Here’s what the teens are saying:
“Honestly I was convinced that today I was going to kill myself… I didn’t have any reason to live or go on and I felt that people would be better off with out me.. but after Lena made me talk to you… and after I felt as if someone actually cared.. and I wanted to say thank you.. You LITTERALLY saved my life…. so ya… thank you.”
“I’ve had a bad past and now I want to change my life. Thanks so much for always being there for all of us kids. You have no idea how many of us have no one.”
“Befor today it was my goul to have sex befor my 8th grade graduation. but now I do respect womens body more. thank you.”
“I saw you speak to my school a little over five years ago. I was 17 and had been sleeping around since I was 14. I’ve always had a relationship with God and this was my weakness. I used to justify it by saying that society has changed so God shouldn’t expect as much from me. In reality, society changed because of people, not because of God. Needless to say, your talk changed my life. I have been abstinent since that day- April 26th I believe. Here I am, a law student, a 23 year old adult who slept with guy after guy, now striving to be chaste until my wedding night. It definitely is not easy, but it can and WILL be done. Thank you! Thank you for helping to save my soul, my future marriage, and my values I will pass down to my children someday. Your words still speak to my heart in moments of temptation. You have given so many people the ability to have self-respect. God definitely has a special place in heaven for you and your wife. I look forward to meeting you and your wife someday in the presence of Christ in heaven. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“Please don’t stop doing what your doing. Who knows what would have happened if I would have gone to college without hearing your talk.”
“What you had to say was the answer to all the questions I had been praying about. Thank you again for helping me to stop having sex. You truly are an angel in disguise.”
“It really helped me more than you know because just last night i was giving up if you know what i mean God Bless You, and may the rest of your life be filled with as much joy as you put into others’ !”
“Well I feel very relieved right now. I feel as thought you have lifted a big weight off my shoulders. I have made a commitment to my self that I will not do the things I used to do. It is not going to happen anymore after today. You totally changed my outlook on everything.”
“Yesterday’s presentation I thought was very informative. I just wish we would have had it six months ago. Well, right now I’m three months pregnant, and honestly think that this would not have occured in my life if I had heard this talk six months ago. Well, you live and you learn. This may be what God wants for me.”
“You see, my parents were divorced by the time I hit the age of five and I don’t think it’s fair to the child. That’s why I hope that God will make sure I end up with the right girl. I thought that if I maybe quit with the whole sex scene until I was married, then maybe he would repay me with putting me with my soulmate. Both my parents have been married three times and divorced three times and they are both dating people right now. So I really never had anyone to look up to, to tell me that I would regret anything sexual that I did. That’s why I am glad that you came and talked to my school because now I have someone to look up to.”
“You are my LIFESAVER, Dude. You have NO IDEA! I can’t begin to explain to you the profound impact you have had on my life. I am sitting here crying as I write this. In one afternoon you changed me completely.”
“I cried while listening to your talk. It was almost like you had taken my heart and read it out loud. I had reservations in going to see you speak, but as soon as I got there, I knew I was in the right place. A good friend of mine had seen you at NCYC and kept telling me how incredible you were. He was telling me how you talked about how I should love my future husband and abstain. He said that the way to love him is to love and respect myself as well, and by having sex I didn’t respect myself. He told me I should go. I always said thanks, but no thanks. Then last Friday I was over at this guy’s house and I started thinking about what he had told me. How I wasn’t respecting and loving myself. I got up and left. And I decided I would go see you speak before I would do anything else. I went to the college last night with reservations. I didn’t know what was going to happen and how I would feel afterward. But I am so grateful I went. It changed my whole outlook on myself. Thank you. God put you on this earth to help heal. I consider you to be an angel in my life. Jason, thank you.”
“i was headed down a bad path and i think you might have saved me from making life changing choices and possibly you saved my life. so thank you!!!:)”
“I am a freshman who attended your talk at the University in Philadelphia. I was blown away to say the least. Your talk was absolutely amazing and approached sex and relationships in a way I have never thought of them. Instead of looking down on sex and making it seem like it was a terrible thing, you made me look at it in a totally different light. You made sex seem so beautiful, that it is worth waiting for.”
“When you talk to God again, tell him thank you for sending you – my angel – to me when I needed you the most!! And please keep praying for me.”
“Hi. My name is Kelly, and I just wanted to e-mail you and tell you that I really enjoyed your talk today. It made me realize that I do want to save myself for my future husband and I do want to be chaste for him. Thank you for all the factual information. I know that I’m not the only one that got something out of the talk. One of my closest friends is dating a guy that is 19. She is only 15. I tried explaining that that is not quite normal. I don’t think they are sexually active, I at least hope they aren’t. He doesn’t treat her very well and that really bothers me. Anyway, I’ve tried talking to her about it, but I think that today really hit her. I think it especially hit her when you were making comments on older guys not having enough social skills to date girls their own age. I turned around right after you said that, and she had this “deer in the headlights” look on her face. Hopefully it sunk in and she realizes she’s dating a loser. Anyway, thank you very much for all the information and helping me see what is clearly the right choice to make. I appreciate it greatly. I hope you and your fiancée are doing well.”
“To be honest, I didn’t really believe in chastity before the talk. If it weren’t for your speech, I might have been stuck with a child before 18. For that one hour I truly thought about my life and how I want to live it. Well, now I know how I want to live it: to the fullest, for my future husband and children, for my God, and for myself.”
“I used to be addicted to porn, but after your talk I promised myself that I would quit once and for all. I have tried in the past to quit, and have gone to reconciliation every time it got really bad. But you finally hit the right spot on my conscience. I would like to thank you.”
“My purity had never been that big of a deal to me, until I went to your speech. I realize how important it is to not let someone take advantage of you for their own pleasure. I am so happy that I went yesterday and I’ve decided to stay a virgin until I get married.”
“Jason, now that I think about my past, I really regret some of it. But on Wednesday, I decided to start completely over. Once again, thank you soo much for taking your time to fly down to Alabama. You touched many of our hearts and helped me look forward to a better future. Thanks for all your help.”
“Recently, I was made fun of for being a virgin. I went to my mother and I told her what happened, and she told me that I should feel proud. Your talk made me really understand what she meant.”
“On the bus ride to your talk, which is about a 1 hr and 45 min drive, I was thinking this is just going to be some boring speaker and a wasted long trip on a bus without AC. After your speech, on the bus ride home, I thought to myself I would go on a 6 hour bus ride to listen to you. I know that when I go to high school next year I will be temped to do a lot of things that could hurt or haunt me for the rest of my life. Never stop giving your speeches because one voice can make a difference, and you proved that. You touched my life and I will always remember you! Thank you.”
“I am a guy. I look at porn at least once a week. I will never do it again now. Looking at it is not something I am proud of. It’s over now. Your speech has changed the way I look at girls now. My life will never be the same.”
“I think I was going towards the wrong way but you made me really think! Thanks a lot!”
“If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know if I would still be here today due to all the cutting. So thank you so much for helping me realize that it was possible for me to turn my life around and go back to respecting myself.”
”We met after the assembly, and I am the guy who lost my child through miscarriage. I’ve looked long and hard for redemption and I believe now you have given me the final push I need for a second chance.”
“Thank you very much, its really helped me. I really dont know what would have been of me had i not gone to the talk.”
”I thought I was going to hear another stupid lecture like all the others. My plan was to sit in the back and heckle you the whole time, but when you spoke, you didn’t give me the chance. Thank you for making me look at chastity in a different way. Now I’m starting to see it like it might be a good thing.”
”You changed a while outlook on life for me. I never thought about women really in a non-sexual way, but you changed me. Before your talk I was a guy who looked at porn. I couldn’t help myself. It was like Satan urging me and I let him in. I was a porno maniac. I was paralyzed, couldn’t even blink, so many thoughts going through my head. After your talk I even had a movie I was going to watch, but I threw it away. And I thank you for that.”
“All that my girlfriends and I have been talking about since your seminar is the part of your talk when you talked about abortion. Some of my friends believed that if you have a good enough reason, that it’s fine. But after your seminar they couldn’t even talk about it because they would start to cry because they couldn’t believe that they were actually considering killing someone.”
“I definitely have a sex-drive that has a Hemi with a V-8 engine that is ready all the time. But I look at sex and women a little differently. I look a little deeper into them now. Instead of seeing a hot chick walking down the street and thinking of what I could do with her, I think more of how her personality is like. What kind of person she really is. I look at the more than skin deep.”
”While you spoke, it clicked. I don’t want to just give out my most sacred gift to some guy who claims he loves me. I have a boyfriend, and I talked to him about what you discussed, and he was very interested. We were getting closer to being sexually active, but I believe you saved me, us, from making a huge mistake. Your wife’s story made me tear up because I knew I was also so vulnerable, boys are always trying to convince me to have sex, and tell me it’s o.k., I have come dangerously close. I knew next year going to high school would make it even worst. The story taught me that if she could say no, so could I. Thank you again. You have truly changed my life.”
“The one section of your talk that really jumped out at me, and made me feel like you were saying this to me, was the topic of the way a girl should dress. It really does make sense that a guy would be interested in a girl longer if she were more covered and it was a mystery. It really changed my perspective of what is right to wear, and also which companies I shouldn’t support. This meaning Abercrombie and Fitch and MTV. It is disgusting that these companies think they can control us, or think that we can’t control ourselves. Also, I really enjoyed the part where you talked about your wife. I have never met her, but hearing her story has inspired me to wait till marriage.”
“Thanks again for setting my life straight. My girlfriend and I are so excited and I feel that we could very realistically make it. I told her about what you said and told her about the books and dvd and she seemed as excited as I was. Jason God has given you an amazing gift to reach out to youths. I believe God had me at that conference, at that tent, for a reason. That night I said a rosary on the one you gave me and I thank you for that gift. It seems foolish but I think of you now as my roll model. Just once again thank you in more ways than I can express for turning my life and relationship around. God bless you and I wish you, Crystalina, and your kids all the best. May you all continue to live life with God smiling upon you.”
“Your speaking really helped me out. I didn’t even know what I was going to do when I got in a more mature relationship. I mean should I move in with him or not? Should we have sex before we get married? I had no idea until you told us that we should wait.”
“The greatest thing about your talk was that you weren’t an adult who was trying to reach down to our level of thinking and use our language. You are an adult who is really not that much older than we are and who understands the way things are today and talked to us comfortably. It really made a difference with a lot of the people at our school, and just the fact that everyone was so well behaved at the assembly is a tribute to you, because we’re known for having some of the worst behaved kids around.”
“Hey, thanks for all the help. It really helped me to talk to you. When I got home, I got my pornography (without looking at it) and trashed it.”
“I am a senior, and we have a lot of different speakers come in, and in my time here none have touched our students like you did. I myself am not usually the kind of person that normally thinks twice about anything I’ve heard, in fact I’m usually the girl in back sleeping. But something about your presentation kept me awake and actually provoked a lot of serious thinking. I am definetly not the only one, to be honest our whole school has gone through a transformation… rumors of one girl throwing away her wardrobe and going shopping with her mom for more sophisticated clothing, and the idea that chastity is okay in the minds of other high schoolers are some of the changes being made. As someone who thought it was to late for me, no one had ever told me you could start over and still demand respect; I could definetly relate to a lot of your stories and I really can’t explain how moved I was and how much it all took me by surprise because like I said I’m not usually the kind of person who is motivated enough to take time to consider some of these things. I don’t know whether or not everyone who is talking about your speech will never have sex until thier married but you definetly planted a seed in the minds of everyone and you have definetly impacted my life, and I guess I feel that I owe you a thank you. I don’t know how often people follow up on these things, so I wanted to let you know how much your ideas inspired us and again I want to thank you!”
“We realize our future husbands will thank you one day and we are sure our parents will thank you forever (although the boys school next door may not!).”
“So I just want to thank you, because I feel like God wanted me to email you and he wanted me to listen to what you had to say at your talk. It was like the first baby step leading me to him and his love.”
“You gave a talk today and I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything. When I found out that we were having another chastity speaker, I felt like ok great another person to bore us to death for an hour and having us fall asleep. But when you started taking, from the very beginning I felt that I wasn’t going to feel guilty about my past. After your talk though, it was the first time ever after a speaker like that I, that I didn’t feel guilty. Whenever my boyfriend and I used to get together, it seems that we would have sex every time. But now after your talk I feel that I have the strength to say no to him and now I have the courage to tell him that I don’t want to have sex with him anymore because I want to save myself for marriage. So thank you so much for helping me turn my life around and showing me that saving myself for marriage is definitely the best thing to do.”
“We love yall! It finally put everything that we have been lectured our whole lives about what to do and not do into ways that we can understand and appreciate as 15 and 16 year olds.”
“Hello! My name is Tara. I am a senior at a public school in Ohio. You went to the local Catholic high school a couple weeks ago and did a speak about chastity. My boyfriend Eddie, goes there and listened to your speech and was really impacted by this. I have been going out with him for 3 years. After the speech, he came to me and said that he would like to stop having sex. Instantly, I thought that next thing he was going to do was going to break up with me so I started crying. After he reassured me that this wasn’t the case and that he still loved me and just wanted to love me for my mind and not just my body. I was overwhelmed by this and asked him what made him change his mind. He didn’t say anything. It was then that I asked my friend who attends his school and she informed me that they had a couple come and speak about chastity. I was glad that Eddie had said this and I supported his decision and agreed. The one thing that I was curious about was what kind of speech made such an impact on someone who thinks God is dead and has no faith. I found out that the speaker was you and your wife. I have been on your website and have ordered your wife’s book. What I was wondering, is there any tape or video recording I can receive to listen to the talk that has changed Eddie’s point of view. I would greatly appreciate the tape of you and your wife’s talk if there is one available. Please let me know and thank you so much for making Eddie and my life better.”
“I just want to thank Jason for being my angel. He has come in a time of my life when I needed him the most. I related to him on so many levels it would be unbelievable. Right now, I realize that as a Catholic I want to start over. So tonight I am going to sign my pure love promise card. I am not a virgin, but yet I feel that I need to wait for my future husband. I have made mistakes in my life and I want to go to reconciliation and start anew. Jason and his wife have inspired me. I used to think I would never find true love because its not out there. I know how it is out there, I have just been looking for it in all the wrong places. I am going to make a difference, I’m not going to be treated with disrespect. I’m going to start over, thank you Jason-you will never know how much your talk really meant to me.”
“Your talk helped me overcome all my feelings of regret and I’m so thankful of that. You touched me and a ton of people at my school (DeLaSalle MPLS). You came yesterday and today at school I was amazed to see and hear how many people were really affected and touched the way I was.”
“I wanted to tell you that I was really moved and inspired by you’re speech at my high school today. I’m 17 years old and a senior. I’ve been dating my girlfriend for about 3 years, and we feel that we are in love with each other. We both agree that we want to spend the rest of our lives together. About 2 years ago, right around our one year anniversary, we had sex for the first time. Since then, we have been having sex on a regular basis. I can relate to what you said today in you’re speech about trying new things with each other, and not wanting her for who she is, but rather for her body. I really wanted you to know that you’re speech inspired me so much that I told her this afternoon that I want to stop having sex. I told her that I feel that I’m losing interest in her for who she is. I really want to be with her for the rest of my life, and I hope it’s not too late and I haven’t lost the bond we shared in our relationship before having sex. I know that I have a very tough road ahead of me with resisting the temptation of being sexually active with her. I didn’t get a chance to sign my name in you’re prayer book, so if you could please pray for me, I could really use the prayers. I can’t explain in words how much you’re speech today meant to me, but it has changed my view on sex. Thank you for taking the time to come and speak at our school today.”
“Your talk helped me see that it is completely possible to find true happiness in Him. Recently I’ve been scared that i will not be able to ever fall completely in love with anyone and be happy. But you made me see that it is possible. I didn’t realize how important it is to have God in a relationship. Thanks! I hope you continue changing the lives of teenagers everywhere. You were a blessing to our school. I’m so happy you came. Also recently, I’ve failed to see the good that I have to offer and the value of myself. I’ve had that attitude that I’m not pretty and too this and too that. But you showed me that I deserve to be treated right and to not give my time to guys that just want to use me. That has been a problem I was facing but failed to even realize it. I didn’t even know I was doing that! Again thanks for sharing your stories and time.”
