When Nick met Tiffany, he was deeply skeptical about natural family planning. "I was worried about having many children, one after another, and I thought I would not be able to support my family; I thought it would be difficult to practice abstinence during fertile periods, and that it simply would not work: because, if it really does worked, why had I never heard about it before?"
In Perrysburg, Ohio, Nick and Tiffany, who had heard about family planning and wanted to learn more, attended a course sponsored by the Couple to Couple League (
www.ccli.org), an association that promotes NFP and whose courses are attended by 70% of the couples in marriage preparation.
The contact with other couples in class struck Nick, who did not have great religious convictions and whom it did good to see other men interested in the topic of fertility. "I liked the idea of communication between spouses," he says, "and especially that Tiffany would not have to put chemicals into her body." Amazed by the NFP statistics, Nick admits feeling lucky to "know Tiffany's body in a new way. We know that we are not the only ones who decide what is best for our family, but that God is doing this through us."
While experiencing NFP's practical benefits, something else also happened: Nick and Tiffany grew in faith. "We have noticed―they explain―that whatever happened in our lives, and not just family planning, was more focused on God." The vast majority of the students who learn NFP recognizes the value of this small time investment. In the post-class surveys, over 90% of those attending would recommend the experience to a friend; and this is also the percentage of those who believe that the course will benefit their marriage. After five years of marriage, Nick and Tiffany Queen have two children, Gianna (23 months) and Isaac (3 months), as well as one child in heaven.
