Students at Conejo Adventist Elementary School (CAES) in Newbury Park participated in a series of Bible studies that addressed adolescent issues and sexual purity.

As a blindfolded volunteer was advised to determine a safe way to navigate through a course of set mouse traps, the 5th-8th grade boys and girls were instructed that God has a plan for each of their lives. They learned that Satan has laid out many traps to try to make them stumble and deviate from His way. Only when they rely on the “eyes” in their lives (parents or other trusted adults, God and the Bible) can they be carried through safely.

During the spring quarter, seven sessions engaged the students in discussions focused on the fact that they and their sexuality are created in God’s image. His plan for their lives is, in all relationships and choices, to be a living picture of who He is and of the relationship He desires to have with them. The boys, led by Phil Hudema, CAES principal, and girls, led by Irmgart Mitchell (founder of Pure Way ministry), learned how valuable they are in God’s eyes, and that the world’s way robs them of their worth and true fulfillment.

During a joint session, students had an opportunity to apply what they had learned. While watching a video of a true-to-life dating relationship, they identified the red flags and violations of healthy boundaries—from sassing parents for asking questions about a date to spending time alone in a tempting situation.

Early in the Bible studies, a number of students expressed their desire to have Jesus be Lord of their lives. One student commented that before attending CAES she didn’t know God, but has begun learning about Him at school and wants to continue to know Him better. At the end of the studies, all the students signed commitment cards to honor God, themselves and others by staying sexually pure.

“The students are well informed as a result of the studies, which will be very beneficial for some of the decisions ahead of them," said Hudema. "I feel all students need to be given the opportunity to learn these principles, and we plan on continuing the studies at CAES in the future.”

“The lessons made me realize how much teen guys can be tempted, and it made me think more seriously about life and dating,” one boy said. Another agreed that girls are very special to God and he plans on treating them that way.

At the end of the series, one student held her folder of lessons close and said, “I am going to keep this for the rest of my life!”

To learn more about the lessons for junior high or high school students, contact Irmgart Mitchell at pureway@pacbell.net.