“Your seminar was absolutely amazing, i can’t even tell you how much you have touched me. Even though they give talks all the time on chastity at my school they have never reached me on the kind of level that you did. I feel so much closer to God now, that i have decided not to get sexual with my boyfriend. We weren’t doing anything yet but i was thinking about it. And you gave me the strength to say no. And my boyfriend is wonderful, he totally agrees with me. So i just wanted to say thankyou for the wonderful things you do! You really make a difference in teenagers lives.”
“I remembered what u said at your presentation four years ago. It really made me think I was making a big mistake so I dumped the guy and found someone who was willing to wait till marriage so thanks a bunch.”
“Thanks again, man. Seriously, if it wasn’t for your speech to my school, and your books, I would probably know nothing of love. Even after you spoke to my school a year ago, I been spreading your wise words to the others. In fact, this one person, if I hadn’t spoken to her about waiting for sex after marriage, she would have with her boyfriend months ago. Those two broke up a few months back. thanks to me she is going to wait, I tend to… when I get wind of anything sexual that might be in a relationship, I try to talk to the girl about saving it until after marriage then passing it on to her boyfriend. trust me, it has helped a lot.”
“There are like a million things I would like to say to you, but unfortunately, I don’t have the time to put it all in one simple letter. One of the biggest things that would sum up a lot of the feelings I have about this, is THANK YOU. I’m sure that a lot of teens who heard your talk feel the same way as I. Your talk changed a lot of how I looked at things. I absolutely loved it. I think that it had a major affect on me. It was the best talk I had ever been given and probably will be the best I will ever have in my entire life. The way you presented it was so cool. I understood it and I felt as if you understood me. It made me think about a lot of things. I also think that it was no ordinary “talk”. Your “talks” probably have more affect on us teens because you are a younger couple, make things funny, you think about our feelings and how we understand things and turn them around. Also, you explain things more clearly, show us things that the media doesn’t want us to know, use your own personal stories to show us what happens, and you make us\me feel as if I can completely open up to you. You make things funny, but yet at the same time it seems serious, and it is, but you use humor to make us understand more clearly and it comes to me\us. What I mean by you being a younger couple, is that if some old 47 year old couple were to give us that same talk we would not take it as seriously. I think that if teens listen to younger couples such as you guys we would listen and take it seriously. I think that couples like you should also give talks about, suicide, death of loved ones and other things like that. I am glad to know that you guys are doing this for a good cause for teens everywhere. Once again you really had a great affect on me and turned around my thoughts. Like for example, modesty on how I dress. I don’t wear belly button shirts and mini skirts, but I could dress better, and because of you, I will. I like how Crystalina dresses, like a lady. I loved your talk.”
“I’m from Newman, and I just wanted to say thank you. I know for a fact that your speech touched a lot of people and I think helped a lot of us in a way. Newman was long overdue for you to come and talk to us. It touched me personally because I am a virgin and for so long I had been uncomfortable about that. A lot of my good friends aren’t anymore and I didn’t feel comfortable when they talked about it. In a way I almost felt “uncool.” For a long time I wanted to have sex so I could experience it. When you said all the things you did, I had never felt so proud of myself for respecting me and my body. I guess it was just a wake up call for everyone. I have gone this far without having sex and I know I can wait until marriage. I think it will be amazing on my wedding day with my husband. I think the wait is long worthwhile. You made it sounds so good to wait. You are an amazing guy and you deserve an awesome life. You reached through a lot of people that day and you really opened everyone’s eyes. It was so nice to finally have a speaker who actually related to us students. You made me realize that there is so much to look forward to and that not having sex is not a big deal at all. I was really touched by your speech and I know everyone else was too. Thank you Jason for everything and for making people realize the truth. I want to thank you personally for making things a lot clearer for me and for saving me from doing something I know I would have regret in the end. You are awesome and I wish you the best of luck with your family!!! Thank you again…I know to many you acted as a messenger from God who finally got people to realize the truth about what really goes on.”
“Hey, how are you doing? I am Nick, the one you talked to at BHS. Out of all the people I have talked to, you are the only one that seemed to understand everything that I felt. However, about the sex talk, I must say that I am a virgin, and that talk had a big impact on me. Well, out of all the friends I have, I am one of the few that is a virgin and I had a lot of pressure on me. But after that speech, My friends and I had a change in heart. I am gonna save myself for marriage, and I will keep that promise with me until I am married. But what I am trying to say is, thank you so much. You and Crystalina changed my life, and I thank you both so much for it. I will keep you both in my prayers, and I know that it was a blessing that the both of you visited our school, especially in a hard time during my life. Oh, by the way, can I still keep in contact with you both later on in this year, and college?”
“I just wanted to give a big ‘Thank you’ to you, Mr. Jason Evert. The assembly that you spoke at Wednesday was absolutely wonderful. Your speech about staying pure until marriage touched my heart more than any person ever has. I hope that one day I find a guy that truly values the importance of abstinence as well as you do. You’re a inspiration and I can truly tell that you have changed the lives of many people. I’m one of them. I felt that God was speaking to all of us through you. You’re an angel.”
“Hey man…listen. First I have to tell you once again how amazing your speech is. You’ve changed me. Then on top of that, I had the blessing of hanging out with you after that whole deal at the restaurant and talking to you in the bathroom, as funny as that sounds. Ha ha – I’m laughing because you were talking to us about what women talk about in bathrooms, and then an hour later, there we are talking. But yeah, that was something that I sooo needed to hear from someone. I don’t know how you’ll take all this, really. Maybe you hear it all the time, or maybe not, but I have this belief. No one has told me, I just kinda believe it, that there are certain people among us who truly are angels sent in human bodies and who may not know it themselves. I think that if you’re lucky enough, you get to meet at least one in your lifetime and you never forget it. Guess what? Last night I spent a good fifteen minutes in the bathroom of IHOP talking with one of them. Dude, maybe you won’t remember me that well a year from now, with all the kids you’ll talk to and meet and whose lives you’ll change, but I will remember you for the rest of my life. I’m not joking, man. I was touched by you in a way that I had been praying for for so long. You are the miracle I’ve been praying for, man. Thanks!”
”Yours was the best talk I’ve ever heard. Especially a sex talk. Usually people are like, “Okay, sex talk.” I groan and hope that it’s short, but when I heard you, I wanted you to talk forever. What you were saying really made me want to pray for my future husband and make myself better for him.”
“You came to my school and gave us the chastity talk about 3 1/2 months ago. In our health class, my teacher noticed that there were a number of students who were not here for it, so she played a video of you and Crystalina (or however you spell her name). And it was right there in that health class that I noticed how much I’ve grown since I decided to take your advice. The main reason behind this E-mail is that you deserve to know what your talk did to me. I just wanted to say thanks. If it wasn’t for you, and what you do, and if I hadn’t been at the right place at the right time, I would have continued on with such a vicious cycle that I can’t even begin to describe. Now, instead of going on a wild goosechase for a little lust, I waited to find love, and I tested my boyfriend at the time to see if it was real love. Turns out he passed the test, and I couldn’t be happier with my life. Thank you SOO much for doing what you do. Trust me, you had a HUGE impact on my school, and I’m sure that they all feel the same way as I do.”
“Today is a day I will never ever forget. You and your speech changed me and I am grateful for that.”
“I can’t tell you how great and moving your talk was. I know alot of kids laugh at the idea of a “sex talk” or even groan. I know i did when i went into the auditorium that day. But you really have changed my perspective on alot of different things. I can’t thank you enough. Your amazing, God is really working through you.”
“The last time I heard your speech was a year ago, and I still think about everything you said all the time. You really do make a BIG difference in a lot of people’s lives. Thanks.”
“Your talk was by far the best morality-oriented talk I and many of my peers have ever heard. I know for a fact that you influenced many students’ lives. I know personally many people who have permanently changed the way they make their choices regarding sex. The work you are doing is getting through to teenagers everywhere and is so unbelievably important and valuable.”
“I really want to thank you. I have been struggling with not knowing how to help my friends for a long time now. It feels to me like God answered my cry for help by sending you to our school today.”
“After the assembly the halls were filled with couples hugging and just appreciating each other. There was none of the usual fighting that goes on during the school week. Your talk made an impact on all of us in one way of another. And I thought it was funny, but before I told my boyfriend that I wanted to take out everything sexual from our relationship from your “love test”…he told me the same thing. I think I can finally trust someone, and using your website, I know how to get out of it in case I can’t.”
“Thank you again for you wonderful speech. You are an excellent speaker and you really had a way of captivating my attention unlike other speakers who have come. No one could hold my attention like you did and I feel changed, even though I am a virgin. You speech helped me realize I want to keep it this way until I am married! Thanks again!”
“Okay, last night was a turning point in my life. I was debating on whether or not I should just give up on love and just start abusing what God gave to me by selling myself to others and lose my innocence, or should I really wait for what God has in store for me. I was kind of stuck in the middle. I’m so overwhelmed, but joyful that I went to your speech. It really touched me and I must say that no one else has ever convinced me with such correct statistics and true stories. I am sticking to being a virgin until I’m married and I give myself to God. I trust God enough to send me a great husband. I just want to thank you for helping me get through this doubtful, insecure situation. I still have a lot to learn, but you saved about 10 years of learning for me…so THANK YOU, JASON! Great job and keep up the awesome enthusiasm that you have.”
“I just can’t tell you enough how much I needed that talk you gave. It really took a lot of pressure off of me and in a way it brought me closer to God. I’ll pray for you as you go to all the other schools and hope that you can help other girls or boys as much as you’ve helped me.”
“When you got up there and spoke I was totally focused and I just loved your whole presentation. You were very blunt and straightforward and I think every word you spoke was the truth. Your an amazing presenter, when you spoke, it really touched me, I almost started to cry becuase everything you said was the truth, and I know God was speaking those words through you and that you’re very passionate about your job. I probably would have never heard sex talk that involves God in it because like you said they only say that sex is bad and dont go much deeper into it. Before you talked to us up there I was planning to stay a virgin, but your encouragement has given me a deep strength and now I know that I’ll stay pure for not only my husband, but for the Lord.”
“I listened to the tapes and such and they where really, really good! You are so inspiring and actually i have some friends listening to your tape at this time and i they really loved it! You are changing lives dramastically! God Bless!”
“I really appreciate you coming and talking to our graduating class about that. I feel it really hit home for alot of girls and I have seen a big change in the way girls have been dressing and acting this past week. Thanks!”
“To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to it because they are usually like don’t have sex…blah blah blah… I can’t even begin to tell you how much your speech hit to home. For the hour and 15 minutes that I sat and listened to you, I began to revaluate my life. I am a 17 year old senior girl, and I lost my virginity at the age of 16 to a boy who I thought I was completely and totally in love with. After about 6 months we decided to have sex. We broke up a week before our one month anniversary because he wasn’t comfortable being around me anymore. I was devastated, what did I do wrong? I thought we were getting closer. After a few weeks we started talking again and me, a huge idiot, thought I was still in love with him, we turned into friends with benefits. Not smart. Still completely emotionally attached I kept thinking the more I did, the more he would want me back. Not the case. We stopped for awhile while he was involved in another girl and for me I decided to completely forget about it. How do you forget something like that? Jason you rock. You brought out my whole story in your whole speech. Thank you for everything you have given back to me…my hope especially. You are one of God’s angels and I can’t thank you enough.”
“I was really shocked at how good your speech was and how it made me want to change. Since I have started high school I have had oral sex with at least 8 different guys just this year. I didn’t realize what I was doing to my future husband or myself. I thought it was ok to want oral sex and to do it because it wasn’t sex and because I have 7 sisters and I’ve heard a lot about it. Now I really want to stop. Thanks so much for changing my life. I will never forget ur speach.”
“I loved your talk. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it has changed me and my thinking! Just to let you know my school has started looking at rings and stuff, and we have a ceremony coming up. I am buying a ring and will be proud to wear it! Thank you for everything!”
“I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming to talk to us. You were an amazing speaker. I have to admit, at first I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. You made it fun and interesting though. Kept my attention the whole time. And you also taught everyone (hopefully) something. I know I learned something. I learned it’s ok to say no and it’s ok to not get too involved with a guy. I used to think it was cool to say “I’ve done this with a guy” or “I’ve gone this far” but now I know that’s not really what’s important. So I just wanted to say thanks. You’ve touched me in a way no one else has or will be able to, for that matter. I can see you really care about what you talk about, and that means a lot to me as one of your listeners. There’s so much more I want to say, but I have to get going. Thanks again!”
“I’ve read my book and I’ve signed my card. I feel like a changed person. The boy whom I like now respects me for who I am and understands what happened that day and thinks it is amazing I made that choice. Thanks to you I could set those rules for myself and have a back up if I needed it. Thank you to you and your wife. You both have had a big impact on my life. Thank you for helping me get back on the right track and changing myself. Again, Thank You!”
“It’s amazing what a profound impact you’ve had on my life! First, you’re the reason I wear a chastity ring. You made me see what I’m worth and what I deserve and because of that I’ve never lowered myself. Your book is truly inspirational!! I am buying it for all my friends as graduation presents and I’m spreading it rapidly. I keep it in my purse and even my hairdresser wants a copy! I know you’ll agree when I say you gain so much more respect for someone when you’re not very physical. Since my boyfriend and I stepped back I’ve gained so much more respect for him. We’ve grown closer, we respect each other more, we know we’re doing what God wants, we’ve grown in our love, and we have so much more fun when we’re together. All because we got rid of the stress of all the physical things. So I need to THANK YOU once again for saving me. And for helping revive our relationship because the physical-ness (is that a word?) was starting to slowly kill us. It’s truly amazing how much we’ve grown by simply taking away a lot of the physical aspects of our relationship. It’s so much better now! So thanks again, Jason, you’ve truly made me a better person. And you continue to do it every day. ‘If You Really Loved Me’ is truly amazing and it is so affirming. I just want to hand it out to every person I meet! ”
“Hello, my name is Ted, and just wanna say, first and foremost, that I, along with all of the students, thank you so much for giving us your talk. When you came 3 years ago, your talk truly changed my life and the way I look at sex. Today, I talked to tons of fellow students who said that you truly touched them and made a difference. I, along with every other teen in the world, have struggled with “sex stuff” throughout my life. Since hearing your talk today, though, I have been thinking non-stop about what I wanna do with my sexuality…that is, save it. I’m tired of being told by other people that I (and my peers) should have sex! It’s so refreshing to hear somebody speak so passionately about saving sex till marriage.”
“I just wanted to say thanks. You really got a good message across to my friends in and outside of my school. You really made some awesome points that you backed up with facts. There is a definite change in a lot of people in their views on chastity. I never really saw how much advantage there was to waiting. But now when I think about it I don’t see how people don’t wait. In high school there is SO much stuff that doesn’t make sense, but finally you taught me something that makes complete sense.”
“Thanks for bringing me closer to where I should be.”
“I just wanted to say to you again how much I appreciated what you said in your speech, for it really affected my ways of thinking about God and myself. This is odd for me to think of God this way and feel the way I feel for myself. You made me feel as if I am free. I felt that I was hiding something inside of me and I was unable to express how I feel about my life and I felt scared, actually. Thank you and God Bless!”
“Hey Jason, worked everything out with my bf and he did change a lot of things according to your speech. He was extremely sorry and to this day and forward we are going to be totally free from any sexual activities thanks to you! You have made a tremendous difference in my life and I want to thank you so much. If it wasn’t for you and your outstanding speech I would probably still be in my unhappy relationship and in a world of confusion. I read you wife’s story and it was amazing… tell her thank you so much! i was also wondering if you had any of those cards left that maybe you could send me and a couple of my friends!”
“You’re speech still gets to me. I’m so happy that God put you on my path in life. I was highly depressed and had just given up. Now, I believe I’m worth something and I’m no longer sexually active. I’m very thankful for all that you have given me.”
“I just wanted to thank you once again for speaking at our school in Wisconsin Rapids, you really touched my life, because the day before you came, yea I was pretty much in denial of God and my faith.”
“Actually I am really happy with myself and I really think you are part of it. Yes, attention from boys feels good but knowing that I’m too good for half of them feels even better.”
“I thought that the speech that you gave my school was the best that I have ever heard…My classmates also thought so too. You covered the topics well, you could relate to us, and you kept our attention on a subject that we hear about every year-I didn’t get sick of listening to you talk about chastity. I’m a virgin and all of my friends are too. Before you spoke, we all thought that we were doing something wrong and were weird… we kept wondering if maybe we acted a different way, guys may like us and want to be with us. After your talk though, my friends and I were so happy and had a renewed kind of strength to keep on being respectful to ourselves- but also respectful to guys and God. We know now that there is absolutely nothing wrong with us and we are just doing our job as daughters and future spouses.”
