Due to a miscalculation of the one-hour time change from Chicago to Goshen, Melody LaLuz didn't arrive in time to present her bonus convocation scheduled for Wednesday. She was set to speak on "The Choice to Wait: Valuing an Abstinent Lifestyle."
LaLuz did arrive at Goshen in time to have conversation with students over lunch. According to Becky Horst, the convocation will not be rescheduled.
LaLuz (28 years old) and her husband Claudaniel Fabien (30 years old), made the choice to practice abstinence until their wedding last November, even refraining from kissing each other on the lips until they were declared husband and wife.
"It really tested us and encouraged us to grow closer in our hearts and our minds, just expressing things verbally," LaLuz said. Both Fabien and LaLuz teach abstinence courses at Chicago Public Schools, having practiced what they preached. The couple advocates how important their message of abstinence is to teenagers and young adults who are immersed in a society where causal sex is common.
When she was 16 years old, LaLuz made the decision to wait for sex until her wedding day.
During their courtship, the couple resisted all temptations by refusing to be alone in their house together. They made intentional decisions like sitting upright on the couch instead of lying down and snuggling together while watching a movie.
LaLuz and Fabien didn't seem to have any anxieties about their choice. LaLuz even has a comeback for the skeptical few who think it wise to "test drive the car before you buy." Instead, she said, "You can't take the car out of the parking lot until you pay for it."
According to one of LaLuz's friends, the couple's first kiss during their November wedding was nearly two minutes long and accompanied by cheering and stomping from the audience of nearly 500 people.
The two spent their honeymoon in the Bahamas.
According to the couple, "Sex is worth the wait! We believe this, and we live out what we teach. It's true that abstinence does work."
