Our Beirut LIT trainees had their graduation on September 2. We praise God for their commitment and growth during their training period. We saw them leave their comfort zones and learn new skills for youth ministry. And now, by God’s grace, we will see them use these skills in their churches.
In addition to their graduation, trainees had their final retreat on that day. During the retreat, trainees completed a final self-evaluation to track their progress. Their readiness to admit areas that need improvement was admirable. We were thankful to have created a safe space where they could be honest. For instance, Petra, who is a tutor at our Manara youth center, shared:
I learned from the things I did wrong. During LIT, I was part of the games committee and I also gave a Bible talk during the camp. I was nervous because it was my first time sharing a gospel message with non-Christian teens. But it was a learning moment for me. Because of it, many teens at camp opened up to me about their struggles.
Right before we handed out their diploma, prayed for them, and launched them into ministry, we were reminded to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, who modeled servant leadership as He humbly washed His disciples’ feet. Sandra, who recently became part of our school ministry team, shared:
The thing I found most impressive was the washing of feet session. I felt very humbled and very loved at the same time. In all, the graduation was so much fun. Elie [Leader of Training Programs at YFC Lebanon] never failed to make it authentic, and the dynamic was so good. We all were happy to be celebrating our journey with LIT.
YFC tutors and youth workers such as Petra, Georgio, and Garo also shared how LIT had benefitted them. For instance, Georgio led worship for the very first time. He said, “I learned much about presenting talks and leading worship. When I led worship at camp [LIT’s final project], I applied all that I had learned.” Garo also shared:
I am the leader of the young adult program at church and a cabinet member of the adult committee. But I also work with youth as a computer trainer at YFC’s VTP. The LIT program opened my eyes to how I can use social media for outreach and discipleship. The training also helped me up my game during church camps for young adults and equipped me with fun games and resources I could use with different age groups.
We were glad to see LIT giving youth leaders opportunities to use their gifts for God’s Kingdom. Pray for our graduates as they continue their work with youth. Our hope is that God uses leaders across all our LIT programs to reach more youth in Lebanon.