“I thank you both so very much. I am a teen who is has a hard time changing my mind, and my friends know I’m a hard person to change, and I’m not into the whole religions or church stuff. I have had one girlfriend and I lost my virginity to her, about three months later we broke up. I thought whatever know I need sex and wanted to just hook up with another girl with no worries, and I watch a lot of porn. I didn’t think much of it and thought this is what I was just going to do. But the seminar you gave today at my school, I thought we were going to have another boring talker come up and lecture us about how we should be, and “your all bad if your not like that” bla bla bla… But you and your wife could actually relate to us telling us things that will, and may have already happened to us. Also telling how telling about your past and how you both had messed up, but then changed and moved on. This made me start to think like wow maybe I shouldn’t do the stuff I was thinking about it might effect my future relationships and possibly ruin and relationship with a girl a want to be with. Because what you said is true if they really love you, they can wait to have sex till marriage, because you will hopefully be with each other for the rest of your life so there is something to be looking forward to with each other. What you both said to me today helped me greatly, I’m sorry if I’m boring you, but this to me is a big deal, because I have never responded back to someone before that I have heard in a assembly, or have been so inspired by two great people’s stories and advice, so I thank you both so very much, I talked to Jason after the assembly for a minute then I picked up a little pamphlet and the book you had outside, but when I went to get a Chastity card they were gone so I asked the campus minister about it and she said you will be sending more and I can pick them up later, the first chance I get I will pick one up and sign it, a keep it in my wallet and one day give it to my wife to show here that yes I messed up, but I changed and I have proof, I will follow this card, to show my future wife that I respect her before I even knew her, just as you two had chose to do. Some of my friends were effect by your talk just as I was and I was happy to see it, but some saw it as and let down which made girls start to think they could say no, so their “hook-ups” would stop, which mad me pissed, because they completely missed the point of what you had talked about. I can honestly say I am a good guy, who just happened to do some things that on the outside made me different, but was not who I truly was, so now that you have talked to me the real me will start to shine. I’d like to thank you both so much again you have impacted my life greatly and I will always remember it and share this story with my future wife who will hopefully gone through a change such as me, or have even been so pure to stay and wait until she meet and married me. But I will not be able to give my future wife my virginity which I regret, but I can show here that I made a change in my life the day I was talked to by an amazing couple who helped me, and I can show her that I respected her enough that I stopped what I was doing wrong and turned my life around for her before I even knew her I could do this for her. Now, I don’t care if my friends laugh and make fun of me because I know you Jason were right when you said “It doesn’t matter what they say to you now or make fun of you, because you can write it all down then when your standing at the alter looking at your beautiful wife, you know you did what was right and it got you here”. Thank you again so much.”
“I just wanted to email you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving your speech and reminding me of my morals. Before you came to our school I was in a 9 month off/on relationship with a junior (I’m a freshman). All my parents did was complain about our 3 year age difference, but I didn’t care at all…I was in love. After a while all this guy wanted to do was oral sex…now I had always promised myself that I would wait until my wedding night for sex, but I figured with him since it was just oral and I was really in love it was ok. Then he started not to care about me as much, I couldn’t tell at the time, but now I can see it was so obvious. At the same time this was going on, my parents found out that I had a cutting and alcohol problem, so I began to see a counselor once a week. But my counselor also began to talk to me about my dad, and everything came out. I told her the way my dad would come home drunk all the time and begin to yell at me for things I hadn’t even done, tell me a was worthless and didn’t deserve to live in his house, then he would punch me, slap me, anything, and go to bed. I also told her about my boyfriend. She told me how she could tell that he was not the right guy for me and I deserved much much better, but I told her I was in love with Ryan and all I wanted to do was be with him. She explained to me that many times, girls who don’t have good relationships with their fathers often don’t have good relationships with the other men in their life. I wanted to believe her…but I was scared to lose my boyfriend …he was my security blanket. After a few weeks I realized that my counselor was right and I was wrong, but I still couldn’t give up Ryan, but then you came to our school!! Hearing what you said, everything my counselor told me, was amazing. I don’t know if it was hearing it from someone else or just the way you presented it, but it sank in. The next day, I told Ryan we were over for good. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but instantly I knew it was for the best. I regret the things I did with Ryan, but I am so happy I got out of that awful relationship, before I gave him the most precious and valuable thing I have…MY VIRGINITY!!! Thank you so much again.”
“There used to be a time where I wanted to have sex with a guy just to get him to like me, although I never did. I know now that I want to abstain from sex until marriage. I know that the relationship with the guy wouldn’t last, he would only be using me for sex and it’s not worth me giving up my self worth just to have a boyfriend who doesn’t even like me. I want to thank you. I feel like I can tell you anything and that makes me extremely happy. I watched you and your wife’s video in my health class and thought it was pretty good, but seeing and hearing you in person was even better. I have friends that once didn’t care if they have sex before marriage now going to abstain until marriage and I am one of those people. Thanks so much.”
“Me and my friends have all made tremendous achievements with all of our relationships thanx to the both of you! you guys are so wonderful and are greatly appreciated and are truly a blessing gift from god! thank you so much!!”
“I want to say that I’ve always known that I was going to save sex for marriage, but that would be not true. I didn’t always know, but lucky for me I got to hear you speak before I made the mistake of losing my virginity. I want to tell you that I believe what you’re doing is wonderful. You changed my life. You made me soo how important I am, that I am more than my body. I have a brain, a personality, a sense of humor, a heart. You showed me that I don’t have to be afraid to set my standards high because anyone who really loves me, who cares about me, should look deeper than the outside and should see that I am worth waiting for, I AM worth more. Someone who really loves me for who I am would wait a million years for me, I see that now. I know some people who think only unattractive people save themselves because they can’t get anyone to have sex with them, well I don’t believe that’s true, because I am attractive. I am a very competitive person and a “I do what I want” kind of a person, to a limit of course, and personally if a boy makes a remark such as “don’t be prude” I walk away knowing I’m not prude, I’m just better than that, thanks to you. Before that little voice in my head was very soft but now it’s loud, and very much there- thanks to you. I don’t believe I will ever be able to tell you how much you have moved me, Honestly. You are blessed Jason, you are blessed with a gift from God. You really are. He blessed you and you are strong enough to take that gift and share it with the world. Thank you so much again.”
“I just wanted to thank you for what you are doing. You’re helping change peoples lives, helping them make decisions that they won’t regret. You’re helping prevent things like what happened to my friend’s pregnancy, and I am very grateful for that.”
“At first when I heard that we were having a chastity talk i’ll admit I was sooooo thrilled..(sarcasim) but when we got in the gym from the moment you started talking to the moment you were finished, I was amazed. I know you probably get a gazillion emails like this almost everyday, but it has to make you feel good that you might of prevented at least one couple or maybe over 1000 couples from having sex and staying chaste and pure for later on in their lives. You did for me. Me and my boyfriend of a year and four months have been contemplating doing it for a while now. We were gunna try it one night, we came really REALLY close, but we decided not to because we didn’t have a condom. But now after your talk him and I already talked about it and we decided that we are going to wait, then we signed our chastity cards together. It meant so much more to me then I thought it would. We’ve done alot of stuff so far, almost everything but, and I told him I don’t know how much I want to do it anymore. He knows this now and he always has but now he knows for sure. Kids everywhere should hear your talk.”
“I just wanted to tell you that I was really touched by your speech.. normally I don’t pay attention to those things at all… but when you were speaking you got to me… you really pointed out things that got my attention.. I’ve decided that I want to change my life.. and that its possible for me to turn around my life.. I haven’t done anything I think is bad.. but some might.. I have only been with one guy..and I thought I was in love with him.. I know I did love him.. we were together for a year and then we decided to have sex on both parts..and about 6 months after that he broke up with me.. telling me that he didnt want to be with someone right now.. and it crushed me.. I felt the lowest in my life..and I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life… and it took someone like you to help me realize that even though we have all made mistakes you can make up for them..and thats what im going to do.. make up for it..i just havnt had anyone like you tell me its okay.. that we all make mistakes.. and it doesnt make you a bad person.. I thank you SO much for that.. and I hope you touch many other lives like you did mine.. I wish you and your wife the best of luck.. she seems like a great person..and I hope one day I will have what you and your wife share.. LOVE.”
“I just wanted to thank you again. You really changed my life. And i truly believe if it wasn’t for your speech and God’s advice I would have done something I would have regretted. You have really changed my life and for the better. I find this really funny but because of temptation I have downloaded your talk onto my ipod and I listen to it when I’m down or thinking about doing something that could jepordize my purity. But anyways thank you very much!!! You have touched my life in more ways than one. I am very glad you came to my school.”
“I wanted to thank you because I don’t think most people realize it’s not all about pregnancy or STDs, even though that’s definitely important too. You really made a lot of people I know think, including me. Ever since you came, because of your talk I’m able to say no and it feels really good to see how my boyfriend respects me still. What feels even better is how I have a better respect for myself. Thank you so much.”
“My name is Jeff. Going into today’s assembly, I really did not know what to expect. I figured that we would get a sex talk about sex. The way you told things was an eye opener to me. Your words have changed my life forever. After signing my card, I feel better about things. For me, the card acts like a reassurance. When I’m in a sexual situation, I will know that that card is helping tell me what is write and what is wrong. Ever since you were in our auditorium today, I’ve been running through my mind, all the things we talked about. I must have learned at least 100 things from you today. I cannot even begin to put into words what an effect you have had on my life. The timing of your entrance into St. Joes could not have been any more perfect, and I speak for my school when I say that. Thank you so much.”
“My best friend and I listened to your speeches in class and on the Internet and you completely changed her life. She was convinced that it was too late for her also. It seemed no matter what I did it never sank in to her. I just wanna say you’re truly a blessing from God because I was so worried about her. When she heard all the things you were saying which was just about her life in your words it really hit her that she could change too. It hasn’t been that long since Jason left our school but there is a complete change in her. I really appreciate that. Thank you for going around and teaching the virtue and chastity and writing that book.( I can’t help it, I just love that book!)”
“I was going down the wrong path and if you didn’t talk to me, I don’t know how long it would have taken before I would wake up and realize that I need to make a U-turn. I just want to let you know how much that meant to me and how you taking the time to talk to me really gave me perspective on what i needed to change in my life. For some reason your advice really got through to me and you answered ALL of my questions without me having to ask any.”
“Back in February, I received a ‘calling’ to the priesthood, and I have been exploring that feeling ever since. For the past few weeks I have been talking to my peers, adult friends, and priests about it. Also, to myself, I have had a difficult time swallowing some of the things that the church preaches including chastity. After listening to your talk this morning, I have a brand new outlook on life and its gifts. I cannot explain the feeling that I felt after I left the auditorium. Thank you so much for your help and I will keep you and your bride-to-be in my prayers every night.”
I just wanted to say thank you so much because, honestly, I was gonna give up my virginity on my 15th birthday.Your talk really made me think straight, and i just wanted to thank you very much for that. Now me and my friend Erika are gonna get a promise ring that says “my love can wait”. Thank you very much.
“I am not the only person here that is changing their life style from ur talk. i have heard dozens of stories from guys and girl that are planning on changing. thank you”
“Even with girls that I am not dating I get into those conversations, like phone sex or “text-sex” and I also sin and use a girl. I feel bad afterward but for some reason I just cant stop myself. I used girls like they are toys, that you can mess around with whenever you want and when you are done with them you can throw them aside until you want to use them again, i know how wrong that is now. I honestly didn’t know how much pain I was causing myself and everyone I treated that way until I heard you speak. So all day yesterday, I was reflecting on your words and I made a promise to myself and more importantly my future wife to save the rest of my virginity and my body for her and only her. I will wrap this present and it will given to no one other then her and at no other time then after our wedding. if the girl I am dating at any particular time can not deal with that then obviously she not my future wife and not worth stressing over. I will not let anyone pressure me into giving away something that is not theirs. and I will not pressure anyone into giving me something that is not mine. I have been talking to this girl Michelle and she is really sweet and very pretty, and I have been considering dating her for a while. but our whole relationship has been based on those sexual conversations, I cant tell you that last time me and her had a civilized conversation, except for last night. i told her my decision and i expected her to just leave and say that I wasn’t worth that wait. instead she said, “I have been trying to work up the courage to say that to you since we have been flirting, I completely understand you wanting to do that and I will wait beside you and if God willing we will end up sharing that gift after we are married.” I realize the person I was shoving away, while I was trying to get to know her body. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you did to me. Please continue teaching your ministry and save people like me from a life of bad and hurtful relationships which I knew I was bound to have.”
“You made me realize things in my life that i thought were normal, like that’s just how things work an i just have to accept it, weren’t! i love how i can hold my head up now n say “there r better things 4 me out there”! i wanted 2 kno if there was any way i cud get a dvd of u 2 show my twin. she goes to a public school flooded with sex and drugs and i just KNOW she would benefit from hearing you speak!”
“Jason came to my school today for a seminar on chastity. The seminar really touched me and changed my life forever. It really taught me a lot about myself and made me think about how I view the young women around me. I really learned what it takes to be a real man. Because of this seminar, I have also chosen to save my self for the woman I will someday marry. Thank you, Jason. Not only from me, but from my future family as well.”
“Listening to you on Tuesday really made me think about a lot of things. I want to thank you for making me think… and getting my attention. You helped me become a lot more aware of things that I never really even considered, such as older guys and the whole party scene and the dangers of it all. I guess when you hear real stories from someone who isn’t 900000 years old you have to accept it.
You worded everything so perfectly. All the time I have spent looking for the answers and reasons and wondering how and why… Now I have never been so sure of the decision about Chastity. Every thought or view I had on the matter before now just seems so mislead and disrespectful. I cant really explain how much you have just changed my life. For that…I thank you.”
“It’s been a few weeks since your talk and still your vibe is going throughout the school. You’ve helped so many girls out… thank you! After your talk I took my copy of “Pure Love” that I had bought in the beginning of the year and I gave it to my boyfriend to read. It’s really strengthened our relationship… we know what we want of out of our friendship… pure joy and happiness. Thank you so much Jason!!!! From the bottom of my heart, I really mean it.”
“First I want to thank you so very much for your ministry and tell you how it affected my life. I was in a sexual relationship all through high school and my first year of college and my mom never said anything but bought “Romance without Regret” and The book “If you Really Loved Me.” I was so mad. My friend who was a stripper came over my house and I told her about the “stupid” video. She asked me if we could watch it. I was like alright so with oreos and milk; we watched it. She was glued to the TV. I kept walking in and out of the room. She was just like “OMG why didn’t they teach us this is high school.” I liked my sin so I didn’t want to hear it. She called me about a week later and asked to borrow the video to show some of her stripper friends. My friend quit and I then read the book, over and over again. I never read a book more than I read that book. It helped me so much I bought 17 copies and gave it to people who did not want it but needed it. That all happened when I was 19 years old. I am now 22 and I struggle but my life has changed. In front of the Blessed Sacrament the Lord told me to start a group at my college. I just bought the pure life series and have discussions every Monday night. I told the Lord I would do anything, except talk about chastity. Well sometimes I think this is only the beginning. So thank you!”
“I cant tell you how much you coming to my school ment to me. I was blown away by your speech. i have/had a adictition to porn. here you made me stop i didnt know how serious it truely was thank you so0o0o0o very. You just might have saved my future.”
“You are changing lives and giving many young ladies in our school hope and reason to stay pure and chaste. One of my friends gave her Pure Love book to her cousin who was tempted to sleep with her boyfriend. After going through the book, she called up her boyfriend and read it to him over the phone. Her boyfriend was touched and they promised each other that they would wait until marriage.”
