On Thursday, June 10, 2015, I led a Relationship Chat Session with the youths of New Heritage Baptist Church, Shomolu, Lagos. The session which was part of their 2015 Youth Week was quite interesting. During the session I shared that reading books is one of the ways by which we can equip ourselves for the success of our relationships. At the end of the program, a lovely young lady approached me and asked about my Group Reading Program. I explained that I Got a group of young people who would commit to reading the book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married" by Gary Chapman over a six week period, I will commit to coaching them.
Never underestimate the
power of a determined mind. PrincessDee as her friends call her, responded,
"I'll get back to you ma." She got back to me by email, having
recruited fifteen of her friends to sign on to the Reading Program. The six
weeks Reading Program kicked off on June 29, 2015.
Some expectations shared by
the participants were:
1. For the fun of it. Never
joined a reading group before.
2. To grasp new knowledge
that I may not have known by now with respect to marriage questions coupled
with boosting my reading culture to grow in this area.
3. To be more prepared and enlightened to have and know what it takes to have a
successful marriage.
4. A broader understanding
of relationships and how to drive them towards a long-lasting marriage. The
simple necessary actions to keep a woman and keep her happy.
5. To find answers to
questions relating to marriage and prepare for the marriage institution.
6. That I may understand the basic and essentials of marriage for me to enjoy
it to the fullest.
7. At the end of the program, I hope to have grown in my relationship with God
and have a better understanding of his purpose for my life. Also, as a young
Christian lady looking forward to the marriage institution, I want to gain a
deeper knowledge of my roles as a wife and mother to be in order to have an
excellent home.
8. To get the most out of
the book to help me develop healthier relationships with the view of a
successful marriage. To also identify the major pitfalls in choosing a life
partner.
9. To get knowledge on how to build a successful intentional relationship (not
random dating) and avoid the pitfalls and mistakes made in previous
relationships.
10. I expect to have a better understanding to the concept of marriage, to
understand my role and task as a woman in a relationship and eventually as a
wife. I expect to be able to learn from other people and to generally learn new
ideas and views to make myself better.
11. To choose the right man, to develop a healthy relationship with my spouse.
It was an interesting six
weeks.
We had two 2-hour virtual
meetings on BlackBerry - the first three weeks into the program and the second
at the end of six weeks. The discussions were very enlightening for me as one
who works with young people and also as a parent of young adults who are trying
to figure out their way in life.
My young friends had a tough
time finding the time to read the book and do the required assignments with
their personal hectic schedule of leaving home early for work and getting back
late. They found the time because of the accountability process of the Reading
Program. At the end of six weeks, they appreciated that finding time to read
was doable and greatly beneficial.
Were their expectations
met? Here are the words they used to describe their experiences. Awesome and
revealing. Enlightening. Refreshing. Revolutionary. Eye opening and educating.
And me, how did I feel?
Astounded to say the least. I have once again experienced the significant
impact that reading books can have in the lives of the people who read them. I
first read Gary Chapman's book some years ago. I have since then recommended it
to many people and sold it at Hidden Treasures Bookstore. This group is the
second one I've done the six weeks Reading Program with. The feedback is the
same - "Thank you for introducing this book to us."
And you know what? If I
meet the fifteen young people I worked with in these past few weeks, I will not
recognise them. I am yet to have a face to face meeting with them. *smiling* I
look forward to meeting them all soon.
My takeaway? There's plenty
of avenues for me to teach and encourage the love of books and of reading!
Thank you New Heritage
Baptist Church and Heritage Youth for inviting me to your church. Thank you
Likeminds Reading Group. Thank you PrincessDee for putting the group together
and for being the Group Admin.
And now it’s your turn. You
had any reading adventures recently? Share them..
No comments:
Post a Comment