We received this email from a couple we worked with. This was a marriage that was at the point of being over. They also shared this with the pastor and all the elders in their local church. They have given permission to share this with others.
From: Andrea
To My Family and Friends,
First, I would like to thank you for your support you have given me during the past two months. They have been very trying. It gave me comfort to know I had people who cared about me. I want you all to rest easy knowing that we are going to be fine and that we will actually be better then we were before at our very best. This last week we spent with Restoration Ministries was truly a blessing from God and I am so grateful we were able to go there. Thank you to all those who helped us have that time away so we could work on our marriage.
We learned a lot about ourselves and each other this last week. We realized that childhood pain had kept us from every connecting emotionally. Our relationship up until this point had been shared on an intellectual level, but not at a heart level. We released all of our past pain to the Lord and forgave all of those that have hurt us. This was such an amazing experience to feel God working in both of our hearts. We were finally free from those strongholds that had such a grip on our lives. Most of which had been blind spots to us before. With tremendous grace and mercy, God revealed them to us and brought us healing. It is scary to realize just how close the devil had lead us to disaster in our marriage and each of our personal lives. But, it was just amazing to see how God had protected us from all of it and kept it from becoming successful because he loves us and we love him.
After we forgave others, we were able to forgive each other. Our hearts opened up to each other and we began to connect on a level neither one of us knew was possible. We prayed together for the first time. I mean, really prayed together. We concluded our time with Restoration Ministries on Saturday, but not before we recommitted our lives to each other and to God. We didn't have a large crowd of people or flowers adorning the room. We were in our regular clothes. Despite the simple surroundings, it was more meaningful than anything we have ever shared. For the first time, we each really felt our hearts reaching out to each other and communicating on a level that was much deeper then any intellect could ever reach.
We are so excited for our future. We praise God for his amazing grace and mercy that brought us to this point. We can look back and see His hand in all of this from the very beginning. He was prepping us for a life changing week and giving us strength to go forward truly united as one. It is awesome to think how He will bless our children and many generations to come through a great work He has done in our lives. He truly is great and worthy of our praise!
I want to publicly thank my amazing husband, Jess. He had the strength and courage to step up and admit that life wasn't fulfilling. I was so caught up in living and just getting by, I hadn't slowed down long enough to see how with my driven personality, I was just pushing through life and didn't even notice the problems. Jess is such an amazing person and has so many gifts God has given him. He is going to continue to grow into the wonderful husband, father, friend, and teacher that God has planned him to be and will bless everyone he comes into contact with. I cherish him above all others in this universe and praise God for giving me such a wonderful gift. I will continue to strive to be the best wife I can be with the grace of God. Our relationship is the most important thing in both of our lives other than that with God.
We appreciate all of our friends and family and hope to be a blessing to your lives. If anyone would like to learn about Restoration Ministries, we would be happy to share about it with you. If anyone feels a desire in their hearts to contribute to them financially, it would be a great gift to so many lives. They didn't charge us a penny for our time there and just rely on God to provide for them. It is a vital ministry that they provide and will have a huge impact on our lives and on the lives of anyone who experiences it.
Thank you for your support. Keep us in your prayers as we continually grow in Christ's love and our love for each other.
Love,
Andrea & Jess
From: Andrea
To My Family and Friends,
First, I would like to thank you for your support you have given me during the past two months. They have been very trying. It gave me comfort to know I had people who cared about me. I want you all to rest easy knowing that we are going to be fine and that we will actually be better then we were before at our very best. This last week we spent with Restoration Ministries was truly a blessing from God and I am so grateful we were able to go there. Thank you to all those who helped us have that time away so we could work on our marriage.
We learned a lot about ourselves and each other this last week. We realized that childhood pain had kept us from every connecting emotionally. Our relationship up until this point had been shared on an intellectual level, but not at a heart level. We released all of our past pain to the Lord and forgave all of those that have hurt us. This was such an amazing experience to feel God working in both of our hearts. We were finally free from those strongholds that had such a grip on our lives. Most of which had been blind spots to us before. With tremendous grace and mercy, God revealed them to us and brought us healing. It is scary to realize just how close the devil had lead us to disaster in our marriage and each of our personal lives. But, it was just amazing to see how God had protected us from all of it and kept it from becoming successful because he loves us and we love him.
After we forgave others, we were able to forgive each other. Our hearts opened up to each other and we began to connect on a level neither one of us knew was possible. We prayed together for the first time. I mean, really prayed together. We concluded our time with Restoration Ministries on Saturday, but not before we recommitted our lives to each other and to God. We didn't have a large crowd of people or flowers adorning the room. We were in our regular clothes. Despite the simple surroundings, it was more meaningful than anything we have ever shared. For the first time, we each really felt our hearts reaching out to each other and communicating on a level that was much deeper then any intellect could ever reach.
We are so excited for our future. We praise God for his amazing grace and mercy that brought us to this point. We can look back and see His hand in all of this from the very beginning. He was prepping us for a life changing week and giving us strength to go forward truly united as one. It is awesome to think how He will bless our children and many generations to come through a great work He has done in our lives. He truly is great and worthy of our praise!
I want to publicly thank my amazing husband, Jess. He had the strength and courage to step up and admit that life wasn't fulfilling. I was so caught up in living and just getting by, I hadn't slowed down long enough to see how with my driven personality, I was just pushing through life and didn't even notice the problems. Jess is such an amazing person and has so many gifts God has given him. He is going to continue to grow into the wonderful husband, father, friend, and teacher that God has planned him to be and will bless everyone he comes into contact with. I cherish him above all others in this universe and praise God for giving me such a wonderful gift. I will continue to strive to be the best wife I can be with the grace of God. Our relationship is the most important thing in both of our lives other than that with God.
We appreciate all of our friends and family and hope to be a blessing to your lives. If anyone would like to learn about Restoration Ministries, we would be happy to share about it with you. If anyone feels a desire in their hearts to contribute to them financially, it would be a great gift to so many lives. They didn't charge us a penny for our time there and just rely on God to provide for them. It is a vital ministry that they provide and will have a huge impact on our lives and on the lives of anyone who experiences it.
Thank you for your support. Keep us in your prayers as we continually grow in Christ's love and our love for each other.
Love,
Andrea & Jess