True Love Waits International officially launched its initiative to expand its abstinence-until-marriage message throughout Africa during a three-day summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, attended by representatives from eight African countries.
The summit’s 43 participants were guided through a comprehensive True Love Waits International training manual with follow-up lessons. They also heard from leaders in Uganda and Kenya about successes in how the True Love Waits message has been implemented; most of the work True Love Waits has done on the continent has been in these two countries.
“The participants came with a sense of expectancy that did not diminish throughout the week,” said Sharon Pumpelly, who serves as lead consultant for True Love Waits International, a ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pumpelly and her husband, Larry, introduced True Love Waits to Uganda in 1994 while serving as missionaries with the International Mission Board.
True Love Waits co-founder Jimmy Hester, one of the speakers at the Aug. 14–17 summit, added, “To illustrate the diversity of the group, there were medical doctors, pastors, denominational leaders, health organization leaders and abstinence leaders.”
The common thread that brought the group together was a shared desire to see a movement of God among the youth of its countries through young people committing themselves to God’s plan for their sex lives, Hester said.
“Many positive comments were shared that affirmed the summit successfully cast a vision for True Love Waits International,” he said.
Catalyst for purity
A highlight of the summit was individual reports from each country. Leaders shared statistical information about their countries and what is currently taking place regarding sexual abstinence and, in particular, True Love Waits.
One leader recounted how his country is reaching military personnel with the True Love Waits challenge. Another told how churches are being planted as a result of True Love Waits presentations and follow-up work. Nearly every leader reported how True Love Waits has strengthened the ministry of churches.
Earlier this year, True Love Waits International received $950,000 in funding as part of LifeWay’s A Defining Moment philanthropic campaign, created to help touch the nations for Jesus Christ. The donations enabled True Love Waits to begin expanding in six African countries, and the summit was the first step in that process.
Since its introduction in Uganda 13 years ago, True Love Waits has been a catalyst for bringing people together to address the AIDS problem and spread the message of biblical purity to schools, youth groups and communities.
In the years that followed, Uganda’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate (the percentage of people living with HIV/AIDS) — which in some areas was above 30 percent — dropped to the current rate of about 6 percent of the country’s 25 million people. (BP)
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