“The girl i tell you about would like to thank jason and his wife for being her angels. she once had a negative view of God and told herself that any God who would let such bad things happen to a person who has done nothing but try to do right must not love at all. but now she knows otherwise because a God some where in the heavens sent her these two angels who showed her a better side of life and they give her back her value, her self respect, worth and her love for herself. they we never know how much they mean to her and will never understand what they mean to her even though the thought of this girl may slip their mind she would never in this lifetime or her next for get them and the change they had on her life. PS – and now my boyfriend hates you…lol…it’s funny cause the same reason why he hates you is the same reason why i love you”
“I am a 17 year old girl, and last week was the best speech that I have ever gotten on Chastity. When the school told us that we were going to have a guest speaker at our assembly and he was going to talk about SEX, I was like great another sex talk that will make me feel guilty at the end. Well the outcome was not that at all! I walked out of school that day not feeling ashamed of myself anymore. Jason made me feel great and showed me that I could start over whenever I wanted to. When I went back to school the next day, even guys that I would never think would have listened, said that the speech moved them also. I would just like to give a big thanks to Jason on all that he does! He has made me change in not just a physical manner but a spiritual one as well. I would also like to say that I am starting a letter box that I am going to write to my future HUSBAND! Thank you again for all you do”
“You know I really don’t know how to explain how much you and your wife have help me, I’m just a totally different person and it’s an amazing feeling, how I’m a lot more confident and I have a lot more self respect (it really is an amazing feeling). I honestly don’t know what type of person I would be right now if you didn’t come to my school, the first time when I was watching the DVD I was just really surprised when your wife came up and started to talk. I really look up to you and your wife your my role models (seriously) like you make me want to do something with my life, I’m not sure how to explain it. You two just make me look forward to what my future is going to be like (that is like something that I have never really showed any interest in) and I have more faith in God and I am just really proud of my self because of how much I have changed and I owe it all to you and your wife. I believe in my self more and I know that God has a plan for my life and how I feel now, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulder and I’m not afraid anymore. I was never really sure of what I wanted to do with my life and now there is so much that I want to do (it’s really crazy). The two of you are like angels in disguise (I really mean that) it’s just really crazy how you help people so much, like you have such amazing jobs cause you make such huge impacts on the lives of the people that you talk.”
“When you gave us your talk, the idea of Chastity was never really explained to me. It never really hit me until you. I thank you so much. I don’t even want to think of where I would be without chastity. I probably would be dead, in more ways than one, if that makes any sense. I don’t know if I told you this, but I used to have a big pornography problem, probably more accurately described as a strong addiction. It seemed like you could tell somehow. All I’m trying to say is thank you for your ministry. You have made me such a stronger Catholic. I go to confession a lot, and I’m starting to go to adoration more, and if it wasn’t for you I would barely be in church.”
“I think that your talk gave a new and different hope to those in my school that have made mistakes already. I think yesterday DID let them clean their slates and start a new life as Christians. You related to all of us in a way that no other guest speaker has EVER related to us. I know this because I have done setup for all of the speakers that have spoken here since my freshman year. Every time, I always notice people who are falling asleep or talking. When I looked around the gym yesterday, I didn’t notice a single student who wasn’t fully engaged in what you were saying.”
“Hi, my friend goes to the school where you talked, and for years she has always been telling me to save myself for marriage, and i always thought that it was stupid. when she was a freshman she saw you for the first time at her school, and she told me all about you. ever since i’ve been kind of curious as to what she liked so much about you. this past weekend i was at her house visiting, and she told me that you came back to her school last Tuesday. then she told me that she had your movie “romance without regret”, and i really was kind of scared to
watch it at first. her older sister is kind of the “bad seed” of the family and she watched it first and was very emotional about it. so i knew then that i just had to see it. i was so moved and completely touched by everything you and crystalina had to say. you totally changed my mind about everything, and now i plan to save myself for marriage.”
“Before your talk and before I read Pure Womanhood I always told myself that I was just gonna keep my virginity until I was out of high school. Well, since then I’ve decided to just wait for marriage. I no longer attend wild parties on the weekends and hang out with a crowd of people that did that. I used to think I’m good, I haven’t done any of the things that they have but each time I’d hang out with them it was getting harder and harder to say no. After you came though I decided that all of that was over and I was done before I went too far. I have you and your wife to thank for that. You two are truly God sent and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’ve changed my life and a lot of my friends’ lives. It’s so amazing to see my friends happy now but not because they hooked up with some guy or got drunk at a party, but because they know they are no longer leading that horrible regretful life. Don’t get creeped out by this but WE LOVE YOU TWO! Who knows where we’d be if it had not have been for you. You have changed our lives and given us A LOT to think about”
“I’m writing to you because it’s midnight and I can’t sleep. The reason for this is the words you spoke today at my high school, Aquinas, where I’m a senior. When we heard that we were having an assembly on chastity, it seemed like a big joke to everyone, to see what loser they would drag in to put us all to sleep this time. But I have to give you credit because from the moment you stepped on the stage, you had every bit of everyone’s attention. You have changed my life and the life of my close friends, forever. This is something I hope you’re used to hearing, because you should. Towards the end of your speech, I finally realized what you have been trying to tell us, my priorities are seriously out of whack. You hit every emotion right on the head, and that’s something that no one else has ever been able to do. I think you saw how your speech affected my good friend Cindy. She has been in a relationship with someone that is no good for her for sometime. He cheats on her and doesn’t treat her right, and the reason it’s so hard to say this is that he is one of my best friends. I’ve tried to change him, like you said, but it is useless. You have changed her life in an incredible way, you are the first person that she has listened to. Me, I’m not a virgin, and I’ve had a handful of jerks along the way, which goes the same for all of my friends. That’s why your words hit us at home, we know that we need to make a change, we just needed someone to open our eyes and show us that it can be done. We are all going to get tested this weekend, together, and afterwards, buying white candles like you said. It’s something we all need to do, we need to make a 180 in this part of our lives. I signed my card today, something that took me four hours to do. I actually was staring at it sitting on the table for fifteen minutes, and this is why my friends and i need each other, for support. Well to be honest I’m going to go pray now, which is something I haven’t done in…years. Everyone prays in school, and maybe there were a handful of times people mean it but now I want to mean it. I think that God has drifted too far out of my life and I believe that’s part of the big plan of why you were sent here today. For instance I have prayed twice already today, who would have guessed. thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. My friends also send their love, you have no idea how you have changed our lives.”
“I want to thank you and your girlfriend for coming to speak to us. in one hour, you have provided more positive influence than any person, object, or belief in my past seventeen years. i’ve been a Catholic for all of my life, gone to mass every sunday…but something just didn’t feel full. i now realize that it was because of sins i’ve committed. i’d heard all of it before…but it’s different coming from someone who is closer to my own age and someone that is living the life fully. i too am a virgin, and i plan to stay that way…but before you came to speak, i felt a sense of shame or awkwardness about my decision. you have bolstered my faith in this area. also, you brought things to my attention that i knew were “wrong” but never really wanted to change…and because of your faith, i realize i have to.”
“After the speech, i thanked you and gave you a hug…and i walked away and felt different. i don’t know what it was…but there was something in that hug that was not a normal human experience. God has chosen to work through you. i believe that He has chosen well. you provide a hope for youth. i say this knowing what a lack of hope feels like. i have been to that “lowest point”…and it’s only because of people like you that i’m still here. thank you again, i will never be able to express that gratitude enough. i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.”
“Tonight I had the pleasure to listen to one of your lectures at Villanova University. After your lecture I went for a walk contemplating everything that you had said in those forty-five minutes, eventually finding myself consumed by happiness and peace. I am a twenty-year-old woman who just ended a two and a half relationship over the issue of sex. I find myself sitting in
bed every night wondering if I will ever find someone to date in college who posses the same morals as me. Being a virgin in college has to be one of the hardest things, however, after your speech I was overwhelmed with a feeling of pride. I just had to take the time to say thank you for tonight, for you have given me more strength to continue being who I am in forty-five minutes than I have been able to come up with in twenty years. You are such an amazing person who has been blessed with so many wonderful gifs. Continue doing what you are doing, God knows you do it so well. You will now and always be in my thoughts and prayers.”
“i wanted to thank you everytime i hear you talk or read your book it is really an inspiration to me right now the guy i am dating was really physical and i was afraid it would happen, but he also heard you speak and in the few days since then i would swear he is a completely different person. So thank you for everything I really hope you know what a wonderful influence you are on teenagers. God bless!
“I was talking to 2 of my friends the day you talked. One has a one year old daughter, the other is 7 months pregnant. ( I mean I talked to a lot of other friends too, but these too stick out in my head…..) They both said that they wished that you, or someone like you, could’ve spoken to us a year or so ago. However, they both had tears in their eyes and told me you gave them a little hope that they didn’t always have to be labeled as “sluts” and they could turn their life again by being a “born-again virgin.” They told me that when I wrote you to thank you and Crystal for that. ”
“You came to my schoollast Monday and I spoke with you after the assembly. I told you that it meant very much to me and you gave me a hug. You also wrote a scriptue reference on my hand. When I looked it up and read it, i cried for hours. I prayed after that and I thought for a long time. What you said changed my life. I never thought that i would still have a chance to be a good person because of all the things I’ve done in the past, but you helped me to not only let God forgive me, but for my to forgive myself. Thankyou so very much.”
“Hearing you talk was amazing. I have been to quite a few speakers. Most, I come away with the impression that I am doing horrible things and that makes me a horrible person and there is no chance to change that. Hearing you, I truly felt that there was still a chance to change. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since. And again, I honestly thank you for saving my life.”
“tell all your students that a teenage girl in bradley illinois was put in the direction of christ’s image by you. When you came to our school. I was close to giving up on him……he would never respond to my heavy heart and everytime i prayed and prayed, my hands so tight that the blood couldn’t circulate, he wouldn’t be there. I would lay in my bed sobbing over all the bad things happening and lay there openin my wounded heart for Christ to help and he wouldn’t come. Then you came to our school and i looked at it in my own way…Not the way that i was trying to do things like i learnt in class….but they way i felt would be the best between my relationship with god and me. Oh boy did it help! Instead of boring him with all my negatives i would go to him in the better times too. It’s helped alot.”
“Thanks so much for the strenght to respect myself and move on to find better. you truly are from God.”
“I really appriecate all that you have done for teenagers around the world, and for our school, i know for a fact you changed my life.”
“Your talk has changed so many things for me, including my relationship with my parents. When it came to my relationship with my boyfriend, I felt I could not talk to my parents, especially my mother. After your talk, when my boyfriend and I talked to my parents, it all changed. It seemed that they cared and wanted to know about our relationship. Having that freedom to talk to my mother about him is wonderful. I feel so much better about what my parents think about my boyfriend and our relationship. So, thank you for all the help that you have given me. After hearing you, I wish that all teens everywhere could hear you.”
“Thank you soo much for giving that talk. my life turned around. ive been messing around with some guys that i shouldnt be messing with, and ive given up on love all together. now i kno how special my mind, body, and soul is, and i hav you to thank… if it werent for you id still be giving naked pictures of myself, and sleeping with a 24 year old.”
“thank you for helping me see the love that God has for me, for helping me show God the immense love I have for him.”
“Since May 15th, 2006 I have practiced chastity, when I’m tempted I write letters. It’s going REALLY well. Instead of being ashamed that I don’t have sex, I talk about it all the time. I just love saying it. My friend & I vowed not to take any more pills, since we got out of rehab for Morphine & Oxycontin. Things are really starting to look up.”
“I took your words to heart, and alot of what you said changed me and the way I see girls. The examples that you gave about porn now make it impossible for me to watch or look at it and I thank you for that. I understand that it is wrong and only a side of meaningless lust.”
“A bunch of my friends and I talked (yes, already) and we’re going to do this thing together. We are all buying white candles, and writing letters just like your wife did. Hopefully this will help me. The story about your wife really opened my eyes to what all of this could lead to. I had one boyfriend who wouldn’t take no for an answer, just took what he wanted, and that showed me that made me feel like I wasn’t valuable. Ever since then, I’ve clung to guys and boyfriends, lowering my standards, to the point where I was in a similar situation. Thanks to you, I’m going to get my life back. I’ve decided that I’m not going to have a boyfriend until I’ve gotten my life back together. I’m going through the hardest part of the healing process right now, but I already feel better. I know that this won’t be easy, but I’ll have the support of my true friends and family now. You have helped me take control of my life, and I can never thank you enough. I’m never going to forget the talk that you gave us today, and I hope you realize that you saved me. Thank you so much.”
“I have never had sex which im proud of but i started to think what was really the big deal about it, and I actually considered it. But when you came in it honestly changed my whole perspective around, when i went home i was pretty much brought to tears just thinking about it. When i went to school this morning i went to home room and my friends and I were talking about your presentation, and all of my guy friends couldn’t express enough how much your presentation changed them.”
“After you gave us “Romance without Regret,” many people broke up with there boyfriends cause they new that they where not the right person. Thank you for all you do. Your an inspiration.”
“Your talk influenced a lot of people and opened many eyes, including my own. For example, a couple that is sexually active and has been for the entire three years they have been dating, has decided to stop having sex because they feel that it will help them in their future.”
“I heard your talk last night. I have known that I needed to change the way I have been living my life for awhile, and I was just waiting for something to push me over the edge, because I haven’t had the courage to stop myself. You were that push for me. Thank you for helping me finally realize that purity is a goal I should be reaching for, not a far-off ideal.”
“Thank you so much. idk if i could have done all this if it wasnt for your influence. i would probably still be with my ex getting beaten or worse. i owe alot to you and i thank you for your support in everything and in my decisions.”
“Thank you so much. Without hearing your talk, I probably would’ve had sex with at least ten guys at this point.”
“Though it has taken me a long time and a few mistakes to realize, I now know that everything you have been teaching is SO true. I am now committed to living the life God intended for me, and that is a priceless gift.”
“you have inspired me and my boyfriend to wait and i know that is the right thing to do, its just that right now we both know that we arent ready to take care of a child and to give it the life that it deserves.”
“Out of the 4 years i’ve gone to Boylan there has never been anyone person that has affected me the way you have. You made me realize my true worth. I asked God to forgive me for all the stuff i did in the past and now im totally starting over. My boyfriend and I now spend more of our time talking and doing other things that won’t tempt us and we’ve learned so much from each other in the past 2 weeks. He is such a sweet heart and i love him alot. Thanks so much for helping me realize what i was doing wrong, you’ve helped so many people have a better relationship with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Thank you so much!!!!!!! Love ya!!!!!!”
“Hey! Well I wanted to start off by thanking you for coming to my school and talking to us. I have a completely different view on some things. I used to think parents told kids not to have sex before marriage just so they could have control over the kids’ lives, but you explained some things in such a way that I completely agree that you should wait till marriage. So thanks!”
“I was so moved, touched, and effected by everything that you said. I struggled the entire time to not cry. I don’t like getting all teary-eyed or emotional in public, or even in private, yet I could not prevent it by the time you began your closing prayer. The month or so before you came to Watterson I had re-found my faith, or maybe even found it for the first time. I thought I was doing good, I was, but then you showed up and everything slowly fell apart in the hour or so that you talked to the school. I hadn’t wanted to fully look at all the sins I’d put up as a barrier against God, then you spoke and I heard things I knew, yet never admitted. You scared me with the sincerity you spoke with. I don’t know what to say or how to begin to finish facing the awful things I’ve done as one of few ways to gain acceptance, and then begin to heal all the wounds I now realize are open and still bleeding with pain and regret. That day I sat still in the bleachers and bawled like a baby, my friends that knew why comforted me right away and showed me love and acceptance, but those who didn’t seemed worried that I would be so upset or some little speech, then began to realize the truth in my tears and some comforted me. While others said it’d be ok, then continued back to class or talking to other friends. Thank you for being so blunt and honest, I appreciated it.”
“Thanks so much for the strength to respect myself and move on to find better :O) you truly are from God.”
“When u came and talked to us, it made me realize so many things. My birthday is in march and I was planning on going to the beach with some of my friends and my boyfriend and my boyfriend and I were going to have sex, but when you came and talked to us, it made me realize that you don’t have to have sex to be in love with someone and you don’t have to have sex to show your love for someone. I wish that you could come back and talk to us and the people that wasn’t at school the day that you spoke to us because they really missed out on some fun, but most of all, some important things that we need to know in life. Stay safe and God bless!!!!”
“Well tell all your students that a teenage girl in bradley illinois was put in the direction of Christ’s image by you. When you came to our school. I was close to giving up on him.”
