantly, in nurturing young people so that they remain in the church,” Kimisopa said.
Sir Nagora highlighted the need for young people to plan for their future.
“Life is too short,” Sir Nagora said in a two-hour presentation to the young people, in which he and Lady Nohoranie coached the young people on making right choices in their lives, given every individual’s individual life on earth.
Lady Nohoranie said in life, “everything has a process”.
“Even the gold they are digging has a process,” she said.
“If you understand that in everything, God has ordained the process, then you will begin to appreciate your time on Earth.
“You will find out what your purpose is from the beginning, and start planning your life all along.”
The presentation was well received by the young people, many of whom are students who are looking for inspiration and mentoring to make the right choices in life.
Sir Nagora and Lady Nohoranie also joined in with the Kama SDA Church congregation for their Sabbath service last Dec 24.
Kimisopa stressed the need for youth development in the country.
“As a church, we feel that certain issues in life such as morality, cannot be resolved by government,” he said.
“You cannot legislate morality, but only God can put a clean heart.
“Church has a mortgage in terms on morality, and not only the Seventh Day Adventist Church, but all churches.
“We have an obligation to not only preach the Word, but live the Word.
“YFCS is a clarion call by the church members themselves in Papua New Guinea.
“I’m very privileged to have been involved in all eight (seminars), this year is nine, and next year will make a decade.”
Kimisopa said a “huge number” of young people who attended previous seminars had gone on to universities, held good jobs, and were living “respectable lives”.
“It’s quite am empowering programme, divinely inspired in my view,” he said.
“It’s getting bigger, exciting, and I get to meet young people from all across the country –a s young as seven or eight, up to 30.
“The hallmark of this programme is that some of our kids in PNG have never been mentored properly, some have never been hugged, some have fallen and there’s no one to pick them up.
“The programme itself is a Good Samaritan, picking up the lamb that are lost.
“It’s amazing when you get to meet kids who have no parents, or have been fathered or mothered by one parent, and the amount of drama and turmoil that they carry with them.
“Church is the only outlet they can pour all of their frustrations and shattered dreams.
“Hopefully, we get a chance to mentor them, and give them the encouragement to live in God and as citizens of this great country.”