BAR MITZVAH. BAT MITZVAH. RUMSPRINGA. QUINCEANERA. SWEET 16. COMING OF AGE.
The way we experience the transition into adulthood depends on our culture. For some, it's the celebration of turning 16. I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. The closest thing we had to a coming of age celebration was prom. In Brazil, 13-year-old boys go through a Bullet Ant Initiation. This initiation takes several months. The boys are given gloves to wear that have had fire ants woven inside. The pain of becoming a man sounds excruciating!
In the villages surrounding us, the young women go through a four-day puberty rites process called Dipo. During these four days, the girls undergo several fetish rituals and are paraded around the village wearing minimal clothing with their breasts left uncovered and adorned in beads. After going through these rituals, the girls are seen as women, and it lets men know that they are ready for marriage. Many of these young women are still teenagers who have hopes and dreams for the future.
The young adults at the CORM Children's Village also go through a process of becoming recognized as young men and women. We call it Coming of Age. They experience classroom and practical teachings, a daring feat at a high ropes course, prayer, and affirmations. The topics covered during this week are integrity, self-control, justice, obedience, love, and courage.
At the end of the week, our young men are dressed like princes, and our young women like princesses. We celebrate them and honor them and speak Godly things into their lives.
Phil and Shane, our ministry partners from Mexico, help us to facilitate this program. Our young people enjoy learning from Phil and Shane, and they do a phenomenal job of connecting with their hearts.
We are planning to have our Coming of Age Week on June 28th-July 4th, 2021. Please keep us in your prayers as we plan towards this special time with our young adults.
Will you partner with us financially? We are budgeting $5000 towards this event. That is two airline tickets for Phil and Shane, material, crowns, jewelry, purity rings, shoes, fees to get into the high ropes course, and a meal for the 13 young adults who will be Coming of Age in 2021.