ANGELA: As the director of Bethany’s KITA program, I have the privilege of leading a staff dedicated to helping teens discover how the choices they are making can influence their future. It is rewarding to hear from the students who have participated in our programs and have connected with our message about making healthy choices.

DORI: I am the educator who mainly serves Lyon, Sioux, and Osceola counties. I enjoy working with parents, teachers, and counselors. Partnering with parents and educators in guiding students during this important time in their development is an important part of the KITA program.

Abstinence is important to me because I have witnessed firsthand the chaos and devastation sex outside of marriage can cause people, and I feel it is important that people have all of the facts so they can make healthy choices. Teens today are bombarded with lies about sex and relationships, and they rarely hear the truth. It is vital that they are equipped with the truth so they can make healthy decisions that will affect their future.

HEATHER: I work out of our Council Bluffs office and serve the schools of SW Iowa. I grew up in Sioux Center and then moved to Omaha for college. Last July, I married my best friend and college sweetheart, Sam.

My favorite part of my job is interacting with students and creating a "safe place" for them to share their goals and dreams, along with their fears and frustrations. Abstinence has always been an important factor that has contributed to who I am today. I hope to encourage the teens I come in contact with to strive to be successful, independent adults, not just happy kids. When I enter a classroom I state the discouraging statistics about teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases; however, the one statistic I am the most passionate about is the divorce rate. I want teens to make the connection between their actions now and their future marriage. Without the goal of marriage, abstinence is depressing—like a long road trip to Disneyland without ever arriving at the "Happiest Place on Earth." It’s important for teens to remember the end goal and to look forward to the rewards awaiting them on their special wedding day!

JAIME: Working from Carroll, Iowa, I serve the students and schools in the Midwestern portion of the state.

One of the biggest challenges of this job is trying to convince students of their worth—that they are worth waiting for. When I speak with students, I often find that they don't expect much for themselves or for their lives. We talk about their dreams and goals, and some students are unsure if they will even make it through high school. Some students tell me that they want to have a baby to fill a void in their lives. Others tell me that, while abstinence is something that is nice to think about, they have already had sex or have been sexually abused and no longer feel they have the right to expect someone to respect any boundaries they may set. These students fail to see that they truly are worth waiting for. They fail to see that they should have great expectations for themselves, for their relationships, and for their futures. So, amid discussions about herpes and sex on TV, I attempt to show students that they deserve great things, and that they should expect great things.

KRISTIN: As an abstinence educator for North Central Iowa, I am able to share with students how to make positive choices in life, including the decision to save sex for marriage. I believe our program does an excellent job of teaching the true definition of abstinence, providing the skills necessary to practice abstinence, and informing students of the potential consequences of their decisions. In addition to our classroom curriculum, our mentor program has been a huge success and has made a positive impact on many young teens. The importance of good friends is essential, which is why we offer this type of support. As the one-week program nears its conclusion, many students are more willing to discuss sex and marriage. They comment about how they wish the program were longer because they love learning about why they are worth waiting for.

STEPHANIE: I am the abstinence educator who mainly serves O’Brien, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, and Palo Alto counties in Northwest Iowa. I have enjoyed getting to know the students, teachers, and guidance counselors in these counties. Together we have worked to create a positive message of abstinence, not only talking about the negatives of sex outside of marriage, but also the benefits of waiting.

Many teens today don’t realize that they can choose to wait to have sex until marriage. Instead, they listen to the lies of our culture: that every relationship involves sex. Several teens that I have corresponded with have told me that sex is not what they thought it would be. They feel empty, discouraged, and confused. I enjoy my job because I love to see teens truly understand the benefits of waiting. I love to see their faces light up when I say that not every relationship involves sex—in fact, most healthy ones don’t. I love to see the determination in their eyes when we talk about how abstinence will help their future marriage. I love to see them hopeful about their own futures, regardless of past decisions they may have made.

As a former seventh-grade teacher, I enjoy being in the classroom. Teaching has always been my passion. Even when I was young, I forced my little sister to play “school.” When I’m not teaching, I enjoy being home with my beautiful, but mischievous, 1-year-old daughter and my wonderful husband. We like spending time outdoors taking walks, running, playing sports, and visiting every park in town.

CANDACE: I work as the program assistant/event planner for the KITA program, and I love my job. Half of my job involves answering phones, paying the bills, and doing data entry. The other half is what we call “the icing on the cake.” Our program has “End of Curriculum” events that allow participants to celebrate their completion of the program. It is almost like a carnival with games such as Guitar Hero, basketball, Twister, and dodge ball. And of course, we serve snacks. What I love about hosting these events is hearing the appreciation the students express about our program and how they want to know when we are going to come back. That’s a good feeling.