“I want to thank you and your girlfriend for coming to speak to us. in one hour, you have provided more positive influence than any person, object, or belief in my past seventeen years. i’ve been a Catholic for all of my life, gone to mass every sunday…but something just didn’t feel full. i now realize that it was because of sins i’ve committed. i’d heard all of it before…but it’s different coming from someone who is closer to my own age and someone that is living the life fully. i too am a virgin, and i plan to stay that way…but before you came to speak, i felt a sense of shame or awkwardness about my decision. you have bolstered my faith in this area. also, you brought things to my attention that i knew were “wrong” but never really wanted to change …and because of your faith, i realize i have to. after the speech, i thanked you and gave you a hug…and i walked away and felt different. i don’t know what it was…but there was something in that hug that was not a normal human experience. God has chosen to work through you. i believe that He has chosen well. you provide a hope for youth. i say this knowing what a lack of hope feels like. i have been to that “lowest point”…and it’s only because of people like you that i’m still here. thank you again, i will never be able to express that gratitude enough. i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. i hope this e-mail finds you well, and i pray that your girlfriend and you do what God wants, and you are happy with whatever that may be. take care, and may God’s peace be with you.”
“I know you probably wont be reading this anytime soon but the words of thanks I’m offering are timeless. You have an amazing gift of giving yourself completely to other people and I don’t know if the complete gratitude I feel can be expressed in words. You came to Peninsula High in Gig Harbor and I know if no one else in my school was affected by your presentation, I was. My life, outlook on life, relationships of all sorts, soul, mind and heart were so altered in the hour that you spoke, I was moved to tears. I had been carrying a secret with me for six months that was destroying my life. Every day the thoughts of what happened in one night would run through my head countless times. The thought of being drugged is traumatizing enough without adding the additional stress of my virginity being stolen. When you came to PHS and spoke I knew that you had been sent there for me. (I hope that doesn’t sound vain…) If anyone had inquired about my sudden over the summer personality change, I couldn’t have uttered a word. But somehow I knew that if I didn’t put my name on that list to talk to you it would mean a lot more my teacher and God I am finally able to see the day when I won’t think about the incident, that it will be something of the past that deserves no contemplation. I am able to look at my body in the mirror and see that I am not used up, and I am able to see that I deserve to live again! I can wake up and not dread facing the world with my “fake” face. My gratitude is so abundant I can’t express it! Thank you so much! I just received the tape and book a couple days ago and I sat down and cried when I listened the two songs you recommended. But it was a different kind of cry… this cry wasn’t in desperation but of healing and comfort. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been overcome by a good cry. Any way, I just wanted to tell you how much you’ve truly helped me and all aspects of my life.”
“Thank you again, for your amazing help. I look forward to getting your letters, because they remind me to keep on fighting this battle. And to never give up hope. Especially, right now, when things seem so dark and lost.”
“Its not your job to care, but you care about strangers who tell you their life anyway. You are one remarkable person. I don’t want to go back to being in the dark, and I know that God really cares for me. I’m so thankful for his love, because without it, I wouldn’t make it through the day. You have my eternal gratitude for all of your help, because it made such a difference to hear from you. And for the first time in a long time, I feel okay. i’m happy, and I only hope God can forgive what I’ve done. But overall…I’m glad to be able to love. Tears replaced by smiles.”
“You spoke at my high school today, Carmel catholic, I approached you at the end to thank you. What you do has changed my life. I’m not Catholic or even Christian but i know in my heart there is a God and he loves me, even if it’s hard to see. I was the girl that told you about my rapist confessing, after winning the trial against both accounts. I remember when I got the letter to go into court again I was scared and depressed till the hearing. My ex-boyfriend stood up and said he had raped and abused me, I started to cry. I wasn’t sad I was happy because I never wanted another girl to be hurt by him and have something stolen. He kept talking and said he saw now that all any girl needed was love and without giving their gift of purity. He told the court he had watched a movie at his high school, a romance without regret, that left him feeling like God knew what he had done and he needed to give me justice. After his confession and your talks I know that because God let this happen doesn’t mean i’m worthless. Thank you.”
“I’m not gonna lie to you, me and the 6 other people that were in the tech booth (when you went it the doors of the Performing Arts Center were most definitely planning on doing homework, after all that’s what tech crews for…lol…none of us could, we all figured it would be one of the stupid, boring chastity talks we got in grade school-but it wasn’t it was really awesome AND it held our attention and that’s hard to do…us techy nerds are hard to entertain…even though none of us are actually nerds. Anyway, it was really amazing.”
“Thank you for everything you do. You have spoken to my heart and shown me how to really properly love my boyfriend. Thank you, thank you, a million times thank you.”
“Yours truly, had such an impact on the whole school (do you remember the standing ovation!!???). As I walked through the halls back to my locker after the presentation, I noticed that there was a sense of “awe” circulating through the students. Wow! Again, thank you for telling us the truth, as challenging (and free!) as it may be! I’m sick of being bombarded and fed with lies. We deserve more than that! Thanks for loving us enough to tell us the truth.”
“You made being abstinent something that was important and worthwhile. The label it had for being “un-cool” melted away as you spoke.”
“You came and spoke to us today. I waited after to talk with you, but there were too many students in line to get a chance to meet you. I have never been so affected by someone public speaking the way you did. No other speech, or adult, has ever affected me as much as you did today. I lost my virginity at 13, the summer going into 8th grade, and ever since it happened I knew it was a mistake and wished i hadn’t. Everything went wrong, which made me realize how immiture and stupid I was when i made the decision. I thought I loved the girl and it was special (at the time) so I felt why not? To start it off, the relationship went bad after that. We fought constantly. Then, after we broke up for some time, her parents ended up finding out about it which made it all worse. I realized after all of this I messed up bad. This last summer i ended up doing it again with another girl which now, again, i realize was a mistake. Until your speech today, I knew it was wrong and I shouldn’t be doing it, but it was just another thing adults talked about that i brushed off and ignored. You completely changed my mind about everything and I know it’s too late to wait until marriage, but from now on I’m going to be making that decision.”
“Thanks again for Everything…I promise you and your wife that I am going to do something great with my life”
“I cant thank u enough, u made such a huge change in my life on wed. night. I never believed that two people could change and help me that much in one night, but somehow u did and it just amazed me how u knew that more was wrong with me that was i was saying. Right as soon as I stepped outside i burst into tears, u had that big of an impact on me. On the way home i just looked out the window and tried to understand what had just happened. I used to think that if i had a boyfriend who loved me and i loved them that i would feel compete and better. All feeling this did was make me an easy girlfriend that wasn’t going to do anything to loose a relationship. i was wrong and u put that in perspective for me tonight. i used to think that sex would be the ultimate thing to prove love between my boyfriend and me. i was actually thinking that sex was nothing big ,after i had people who have had it talk to me about sex, and i was definitly thinking that i was goin to loose my verginity before i got married, i thought it was almost humamily impossible to have that gift until u were married. but i showed me different. Once again, i cant explain how much u have helped me.”
“I just wanted to thank both of you for the amazing talk you gave at my school today. Everything you had to say is very important and really made me think about my own life and take a closer look at myself. One thing Crystalina said that really spoke to me personally was about how confession is a chance to have a clean slate and a chance for God to show His mercy to me. I am a Catholic, but haven’t been to confession in about three years. In fact, I’ve gotten into at least two very heated arguments about confession with my older sister. She goes almost every week and is always telling me that I should go with her, but I never do. I get angry with her for judging me and telling me what to do. But, after your talk, I realized that I have just been trying to hide my sins from God and that I do need forgiveness from Him. So, I plan on going to confession with my sister this Saturday
“i wanted to thank you so much for coming and teaching us in a brand new light. before the assembly everyone heard it was going to be another sex talk and everyone was saying “well at least we miss our long period class.” to tell you the truth i was dreading it too…. but when we got in there i was captured by you from the moment you started talking. you related to every person in that room and it made it so much easier to concentrate. your sense of humor made me smile and i actually enjoyed listening to everything you said. after you left your name echoed through the hallways and classrooms of school all day. every word i heard had been positive, even from the people i know who aren’t catholic… atheists too. from your view point it made everyone i talked to rethink their lives and how they want to live them… in just an hour and a half you changed the lives of so many people. i can’t thank you enough.”
“I would like to express my deepest thanks for sending me a copy of your book. I read it and found such comfort in everything you wrote. Every now and then I get the notion like, what IS the point of waiting. Now, all I have to do is come home to your book and read those words that make so much sense! I commend what you have done with your life and congratulate you on all of your victories. You are definitely pleasing your creator. You exemplify everything we should strive to become. Trusting, patient, and kind. Thank you for sharing all of your wisdom with youth. You are cherished.”
“I am so thankful, that even though Im graduating, God sent you and your fiancee to come and ‘breathe new life’ into LOHS… we really needed it.”
“Today you spoke at Lake Orion High School and impressed me very much, you and your fiancee. At first I thought, wow a boring lecture about sex, meaning people get up there and lecture you about not having sex. Like kids our age would listen. Although you 2 were different. You both impressed me. You not only made an impact on me but others as well.”
“So thank you for letting me know that i am not alone and that you do not have to have Sex to feel good about yourself. I know now that you can feel EVEN better about yourself for saving it. So thank you so much. Thank you thank you Thank you thank you.”
Thank you for your reply. i am beginning to start over already. i went to confession the other day and sat down face to face with the priest and he cleansed me. i am starting to rebuild myself and moving on from the past. I have become a better person because of what happened and my friends have pointed it out many times. Thank you for your talk to us, it really moved me and made me really want to improve on the future.”
“hey- i thought your presentation was breath taking. i wanted you to know that you have changed the way i think and feel about that stuff. i mean i have had sex talks many times before (trust me, the nuns aer worried about us girls down here) and they have all made me almost want to continue to do those things jsut to not do what they were telling me to do. im not saying im a rebel or anything but i think that feeling came naturally to us. anyway, i dont mean to go on and on i know you have a life…i just wanted to say thank you – you have changed not jsut my life but all me friends and many others.”
“I just wanted to say how much you touched me. You made me think so much about how i am going to live the rest of my life and you have definitely left a footprint in my heart. I am always going to remember you and what you taught me. Tonight i came home and just thought about everything in my life and it really helped me. I know you have probably heard this alot from other teens, but i just had to tell you. God truly gave you a wonderful gift of speaking and telling others about his wishes for us in life. I have made a pact with myself and God to try and live a chaste life and to save myself until my wedding night. I am also going to pray for my future husband every night b/c i thought that it would be just so very special. You gave me chills every time you spoke. I want my first time to be very special on my wedding night and same for my future husband. I went home and told my mom about it and she thought it was great that i had gotten so much out of it. It just touched me so much. I am going to pray for you and Crystalina every night and pray that yall have a wonderful life and its filled with love and happieness. I hope that some day too that i will be as lucky as Crystalina to find such a guy like you., you have so much respect and so much love for your fiance. I could just tell it in the way you talked about her today (since she was sick and couldn’t make it), how much you loved her. I also thought you were hilarious and really got through to us. Some other man came to our school recently, but he just scared me to death about STD’s and pregnacy and all sorts of stuff. I just want to thank you so much.”
“I really enjoyed your talk today. It made me realize that I do want to save myself for my future husband and I do want to be chased for him. Thank you for all the factual information. I know that I’m not the only one that got something out of the talk. One of my closest friends is dating a guy that is 19. She is only 15. I tried explaining that that is not quite normal. I don’t think they are sexually active, I atleast hope they aren’t. He doesn’t treat her very well, that really bothers me. Anyway, I’ve tried talking to her about it, but I think that today really hit her. I think it especially hit her when you were making comments on older guys not being social enough to date girls their own age. I turned around right after you said that, and she had this “deer in the headlights” look on her face. Hopefully it sunk in and she realizes she’s dating a loser. Anyway, thank you very much for all the information and helping me see what is clearly the right choice to make. I appreciate it greatly. I hope you and your fiancee are doing well.”
“Thank you once again for everything! My priorities have changed, and life is good! When Kevin LOOKS at me it feels more intimate than a so-called passionate kiss.”
“I hope you realize what a blessing you were to my school and me. you helped me realize so much about myself and life that i never would have seen before. i am now able to let go of the unhealthy relationships of my past and stop making excuses for those guys who treated me like an object. you really did change my life forever. and i thank you more than words can even describe.”
“Thank you so much for all of your inspiring words and your presentation. You have ignited a spark within me that I can already tell is going to change my life forever. I can’t thank you enough; you have given me the best gift I have ever received, and that is hope. Thank you so much!”
“Last night I was thinking about the talk and I’ve decided to make a promise to myself, to not have sex before marriage. I wouldn’t have made this decision without Jason, and I’m grateful for that.”
“It was like the things he was saying were coming straight out of my head because he answered all of my questions and he wasn’t boring.”
“While I was listening to you’re talk I realized I’m SO much better than my boyfriend. I had absolutely no idea how good it would feel to let him go. Thank you so much for everything. I have the charm on now. And I’ve signed the card. I can see myself changing little by little.”
“I really enjoyed your presentation today about chastity, I learned so much and I feel as though it helped me value myself again. Believe it or not, I missed the first five minutes because I was in the office calling my mom begging her to send me a note to leave. I was expecting another “boring sex talk” filled with gory pictures of STDs and a huge guilt trip to top it all off, but I was absolutely wrong. Your encouraging and wise words have changed my life.”
”Every time I hear you speak, my confidence and security in who i am and my sexuality goes right up.”
“I will admit…I was having sex…and listening to your speech today made me realize I shouldn’t. After thinking about it…I made the hardest decision…I signed a chastity card. When I got home I told my boyfriend, and himself being an atheist, didn’t understand. So I said, “If I am good enough, if I am special enough, then you will wait.” He was like, “Your completely right, I will wait forever for you.” He was fine with it. I just want to thank you for changing my life…I will forever pray for you.”
“You really inspired me to try to erase the past and strive towards chastity, i respect you more than anything for who you are and what you do. I need to help rebuild myself, my guilt is killing me more and more each day. Please help me know god still loves me. ~Thank you, you are my angel.”
“i was a virgin but since ive been here things have changed i became sexually active and started haveing sex at first i did because i thought i would make me feel better inside about my self and the way my life was going i had slept with 4 diffrent girls 3 of them were one night stands and one who is my current girl friend since your speech i have chosen to give up sex and any sort of sexual conduct untill i gett married my girl friend being the true friend she is has agreed with me and is helping me throught it i have also thrown out all the pornography i have most people other then my true friends dont think i can do it but im deteremined to live a better life style thanks to you.”
“I’m a 20 year old university student from Britain. Just writing to say, thank you and also Mrs Evert so much. A year ago I heard Romance Without Regret on xt3.com, from WYD and it completely changed my life. You guys literally saved me, I owe you both so much. Thanks to you I’ve completely turned my life around, and even come to terms with the possibility of the priesthood, something that I was aware of before but was running away from until I was deeply affected by the talk. Now I’m trying to write it, I’m having a lot of trouble expressing how grateful I am to you both, and for all the graces I’ve received since then.”
“If it weren’t for you I don’t know what I would of done. You saved me from sin, yeah it was God, but He was working through you. You decided to do God’s will and saved me from a mess of sin. Even when I thought you were an idiot.”
“I no longer have to tell her that I’m questioning if I want to wait, because I know that she is worth the wait, and that I love her. I want to thank you for reaffirming what I had thought before, and for being able to share your message in such a great format. In my four years at Pope John XXIII High School I have never seen ANYONE hold the attention of the student body as well and for as long as you have. And that’s really saying something considering the amount of speakers that we hear on an annual basis.”
“Your and Crystalina’s story and inspiration gave me the courage to completely change my lifestyle and got me out of a very harmful relationship. I now have this dignity and love of myself that I never could have imagined having, and in turn have inspired a few friends to do the same. I give all the credit to you and our awesome God. I’m sure you hear this all the time, but I don’t know if you know how much I am grateful that I had a chance to hear your talk.”
“Your talk really opened my eyes. I have always been brought up to save sex until marriage but i always felt out of place telling people that this is what i believed. people would laugh at me. So eventually i stopped telling people what my true beliefs were and began convincing myself that sex before marriage was right. But i realize now that i don’t have to be afraid anymore to admit that i want to save sex until i am married. and I was amazed to hear all my friends and classmates openly say that they have always believed in saving sex until marriage and those who never shared this belief are now committing to saving themselves for their spouse one day. I have never seen a group of teenagers so inspired. I think at my age, of 15, everybody was beginning to lose themselves to the pressures and expectations of what the perfect teen should be. Even i, before now, would always buy the clothes that made me look good and would show my body off to boys so that i would attract their attention. and no matter what anybody told me, i thought this was the only way to be pretty. but now i know that i am pretty. and i do not need to show my body off to people in order for them to see that.”
