Who is Jaime Rau?

After two years of contemplating the idea of a women’s abstinence event, I founded Purely Committed. A native Minnesotan, I enjoy running, backpacking, and photography. I was awarded the Acts of Kindness Award by Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, and had the opportunity to lobby for abstinence education funding in Washington D.C. with Miss America 2003. My greatest ambition is to be a wife and mother. Encouraging abstinence is my contribution to promoting healthier families and relationships.

  

How did Purely Committed Start?

I felt God’s conviction during my freshman year of college to coordinate an event for 250 college-age women to come together to learn about the benefits of abstinence, be motivated to save sex for marriage, and encourage each other in their commitment. This led me to put off school for a semester and dedicate the year to coordinating the first “One Knight Only” banquet.

I and eleven other students went to work and successfully accomplished our fist multi media event held in at the Radisson Hotel Santa Barbara, featuring keynote speaker Kirk Cameron (actor from “Growing Pains”). A number of other perspectives were also shared during the event, including a Doctor and a testimonial by a college-age secondary virgin. Their goal in giving the topic of sex and the women in attendance the value and respect they deserve was accomplished through the events elegant and classy setting, a stark contrast to the medias portrayal of sex as a trashy, casual occurrence. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome of the memorable evening, over half of the attendees participated in a candle-lighting commitment ceremony on the beach, where they made their public commitment to waiting for marriage from that day forward to share the gift of sex with their spouse.

Since our first event in 2002 we have held three more events hosting hundreds of women and sharing the perspectives of a number of celebrities and public figures. It was our honor to have “One Knight Only” events take place in Santa Barbara (two events), Louisiana, and South Africa.

To learn more about Purely Committed in the United States and to view our various pictures and newspaper archives please visit our site at www.purelycommitted.org.

How did Purely Committed start in South Africa?

I had been praying with the pastor of my Church in Santa Barbara from the very beginning, when God gave me the vision for Purely Committed. The first year we discussed the banquet and prayed together we prayed about offering this event to the women of Santa Barbara and maybe even to other locations in the future.

The second year we prayed together, my pastor was planning on moving his family to South Africa in six months to be full time missionaries. He prayed that if it were God’s will Purely Committed would extend its message to AIDS plagued South Africa as they needed the message so urgently. Initially I was surprised by what he prayed, it seemed so far fetched, but God reminded me quickly of His greatness and unpredictability, as I looked at all that had happened in the previous year. I had learned not to put God in a box.

The year following that unexpected prayer continually amazed me. Some comments were made and events took place that really gave me a peace and anticipation for something big that seemed to be around the corner. I thought the event in Louisiana could be it, but was shown that this was just the beginning when I then received word that Bridges of Hope wanted to bring Purely Committed to South Africa! See “First South Africa Event” page to hear and see more!

The first South Africa Purely Committed committee

The first South Africa Purely Committed committee meeting

The second Purely Committed meeting (South African style!)