“I realllllyyy wanted to thank you for coming to speak at our church yesterday. You have no idea how much of an impact your words have forever made upon my life. I was lost, and thought that no one cared whether or not I made those irresponsible decisions. It really were as if you took my hand and walked me through my life. I still can’t stop crying because I just feel as if a veil has been lifted from my eyes to open them and lead me to what is right. I was raped when I was thirteen by an exfriend, and ever since then I have just let myself be used and used, time and time again, because I had lost my self-respect. I didn’t care what happened to my body after that…almost anything that could go wrong, did go wrong in my life. Pretty much anything you can name, happened to me. After your talk, I feel like a new person. I know that God can forgive me now for everything that I have done. And I really want to thank you for that. From this day forward, until the day i say “I do,” I will not let any guy disrespect my body anymore.”
“I thought I’d share a funny story from last night. I had contacted a couple friends I thought needed to hear your talk last night. Unfortunately, I called them too late and they were unable to make it. However, one friend of mine called me back to say sorry that she couldn’t make it. Well she called right in the middle of your talk. I remember that I felt my cell phone vibrate, and I
shifted in my seat so it wouldn’t be too loud and disturb anyone. Well it turns out I hit the talk button and funny enough- she was able to listen to your talk through my cell phone- in the pocket of my sweatshirt. She said it was awesome-and very powerful (being as she is just beginning a new dating relationship herself).So I don’t know if that qualifies as the first live broadcast of one of your talks, but you were able to reach someone several miles away in real time – God definitely wanted her to hear your talk.”
“I’m writing to tell you thank you soooooo much fo visiting our school today . I have heard so many people talk about abstinence but yours and Crystals was the one that really hit home. I always new that yeah we are not supposed to have sex becuse God doesnt want us to, and also the risk of STD’s and pregnancy and things like that but i always felt that there was another reason not to have sex…but i didnt know quite what it was until today.”
“You really touched a couple of my friends, both of which talked to you afterwards. I find it absolutely amazing because we have been trying to get through to her for two years and you come and in less then 2 hours change her more than we had ever hoped to.”
“well, my boyfriend, (who is also catholic, and who also has heard you and crystalina speak) and i broke up. but i’m not upset, i’m actually feeling pretty good. we are still good friends, in fact he is one of my best, and i still love him, but more on a brother type of level. it’s weird, i’ve never had a breakup like this before. we had a huge talk about the chastity retreat. the second i brought it up, he knew what i was going to say, and he felt the same way. we both went to confession for the first time in a long time for both of us, and last night we both finally signed our commitment cards from february 9th. so, thanks.“
“I’ve been going to Catholic schools all of my life, and I never paid much attention to it’s teachings on sex. All I really heard was that sex before marriage is a sin, so don’t do it. But when you two came, it really hit home. You guys really showed me that our bodies are something that we should take care of and save ourselves for our future husbands and wives. I never really decided if I believed in the whole Catholic view on pre-marital sex before, but know I realize how special saving yourself is. There’s one boy in our class who has received public school sex-ed which teaches “you’re going to have sex so here’s how”. He said that your presentation on the Catholic view really turned his perspective around. He now looks at sex in a whole different and more mature way. Your funny and entertaining talk made all of us listen to you and many people to reconsider what they are doing with themselves. Also, the relationship you and Christalina share with eachother looks so loving and happy and based on loyalty. Your examples invite others to be like you. Many of us want to have the relationship you two have and therefore are going to follow your example. All I really wanted to say was that I think you both gave something to our school that no one else could give. You really opened up many people’s eyes, and that is the greatest gift I think anyone has ever given.”
“you made me feel so good about being able to keep my purity for my future husband and i needed that at the time. I went back to my church that weekend and was just so filled with all this information and full of happiness and everythng. I told all of my youth group about ya’ll and shared my pure love book with them. I have so many people there now that want to get a promise card and sign it after they read it. I’ll be honest with you, it took me a couple of days before i sat own and thought about signing mine theni finally decided it was the right thing to do. So thank ya’ll s much for opening my eyes and getting me back towards the right track.”
“I was so fortunate to of been able to attend yalls assembly today in Savannah, Georgia! I would just like to tell you that I think yall are wonderful and it was such a blessing to of been able to meet yall! Yall are amazing and yall touched so many girls today! I look up to yall so much and I’m so glad yall came to our school. God bless yall! I admire what yall do and how strong of Christians yall are! I always planned to wait until I got married and save myself for my husband, but today yall made me realize one-hundred more reasons why I should and I cannot thank you enough for that. Well, this is getting long and yall probley have lots of letters to read but thank you both for everything you have done for me and my classmates! You have truly changed a lot of girls lives forever! I’m so blessed to have met you both and I wish yall all the happiness with yalls wedding! You defiantly can tell yall deserve it! I’ll be sure to keep yall in my prayers. Lots of Love”
“i have been dating a guy for one year and eight months and your talk changed my entire perspective on our relationship. your dedication to chastity and the message the you two both delivered was so inspiring. i talked to him about it and we both decided that not having sex in our relationship will make it so much stronger. not having to worry about that lifts a huge weight off of my shoulders. i thought that he would be upset that i would want to take that out of our relationship but i explained everything that ya’ll told us and he was completley understanding and agreed with my decision. thank you so much.”
“Well out of all the friends I have, I am one of the few that is a virgin and I had a lot of pressure on me. But after that speech, My friends and I had a change in heart. I am gonna save myself for marriage, and I will keep that promise with me until I am married, but what I am trying to say is thank you so much, you and christalina changed my life, and I thank you both so much for it. I will keep you both in my prayers, and I know that it was a blessing that the both of you visited our school, especially in a hard time during my life.”
“I just wanted to thank you for coming to our school and speaking. It really impacted my life and I have constantly been thinking about it. I have had sex with two guys(getting tested this weekend), and I decided to practice chastity from now on, after lots of mental debating and talking it over with my best friend who is also going to do it. The thing is, I am not Catholic mainly for the reason that I hate how all wars are all about religion which you cant even prove. I was wondering how I could ease myself into learning about Catholocism since I don’t just want to say prayers not really knowing what I’m saying. I was wondering how I would go about doing this. Thanks!’
“Hey, I would like to thank you for coming to my school and tell u that you are all in my prayers. Also I had to write a half page on my opinion of the assemble and i thought that you might like to read what im going to hand in tomorrow. “As I walked into the gym thoughts of boredom and waste crossed over my mind, time and time again but that all changed when Jason began to talk. The way he presented himself and was not ashamed of who he was and from the start I began to respect him. He knew what he was talking about and he was no different then the kids sitting in that room, the only thing that was different was that he was smarter, better informed and does what’s right. He wasn’t a priest or a preacher but Jason and his fiancé influenced me more then anyone that I can think of. They cleared my eyes to the truth and what is truly important. They made everything interesting and kept me hooked to what they were saying; at no point in their presentation did I space out or wish that it would be over. Everything they said made me stop and think, made me put it into my life and see what effect it would have for me. I am extremely grateful for their coming and hope that they will continue to inform teens of the facts. My blessings and hopes are with them and the teens across the world that will or should hear what they have to saw because it really does make a difference.”
“i just wanted to thank you and let you know how much your talk meant to me personally. it totally changed my views on women. you really know what your talking about when it comes to the whole porn thing and that was pretty important to me. anyways i have a girlfriend and were not sexually active but im totally gonna try to respect her so much more and i think about what you were saying the whole time im with her now. i think you and crystal are doing so much for high school students. more than you may realize.”
“Wow! I just went to confession a few hours ago and I feel great! It’s probably the best feeling that you can have without going directly to Heaven. It may be hard to do, but the feeling after wards is so good that I can’t believe more people don’t just go and confess to God all their sins, and get them off their soul. I’m sure that any sin that gives pleasure doesn’t even come close to this feeling of intense joy.”
“i think your doing a great thing. i cant believe the youth of America is being so mislead. everyone i talked to raved about the assembly. it was nice to hear that it is never to late to still be pure and to not be called a hoe. you didnt judge any of us. thank you for everything.”
“today’s talk was so much more powerful than the rest. To put it simply, it was Bomb! I mean, I think it just made the whole idea more meaningful with how you two gave the examples about having your future wife or husband somewhere out there and what if he or she were doing the things that YOU were tempted to do. I really put things into perspective.”
“Hey thanx for all the help. it really helped me to talk to u. when i got home i got my pornography(with out looking at it) and buried it in the yard.“
“i justed wanted to say thanks for taking your time and your future wifes time out to talk to us i just wanted to say thanks A LOT. you guys turned my life around. Thanks”
“Hey, You just gave a speech at my school. Honestly it did answer alot of questions for me, because I wouldn’t say I was up to the status in highschool of like a different girl every week or so, but I was workin on it. It seriously changed how I looked at it completely. The best example was the one where you said if you are taking a girl home from a date and she died on her doorstep, you could pick her up, give her to God, and say “Yes, I treated her with the gentleness and respect she deserved.” Just that alone probly changed everything. It really did make me understand how a girl should be treated, and really seemed to me to be better then anything you could of done with her.”
“first off, i just wanted to say that you’re little talk will be something that i will carry with me forever. it is one of those things that already has a place inside my heart, and i know i’m going to look back on it when i have to make some tough decisions.”
“Me having to explain to my hockey buddies that i actually care about her as a person and not an object might be cut down a little and for that i thank u, and will keep in my prayers that they will some day find someone liek i have. Good luck with your marriage, i hope u and ur bride to be have a wonderful life together, and everytime i watch a movie with my beautifull girlfriend, I will remember that Jesus is watching.”
“You have no idea how much you and Crystalina (sorry if i spelt her name wrong) impacted all of my friends and I. You couldn’t have come and spoke to us at a better time. I can’t speak for the all the people who went to the assembly, but i know how much of a difference you have made in many of my friends and my life by opening our eyes and making us think about some of the situations we have put ourselves in.”
“Everything you talked about i found myself relating to. I have been in a pretty bad verbally abusive relationship for about 10 months now. What you said made me get in touch with myself and realize that it wasn’t right. I talked to my boyfriend about the assembly we had at school and he just kind of laughed at me. But he wasn’t there, and he knows what most people say yo me never impacts me in any way. But you did. I want you to know you reached the most unreachable people, and my friends and I continued to talk about it throughout the day and even when we went out Friday night. I think i’m in a place in my life where right now i don’t really want to be. So i wanted to thank you, from the bottom of my heart. There is no doubt in my mind that you are changing the lives of people everywhere you go.”
“you came to talk to my school yesterday and i wanted to say thanks it helped me figure a lot of things out and now I know that i want to wait till im married to have sex. I wish i would have waited to do the other stuff that i have done. if i wait to have sex untill i get married it would mean so much more. and if u didnt come in to our school and talk i might not have realized it, so i wanted to say thank you for that speech and i learned a lot from it.”
“I dont know if you remember me. You spoke to our school one day last school year. I was just writing to you to see how you were and to tell you something. I just wanna let you know that i still have not had sex i am holding on strong, plus i still think i am way to young and wanna wait untill i am married. I know a lot of my friends have had sex but i am not going to do something because everyone else is. Tha is not the thing to do. Well just wanted to let you know that your words got to me and i am holding on strong.”
“i wanted to extend oodles of thanks to u for coming out to my high school way back when i was a senior. i now am a sophomore in college…and what u said back in february is still etched in my mind. ay God bless u abundantly in all your undertakings.”
“I would like to say several things in this e-mail. I will start with a large THANK YOU! You came last year to our school too and it was right after my best-friend had died. She was the most amazing person in the world and with her we planned what our lives would be like. One night we made a pact that we would wait to have sex until we were married. It was something we believed in…and with her i could do anything. After she died, I started to let go of everything i loved. I stopped listening to my heart and everything it was saying. At one point I actually said screw the stupid pact…im not waiting. Then…You came. Turned my life around, and gave me the oppurtunity to make myself realize, i wasnt doing it for maria i was doing it for me. Thanks Jason, May the Lord guide you through life…you are an amazing person and life changer may God bless you with others as you have blessed us with…YOU. Peace and love to you and Christalina.”
“you made me feel so increadibly guilty, and i thank you for that. i felt like, i dont know how to say it, but i felt like when you would look over, at the section at your far left, i felt like you were talking to me, as if you knew what i was thinking. it was pretty scary. before i came to listen to you guys i had a conversation with my boyriend and i remember saying, “yeah im going to my sex and abstinance talk tonight. i will be sure to close my ears.” how wrong was i?! you are probably the only person in the world that could make a serious and sometimes boring topic such as sex and abstinance one of the funniest things i have ever seen. thank you so much, you have truley reached my heart.”
“I heard your talk while you were in Boston. I went to see you on a field trip and thought your talk was going to be boring, but I loved it and found that everything you said or related to, was true. Thanks for your time. Your 1-hour talk has changed me forever!!!”
“I really think you made a difference in a lot of people’s lives. I am a currently a virgin and will maintain that status until my wedding night. I wasn’t planning on saving this wonderful gift, until i heard your speech freshman year. i can honestly say I was moved and in aw by what you said. No one has ever made a decision in my life before that night when you made mine. You made the biggest impact on my life that night and I’m sure you made a huge impact on other freshman’s lives last night. Last year you gave me your book and I read it and put i next to my bed as a reminder of what i promised God. But over and over i thought to my self it wasn’t God that taught me the beauty of abstinence, it was you. So i always think of the promise I’d be breaking to you. I know this all sounds real corny, but i look up to you Jsaon. I really hope you come to our school soon so i can talk to you again.”
“Hey I just wanted to say t hank you for coming to talk to our school about chasity. To make a long story short my friend was caught having sex and alomst commited suicide. I was really questioning my faith and havinga very bad time. I had just found out on that previous tuesday night and was very sad about the whole thing. Then on september 11when you came to talk toour school i was really moved. I guess you could say I was questioning wheither or not I was going to stay true to my faith and remain a virgin. But now it is a sure thing. It’s like God planned for you to come to our school that day. Wow it’s like I have a new strength. Thank you for all the work that you do, Thank you for coming, I don’t know where I would be right now without you coming to talk to us.”
“You changed my life. I don’t know how to explain to you what you have done to my outlook on life. You and Crystalina have made such an intense impact on my life that I will forever be changed. I know it was a gift from God when he brought you to our church. What you do is something that touches the hearts of many, and hopefully helps them to find their paths leading to purity and true love. you and Crystalina truly have enchanted my life with a sense of determination to spread the Word of the Lord. I’ve been reading your book, and I have not taken off my Miraculous Medal since Thursday night. Jason, I am so extremely grateful that we brought you to our church. You have so quickly altered my life, and I am so grateful to you for this. I can only pray that you have the same effect everywhere you go, so that soon enough our nation will be filled with Lovers of Christ and Mother Mary. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me…I have dreamt always of marrying someone so pure and loving- you give me hope now…to know that you are there spreading the truth of God’s love and of the splendor of Chastity stands as living proof that God Lives among us.”
“Well.. i just wanted to let you know how much you changed me … you really did! … its weird… i wasn’t expecting my whole mind frame to change from a simple talk … but it did.. i just wanted to thank you so much for that … loll… i swear when i walked out of that auditorium…i told myself … and God … how i wanted a boyfriend who was still a virgin … didn’t think much of it … until a few weeks ago when i met this dude … he’s so awesome … the nicest person I’ve met … and he’s still a virgin … coincidence huh … not only that … he wants to wait for marriage also … this is perfect … he’s the biggest sweet heart … we’re dating and taking things one step at a time … thanks for making me the most beautiful girl I can be.”
“IFirst off i would like to thank you for even having the courage and confidence to get up infront of alot of people and tell your story the way you did. I can honestly say that it touched me and was definitly an inspiration and i would like to thank you for making me realize how big of a mistake i could have made. Before i started going out with my girlfriend( 6 months on July 5th) I believed in waiting till marriage to save that gift. Then as soon as me and my girl friend decided to go out i changed my mind, only because i had a girl friend and the opportunity would arise in the future. We have messed around and i can honestly say that i do regret that stuff, after hearing your speech and during your speech i felt like crying, i felt as though i had disrepected my girlfriend in the worst way and there was no way of changing that. So as i drove home to Niagara Falls i thought about everything and the mistakes i had made and how i wanted to going back to believeing in chastity.”
“You did a wonderful job. You changed my mind and a few of my friends minds about sex before marriage. I always thought that it would be okay if i had sex but now i realize it really is not with all the things that could happen. I am now not afraid to tell a complete stranger that i am a virgin. I thought that if i met i guy that i liked and told that i was a virgin or told that i wouldnt do any of those sexual favors that people talk about he wouldnt like me. I now realize that that is not the kind of guy that i would wanna be with if that is the way that he acts. I think it is a very good thing to save yourself for marriage, and for you and this lifetime to be 26 years old and still a virgin may be hard at times but you still do that. I hope i can do the same. I know i will. Like you said it is a special thing that only a married couple should share with each other. I thank you for giving me a new perspective on sex. I think you probably have changed many teenagers lives just by showing them that you care.”
“I just wanted to say THANK YOU! I thought your talk was awesome and the way you talked to us was even better. You had talked to us in a way that would actually make us think instead of falling asleep. Whether people liked what you had to say or not I think that in one way or another
you’ve affected all of us and opened our eyes a little bit. You made a lot of people at my school think about their actions and whether they would admit it or not I don’t know. It really truly opened a lot of peoples eyes and made them realize that omg there are actually consequences to our actions! For a lot of people your talk was a slap in the face…that they needed!! Thanks for laying it all out there. Well once again THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!”
“Well, last night it got rained out, so we all sat in the rectory basement and basically talked about everything. One of the priests came down and was talking to us about how important chastity is and all and someone from Ryan brought your name up, then kids from LaSalle we talking about how they remembered you too and how your talk really helped them and all, and how sometimes they take a step back and reconsider the decisions they’re making because they look up to you and the life that you lead. I just thought I’d let you know that there are a lot more teens out there that you have touched that you probably don’t even know about. I’m sure that people thank you all the time and all, but if I was in your position I would never get sick of hearing about how many people I had helped. So, I’m just telling you that you’ve truly touched at least one kid at each area high school that you have talked to in Philadelphia.”
“The greatest thing about your talk was that you weren’t an adult who was trying to reach down to our level of thinking and use our language. You are an adult who is really not that much older than we are and who understands the way things are today and talked to us comfortably. It really made a difference with a lot of the people at our school, and just the fact that everyone was so well behaved at the assembly is a tribute to you because we are known for having some of the worst behaved kids around.”
“When I left school yesterday I felt so good about my self because of you guys and I just wanted to say. Thank You from the bottom of my heart. As soon as I got home I ate something, lol, and threw away all my YM, Cosmopolitan, and Teen magazines so once again Thank You for helping me to feel better about myself.”
“I really wanted to let you know that i think your speaking to us meant alot and i dont know about anyone else, but it changed my life and i see things alot differently now. i’ve been feeling like i’m missing out on something because i’m a virgin, its just not common anymore to be one, and i dont just mean sex, i mean other things sex-related. there’s so much pressure to do all of these things and i’m afraid guys wont like me if i’m not willing to. there are very very very few guys that actually respect girls saying no, like you. i feel like i will never find a respectable guy like that. anyways i just want to let you know how much impact you had on me and i really appreciate what you told me because i’ll never forget what you said.”
“When you came to our school you really made me think about a lot of things going on in my life. Not only things based on chastity but other things as well. Just recently I have gotten out of the hospital for depression and got back into school. I had many life threatening situations such as suicidal thoughts and cutting myself, and the feeling like nothing would ever get better. Your speech helped me realize that God is with me all the way and things actually can get better if I help them along. Well, just recently I have gotten a new boyfriend while trying to get my life back on track with everything I have been going through. So we have been going out for 3 months and we have talked about a lot of things. And the topic got brought up of having sex, not now but eventually in our relationship. But he is a senior and I am a sophomore and I really know that I like him a lot and I can see myself with him for a long time. But after you came we talked and decided that it wasn’t really a good idea and we should wait until we get married if we ever do want to have sex. I just figured it would mean so much more and would be more special. Thanks to you and Crystal I am really beginning to think more of myself and want more out of my life. This has been such a hard year for me and I am just happy I have lived through it. You and Crystal have given me some hope back in my life and I just wanted to thank you for your talk. You have helped me to realize to rely more on God because he will take things into his own hands and everything will be ok.”
“Thank you so much for everything that you have done for me. You have truly made a huge impact on my life, and I will never forget everything that you have done for the rest of my life. You are a true friend, and although I hardly know you, I can truly go to you for anything that means alot to me. I can’t just do that to anyone. God really does work through people. I knew of that and had slight experiences of that but you have truly given me hope again to believe, so I guess what I am trying to say is THANK-YOU!!!”
“hey, i am not sexually active but you just opened my eyes in a new way like how porn just kills are mind, since today i hav gotten rid of all of it i have and i have always believed in waiting for marrige till sex and now it is finally great to see someone actually talk about it with teenager. you are an inspiration to many and i hope you and your girlfriend live a long happy life. you two will be in my prayers as well.”
“Before i heard you talk i was thinking about having sex with him but now i have changed my mind! you remember how you said to the boys about thinking what your future bride is doing now with another guy that they will never know, well i thought about that and i want to save my virginity for my husband because my boyfriend right now i know i will not be with him forever so i don’t want to waste something that is special to me in one night. I was thinking about my future and i was thinking how i really don’t like the fact that my future husband is fooling around with some girl that i don’t know, so i’m not going to do that and be a hypocrite.”
“But i did want to just thank you for coming to our school. And you talking personally touched me and alot of my friends. Usually when we’re told that a speaker is coming its no big deal half the school just sleeps. Today though i really believe you touched a lot of people. My one friend even who is known around school as easy and a slut really was affected by what you said.”
“I thought it was the best talk I’ve ever heard. Especially a sex talk. Usually when people are like “Ok, sex talk,” I groan and hope that it’s short, but when I heard you I wanted you to talk forever. It made it so much more interesting that it was coming from a young guy, and what you were saying really made me want to pray for my future husband and make myself better for him.”
“First of all, I’d like to thank you so much for coming to talk to our school. It was evident how your talk got through to so many people. A lot of the boys were talking about how they’ve never thought about marriage and their future wives, and it was very refreshing to finally hear them talking about the other side to relationships and about their futures. It was great! : )”
“you almost had me in tears seriously. You definetly got me thinking. You have an amazing gift and i think it’s wonderful that you are sharing it with the people who need it most. Even the huge jocks standing in the back of the room with their arms crossed, the guys that go get trashed every weekend, were cracking up. That’s talent. I think your a wonderful person who is going to change the world. You’ve changed my heart. Thank you for sharing your talent with me and my classmates, we ALL loved you. God Bless”
“I just wanted to write and let u know how much u’ve really helped me. Ur talk was very inspiring and I want to thank u from the bottom of my heart for helping me find the courage and the words to say to my boyfriend. I just can’t tell u enough how much i needed that talk u gave. It really took a lot of pressure off of me and in a way brought me closer to God. I’ll pray for u as u go to all the other schools and hope that u can help a girl or boy as much as u’ve helped me.”
“I want to tell you what I got out of that discussion. first off Jason, you’re an amazing spirit and a grace of god that everyone should feel blessed has come into there lives. along with that, you’re an amazing speaker. you could convince me that cutting off you fingers is a good way to get closer to God and id follow it. with that said, I thought the way that you weaved in facts and numbers with you speech was great, because there were a lot of teens in that room that either wanted to hear the facts and not the stories or visa versa. you did it well. I think that God blessed you with an amazing gift and the fact that he sent you on this journey, well, we should all feel somehow touched by Jesus and his teachings by you. I know that a lot of my friends came away with a lot from that speech.”
“I think that your talk gave a new and different hope to those in my school that have made mistakes already. I think yesterday DID let them clean their slates and start a new life as Christians. You related to all of us in a way that no other guest speaker has ever related to us. I know this because I have done sound for all of the speakers that have spoken at RHS since my freshman year. Every time, I always notice people that are falling asleep or talking. When I looked around the gym yesterday, i didn’t notice a single student that wasn’t fully indulged in what you were saying. That takes much talent and is something you should be very proud of.”
“I’ve decided, why do I have to make stupid choices so those popular people, who act so fake can manipulate me. After you came and talked to us I decided to make it a habit to pray to God every morning and night. I’m really trying to change my life and I wanted to tell you what an awesome speaker you are. You made me realize how much God and my body means to me… THANK YOU.”
“Thank you very much for coming and speaking at Notre Dame. I would have loved to talk to you but time ran short. You said everything in such a good way and it made me realize that I am worth waiting for, and now any question in my mind that I have had about having sex or doing other things with guys that I’m not sure I want to do have been answered. I don’t need to do things in a sexual way to be happy, I have known that, but– I know that you have also answered my friends questions too about what to do about their relationships and problems that they have had with their boyfriends. You definitely got through to a lot of people.”
“I asked God for a sign to tell me if how i was living my life is how He wants it to be…..you were that sign and i thank God for not giving up on me. I believe you changed my life…i had always thought as long as i didn’t have sex till i was married that i would be pure and have no regrets but what i didn’t realize is that my body is special and i can’t let boys use it to get them to like me….for lent i am praying the rosary ever morning and i am trying with God’s help to live a life in which i respect myself and then once i master that then i can be ready , in God’s timing, to share my life with one special man…i want to thank you again…”
“since about 8th grade i have been in horrible relationships. im almost 17 now and i have had sex with four different guys. i had no self esteem and i felt that the only way i could get a boyfriend was to sleep with him or fool around with guys or what not. i have a reputation for being “easy” which is why most of my relationships have been bad. last year i dated a mentally abusive guy. he would call me everyday and tell me how ugly and fat i was. i am 5’2 and weigh about 115 pounds so i am in no way fat but i believed him. all my friends tried to tell me what a jerk he was. i cannot even begin to tell you how many countless friends i lost because of him. i when you came to speak at my school on monday i had been seeing a guy named rob. rob only wanted me for the physical reasons and i knew that. i was with rob because i thought that maybe if i stayed with him long enough he would want a relationship with me. rob and i hadnt had sex yet and now im so glad that we didnt. when i got home from volleyball practice on monday i called rob and told him that either we woudl have a relationship or i was gone. i told him that i didnt want to be the girl he called whenever he wanted to get some. well rob told me that he didnt want a relationship and that hurt me but im glad i did what i did. your talk gave me the strength to say no to rob and to everybody else who is going to come after him. thanks to you i now feel that i truly am special and that i can get a nice guy who i will want to marry some day. i want to become a born again virgin and save myself now for my wedding day. i feel so pretty and i honestly feel special. so i just wanted to say thank you. you have honestly changed my life. i am praying for you and your girlfriend and i hope you guys live happily. she is very lucky to have a nice guy like you and i hope that someday i can find a guy who will look beyond my past and see that person that i am now. it would really mean alot to me if you would keep in touch.”
“I never knew someone like you could change my ideas about sex, but you have. Today, after school I went and bought a white candle like you told us to do. I think this symbol will remind me forever of what you shared with me when you came and talked with us. Thanks so much for sharing your time with us. Never forget us here in Elmira, NY, because I know I will never forget you.”
“Jason, I can’t thank you enough for talking to us. Even though I’m not in that relationship anymore, I know I could possibly in one again. After hearing you speak, I know I won’t be. It’s amazing that in about two hours you taught me so much. In my purse I have my pure love card and I know that if I ever feel tempted I can just think of that card and I’ll be safe. Thank you, Jason. Your seminar was absolutely amazing. I’ve made a complete 180 and I can’t thank you enough.”
“I was dreading you coming so much (before you came because I loved your speech), and now i dread the fact that you cant come back. It is so hard to be a girl right now I can’t believe it. I was totally able to relate to you this week, I have always though as soon as I loose 15 lbs then I will have a boyfriend then more people will like me. I have never been happy with what I have, I have great friends, and i feel bad for wanting more. I always read those trashy magazines, and all they ever did was make me feel worse, I’ve always known this but i was always able to push it our of my mind because no one else said it~ but now you did and i cant thank you enough. I really had my hopes of waiting untill marriage strengthened by you thank you. although the God thing isnt very strong right now you helped me with that too. i respect you so much for waiting and I hope that as a girl I can do the same. With more thanks than you will ever know.”
“Your advice will be with me for a long time! From your speech that night and our talk I learned that no matter where I have been in the past I still deserve the best. For me right now, the best is getting my self respect back. I have loved who I am more over the past 2 months than I have in a long time, and your talk really made me see the great things about myself that have always been there. I just spent too much time punishing myself to see them. So thanks Jason. I think it is amazing what you have chosen, or rather what God called you to do with your life. You and your wife really make it possible for kids my age to see that there is so much more out there for us. That we need to just be patient and have faith that God will bring more happiness and love than we can imagine.”
“You had such an impact on everyone. After school my girlfriends and I all went out and bought white candles, to save for our husbands to light on our wedding nights. I don’t know if it is appropriate to tell you this or not. But I am not a virgin. When I was a freshman I dated a junior who took my virginity, and broke up with me 2 days later. After that there seemed no point to try and make right the lifestyle I got myself into. I have a very strong faith life and love and trust in Christ with my whole heart. But after my virginity had been taken, there seemed no point to try and make it right with God either. Once it’s gone…it’s gone, or that is what I had always had in my head. When you spoke today, I felt like you were speaking right to me. I signed the commitment to God tonight that from this day forth I am saving myself for marriage…for my future husband. And yes I was one of the girls contributing to the high levels of estrogen when you told the punch line of your wife being the love letter author- so yes tonight I wrote my first love letter to my future husband* I felt the need to tell you this so you know that you truly changed my life with what you said and the lessons you taught today. I am going to confession on Saturday and am going to start over. Thank you Jason-from the bottom of my heart. You inspired all my friends as well.”
“We have a lot of different speakers come in, and in my time here none have touched our students like you did. I myself am not usually the kind of person that normally thinks twice about anything I’ve heard, in fact I’m usually the girl in back sleeping. But something about your presentation kept me awake and actually provoked a lot of serious thinking. I am definitely not the only one, to be honest our whole school has gone through a transformation… rumors of one girl throwing away her wardrobe and going shopping with her mom for more sophisticated clothing, and the idea that chastity is okay in the minds of other high schoolers are some of the changes being made. As someone who thought it was to late for me, no one had ever told me you could start over and still demand respect; I could definitely relate to a lot of your stories and I really can’t explain how moved I was and how much it all took me by surprise because like I said I’m not usually the kind of person who is motivated enough to take time to consider some of these things. You definitely planted a seed in the minds of everyone and you have definitely impacted my life, and I guess I feel that I owe you a thank you. I don’t know how often people follow up on these things, so I wanted to let you know how much your ideas inspired us and again I want to thank you!”
“I am a junior and u had your incrediable inspirational talk today at our school! I just wanted to E-mail u and tell u how much u really changed my views on many things in my life. You were just so pure and thoughtful and blunt and caring and funny all at the same time. I have to say it was the best thing i have ever heard in my life!! by far! You tought me who i want to grow up to be and to save myself for that man out there waiting for me! and i love that. it means so much more to me now, sex, that is. i am now going to wait for the man of my dreams and save myself for him. Before i heard your talk to our school i just thought to myself, ah i dont really need to wait, if i find a person that i love and they love me back it will be fine to have sex. Now… I will wait and i cannot wait until my wedding night!! when i give it up to my husband that loves me for me and loves me becasue im pure and saved myself to him! Also i am changing the way that i dress. I have to admit i do like to dress a little riskay! haha but now that i realize that if i dress like that i am going to attract the wrong guy!! and frankly no girl wants a guy to like them for the way their body looks, they want him to like you for your personality and femininity. and thank you sooooooo much for making me realize that!! i just really wanted to say thank you from the very bottom of my heart!! thank you for changing my life… in the best way possible!!”
“Today’s talk gave me the biggest reality check I have ever had. It turned my life in the other direction. The better direction and I want to do what you do when I get older because I think what you do is a great thing and you have a great gift or changing peoples’ lives around. I know from my experience, I already feel a difference in the way I look on life.”
“Hello, Jason. You may not remember me. That doesn’t matter though. You came to my school, last fall. I heard you both my sophomore and senior year. This past fall, I worked up the nerve to talk to you afterwards. You gave me your rosary and told me that I deserved better than what I had been getting. I held on to that rosary, and the advice that you gave me. It’s been almost a year since I heard you speak, and I can honestly say you changed my life. I started dressing differently, I have more respect for myself. I treat others with more respect as well. I’ll be attending college in the fall at DePaul University, and on Easter I’ll be converting to Catholicism. I will take with me the advice you gave me, and your rosary will probably tag along with me to Chicago as well. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers, as usual.”
“I wanted you to know that I took some other advice from you, to chill out for a while on the dating thing. I did–it was totally worth it. I now am dating the absolute nicest and most respectful guy I’ve ever met. Before him, I didn’t even know guys like that existed. He is Catholic and he totally supports my decision to convert. It is awesome! We don’t need to ‘mess around’ to have fun. Even if things don’t work out with him, and I really hope they do, from now on I will know what it means to have a real and meaningful relationship.”
“One day at church they made the announcement of a guy who was giving a sex talk. I didn’t sign up and didn’t plan on going. Instead I figured I’d chill with a girl who I owed a favor to. She wanted me to help her and her aunt setup for some convention or something. When I went, we started setting up and I saw a lot of people getting there. Her aunt invited us to stay. They told me they’d take me out to eat afterwards so I said yes. Not 15 minutes went by before I saw my church group at the other end of the room. I then realized that I was at the sex talk that I was trying to get away from. I realized that God would not have it otherwise, so I listened up. Jason Evert changed my life. His talk made total and complete sense to me and showed me how to view my sexuality and girls in a completely different way. I made a chastity commitment on January 6th of 2004 and since then I have not fallen once, in any type of sexual sin. Not only that, but because of this promise, a whole chain of events rolled off that got me going to daily mass, fasting regularly, and changing my view on life. I am a completely different person than I was back then. God worked through Jason to pull me out of my misery and into Life. Thank you Jason. Praise God.”
“You don’t understand the impact you made on my life when you came 3 years ago in February. I was all ready to go to high school and enjoy as many guys as I could get. Your talk completely changed my outlook on dating and sex and I am so thankful. I have stuck to my morals and gone out with one guy since. We stopped going out but remain friends and I proved that not only do all relationships have to have a troubled end, but that you can go out with some one for over a year and a half and never kiss them. I am still awaiting that first kiss and I am beginning to think that I might just save it for a future day where I will stand next to an amazing man on an altar in a white gown.”
“My whole life I was always told, “sex is bad, you can’t have sex, just say no.” But until your speech (and book!) I never realized why it’s so great to say no. Why I’m really not being deprived of anything, but given everything. I always thought it was so hard just to say no, to not be able to do things that my friends were doing or talking about doing or that the TV and movie glamorizes and yeah, the temptation is still there because I’m a teenager and my hormones are just bursting but whenever I get tempted to do something, something not-so pure, I always think about you and all the things you said. What really impacted me so much was that you said that you were 26 (27? 20 something anyway) and still a virgin. I admire you so much and your self-control, self-respect, self-dignity, and RESPECT FOR OTHERS. I wanted to let you know what a great person I think you are and what a great person you helped me become..”
“I guess I just wanted you to know how grateful I am. Emily Dickinson once wrote “If I can ease one heart the aching/I shall not live in vain” Jason, you have not lived in vain, please know that.”
“I wanted to thank you. I am fifteen and I attended your seminar today with my best friend, Rachel. She has been in a relationship for about three years now and he has been using her. I have tried to help her through it and she just didn’t seem to understand and didn’t want to listen. She gave this boy her virginity and ever since then that seems to be all that he has wanted. I wanted to thank you because today after she heard you speak, she finally dumped him. (He hit 14 out of the 16 points on the “dump list”) You helped her to see the respect that she needs to have for herself and her body. I could never thank you enough for what you have done for her. I also wanted to thank you for what you did for me. I am the product of a teen pregnancy, or what my teachers like to call it “the consequence”. I hear from everywhere (my teachers, the news, the TV, books) that children born from a teen pregnancy have a 50% higher chance of getting pregnant. I finally believe that I can beat those odds. Before I heard your speech I had no respect for myself. I thought everything that you said I would think, well if i do it with him he’ll love me. I felt like you were talking directly to me. for years I have heard the same snooze-worthy speech, just don’t do it and you’ll be fine. People never seemed to understand, I felt like you honestly understood. You made me realize that my body is priceless and for that I am grateful. You have honestly turned my life around in ways I never could have imagined. Thank you so much, Jason. Never stop what you’re doing. You’re changing lives in wonderful ways.”
“I thank God for you. You have been light in the middle of this darkness I was into. Hope to meet someday.”
“Hello, Crystalina! I am a 24 year-old girl with a past that is almost parallel to yours. Your husband spoke at my school during my senior year of high school (6.5 years ago) and from that day forward I decided to change my life. I was a party girl in high school; lost my virginity at 14 and continued to hook up with guys until the day of his talk. To be completely honest, I started writing letters to my future spouse that day, like you did. That has helped me tremendously when I have been tempted.”
“I am so thankful and grateful that I had the chance to hear you speak. I remember I wasn’t even going to go to religion that day. And i don’t know what I would be doing right now if i didn’t.”
“Thank you so much for everything yesterday, I was truly in awww during your entire presentation. I had a chance to talk to a lot of students that were very much emotionally changed by your talk both guys and girls. Many girls told me they were done taking birth control. God is at work!!!”
“I wanted to say thank you. When i got home from school, the same boy called me asking the same question (oral sex). This time I said with a little more pride, ‘I’m respecting myself by telling you no.’ He called me a name and hung up. I didn’t care because I dont want to go in life getting high off of artificial love and knowing deep down inside, when I would go home i would be broken. Your talk was inspiring, thank you again.”
“i’m a senior at Marist High School. I just wanted today thank you for the speech you gave today, I went into it thinking that it would not do anything for me, but after you finished, I know i have to change a lot in my life and I couldn’t see it before but I just wanted to say thank you.”
”But when you gave that talk today, you helped bring me back to self-respect. Thanks to you, I can now focus more on respecting myself. Your talk gave me hope. Thank you so much for your inspiration and advice, you have no idea what it means to me.”
“I was at the youth spectacular in San Antonio that was some time ago and I just wanted to say thank you for talking to us. My now ex girlfriend was a non-virgin and we were together about three months and she wanted to have sex but I told her no because your little talk had a big impact on me. As you may have guessed we broke up but it was because she cheated on me and after a hard week and a few girls talking to me and calling me cute I noticed that I was above that, I didn’t need my ex to be happy and if she had really wanted to be with me she would’ve waited. So thank you very much for making me realize that which now is making my dedication to track, football, ROTC, and academics even more outstanding (because you know everyone does better happy). Just know you make a Huge difference and God bless you.”
“I’m in a relationship now, and honestly, you saved me from turning away from my morals. I’ve always had the want to keep my virginity as long as I could (marriage preferably). I really do love and enjoy spending time with my boyfriend now, and we were having many thoughts of having sex for the first time. After listening to your talk, both of us literally turned to each other at the same time and said, “I don’t want to have sex anymore.” The conversation continued and we both agreed we valued each other too much to do it. I was so relieved, and it made me realize that he must really love and care about me since he wants to wait until his wife, or me haha (depending if we get married, which is still way way WAY off into the future). It also reassured me that he is the gentleman that I look for in a guy, which some (MOST) guys I know tend to lack… which is how to treat a lady!”
“Basically, I was thanking you for coming and speaking to my school, but I am really thanking you for keeping on the track I was going, which was no sex. I really enjoyed your talk so much, it meant literally.. EVERYTHING to me! The stories, the jokes, and the perfect amount of seriousness really made your talk so great! PLEASE keep doing what you’re doing! I wish you the best for your family.”
“Without your help and ‘cheering on’ I’d still be a lost and broken mess. I can’t describe how much it means to me that you saw my potential when no one else did. If you hadn’t been there, no one else would’ve been.”
“We love you Jason and Crystalina! Keep it up! You have changed so many souls! The truth is so much more powerful then all the lies the media feeds us. You are leading the first ripple of a tidal wave of young men and women who are standing up! Go get em’”
“If I had never scene you in Omaha Ne. I would of given in to it a long time ago. thank you.”
“I wrapped my heart in barbed wire and kept everyone who cared out. After your “talk” (it was really good) I let down my barricades and let God back into my heart. Keep up the awesome work!!!”
“Thank you for giving my life a whole new meaning, for showing me the almighty Father, and helping me change my life around so I do not end up either divorced or hooked up on porn for the rest of my life. You have been a blessing in my life, and for that I am very thankful.”
“I still can’t believe what happened to me that night when you had your presentation. I just finished all the books and material you gave me. Since then I’ve trashed the pics and changed my mindset totally!! I can’t thank you enough!!”
“Around this time last year I was known as one of the whores around school and I tried to commit suicide thankfully i did not succeed and I’m grateful for that because I would have never heard your presentation and I would have never changed my ways. Last night I wrote my first letter to my future husband and bought a purity ring. I told him today is the day I began to repair my soul for you I do not want to be damaged or broken when I truly meet my soulmate and plan to continue my path of righteousness and stay celibate not other but for me, for my soul, and for my future husband.”
“I’m in the 7th grade. And I’m 12 years old. I am writing this letter to tell you thank you for the speech. I did not know you shouldn’t push a girl to far when it comes to a date. You should keep doing this because there are children that need to realize what their doing.”
“I felt so happy knowing I was going to wait on this boyfriend situation. Mr. Jason, please do not stop doing what your doing. Do not stop the speeches you open teens eyes you let them know they can have a better future”
“My life is turning around for the better because now I’ve realized that I have the power to say no and be happy. I will never be able to thank you enough for what you did for my life.”
“Wow… I’m not confused anymore. I understand. I kinda wish I didn’t, haha, but I do. My parents don’t want to hold me back from love, they want to keep me from giving it all away too fast. I wish I would have realized this sooner. Thank you. Really! You have no idea how much that helped. It’s all so clear that I’m practically in tears right now. I’m really not going to understand the choices my parents make all the time, but I guess I didn’t realize how much they really know what they’re doing. I can’t believe how much I’ve been missing out on their love. No wonder I’ve been feeling so lonely! I’ve been pushing away the love thats been trying so hard to get to me. I would have never thought that the best place to find true love would be under my nose the whole time, in my family. Thank you again! You have no idea how much you have helped.”
“I have a girlfriend and we started dating in December 2013. It is now almost Valentine’s Day 2014. I never really understood the difference between Love or Lust. I never thought about it. My girlfriend gave me your CD to listen to and I did not know what to expect from it. As I was listening to how “guys like girls if girls respect themselves” I never really thought about it but I knew it was true. I was finally realizing why I felt the way I did about my girlfriend. And throughout the CD when you got into purity, I thought about how me and her wanted to get purity/promise rings. I never really thought of it as a big deal I wanted it because I thought it was cute and cause she was really into it. After listening to your CD there is a whole different reason why I want the ring. I truly believe in chastity now because of the CD. Honestly, I’m not a virgin but after listening to the CD and the way I feel about her, I want to wait till marriage. I truly love the way you talk and I just want you to know, you really changed the way I see things and you probably get this from a lot of people but you changed my life. You changed the way I see my relationship and I thank you. :)”
“My entire purpose in writing is to thank you for the profoundly positive influence you’ve had in my life. I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. I’ve never seen you in person. When I was in high school I stumbled upon one of your chastity talks. I was not even thinking about becoming a practicing Catholic at that time. The truths and sentiments expressed in your talk were so beautiful and so new to me. After I finished listening I felt like a veil had been lifted from my eyes. It was the beauty of Catholic moral theology, which I encountered first in your talk, that led me by degrees to the Church. Your talk was the reason I explored Catholicism in the first place. Every few years I would listen to it again for strength and consolation: not a single one of my peers in high school or university supported my desire to live purely. I’m twenty-seven years old now, and I’ve recently listened to an updated version of your talk (we have YouTube now!). I have degrees in philosophy and theology and I’m starting a PhD program in philosophy in August. I’ve been a practicing Catholic for many years; I’m seriously considering becoming a priest; I’ve guarded my virginity as a treasure. I do not think any of these three would be true if it weren’t for you. I state it plainly but I hope you realize that the Catholic faith has transformed my entire life. My heart swells with gratitude when I think of you; I really don’t know what kind of person I would be, or what kind of life I would be leading, if I hadn’t encountered your talk, and if I didn’t have it to sustain me when the entire world seemed against me.”
“I came to your talk at St. John Fisher College in Rochester five years ago as a freshman. I had come to college expecting to have a few boyfriends and a few hookups and some sex, no big deal, like everyone else. After your talk I thought about it for a few days and I made a promise to myself back then. My virtue is a gift that I only want to present to one man, ever, and at 23, I’m still waiting to find him, and am more than okay with that. I made that choice because of you, and I just want to say thank you.”
“Hi Jason & Crystalina, I want to thank you for helping me wipe my eyes clean from my dead end, God-less relationship with a guy of four years. I left him for God, he didn’t want to join me.”
“I don’t know if you have been told this before, but you are a paradigm of reform. I am proud to call you one of my role models. Please don’t give up on me and keep up your prayers.”
“When I first heard you were coming to talk I was a little hesitant. I didn’t really want to talk about sex and chastity and marriage. But I am so glad that I listened with an open heart. You have not only changed my mindset but my heart as well. And I cannot thank you enough.”
“I’m gonna delete facebook because it’s bad for me.I’m not doing anything useful there…just hopping from page to page,and then i start to compair myself to others who appear so much better and that just makes me feel miserable.”
“I guess I really lost hope for all guys until you gave your talk. I felt like if I lowered my standards that I would actually get a guy to stay with me, but maybe it’s better if I do stay true to my beliefs.”
“You really have no idea what that did for me. You are truly doing something God-directed in your life. You are an amazing speaker and it really touched me. I am about to be moved to a township high school, and I was about to be such a flirt when I went there. And gain friends that way. I felt like it was expected of me to have sex before marriage, and I really didn’t think I could ever be a good ME. Never believed I could. But your talk showed me it was possible. I really feel you have just changed my life. and I just wanted to let you know how amazingly you impacted my life. I was very depressed, but after hearing you speak, i swear my spirits were lifted, and I find myself actually wearing a smile on my face for no reason! Keep doing what you’re doing. you might save some lives. God bless you!”
“I hope you continue to grow in your prayer life. I believe that is why your responses are so truthful.”
“I wish I could really put into words how much you both mean to me. You’re saving my life and I will never stop thanking God for bringing the both of you into my life. I have my bad days, but you just give me so much to believe in and I’ll keep pushing myself.”
“I’m one of the many teens that have heard you and your husband speak. About 11 years ago, you came to a small town in Maryland. I was 15 years old. I asked one of my best guy friends to come with our youth group that night. He ended up staying in the back doing homework. At the end of your talk, he came to you, Crystalina, and asked for advice. Whatever you said, he took to heart and acted upon it. A few weeks later, this friend became my boyfriend and we had a relationship with God as the center. 5 years later, we got married at that same church. Here we are now, 11 years together, 6 years married and with 2 handsome little boys. I do believe God placed you there that night for my husband, Jason. I just wanted to take the time to say thank you. Thank you for helping me find my soulmate. I am blessed to have such a godly man for my husband. To this day, he does the ‘preaching’ to the youth that come to us as a couple whether it is about relationships or just being a teenager. Please continue to do what you do. We are proof that you do touch lives. I pray for your ministry and wish you the best! God Bless.”
“I wanted to thank you so so much for going to my school and schools everywhere and doing what you do. Up until the assembly not many people knew about my situation and just getting off my chest was like the weight of the world off my heart. I’ve secretly been depressed for 2 years and on September 24,2012, i wrote in a journal saying “this is the last day i will be in the dark” i have been happy ever since and hearing what you had to say today kept me looking forward and not behind. The past is the past, it will hurt and we won’t want to forget it.. but sometimes we have to. It’s just what we need to do to move forward. So from someone you’ve touched deep down thank you! Thank you so much!”
“I talked to my mom and we are going to go buy a white candle also, and I’m getting a purity ring as a reminder. Plus I’m going to start praying for my future husband. Thank you so much again for giving me the wake up call and resolve I needed. I don’t want my life to be a Taylor Swift song!! You are truly inspirational, and I can tell that this is going to spare me a lot of potential heartache and other troubles. So thank you for being such a great model for young people, especially guys.”
“Your talk today has truly inspired me to be chaste no matter what my peers say.”
“Thank you for helping my 15 year old self up, before high school could swallow me whole.”