Portland Weekend to Remember

Portland 2 Nov 20-22, 2009

Attendance 471

Commitments to Christ 4

Asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit 79

Recommitted family to Christ 69

Comments

I came by myself for the first two days. My husband had left home earlier in the week. Because of what I learned the first two days, when my husband showed up at home Sat night, I was able to just love him through my hurt and he joined me for the Sunday sessions.

Student, married 2 years

We really considered divorce before this conference. Now my husband found God and we’re re-kindling our relationship.

Teacher, married 11 years.

It is always great to spend quality time together. We have a healthy, loving and vibrant marriage—it is exciting this is even more loving and holy afterwards!

Wife, married 6 years

I got way more out of this conference than I thought, learning to work with—not against my husband. After 33 years my parents separated and I hadn’t realized how much their fighting and bitterness affected my marriage. My husband is not my enemy, he is my best friend and a gift from God. Amen!

Office manager, married 5 years

Knowing God’s design and purpose for the gift of marriage before saying, “I do” gives so much peace and confidence to the adventure.

Office Manager, Engaged

My husband’s letter to me and opening lines of communications [was the highlight]. Also, Brian’s prayer with us after my husband shared about us putting our 13-year separation to an end. A truly spiritual event and an answer to many prayers. We could not afford to attend, but won free tickets from KPDQ. What a blessing this has been. We’re looking forward to being a testimony to our children, grandchildren, and many others as to God’s faithfulness.

Wife, married 45 years

I thought being a Christ-centered couple that we had it all and our marriage is doing really perfectly…but I learned more about being a better wife and gift to my husband and treat him otherwise.

Wife, married 5 years

The speakers were funny and shared touching stories from personal experience. We went to a marriage conference with another organization last year and this was 100% better because of the speaker’s delivery, content and transparency. I really enjoyed [the separate men’s and women’s session]. I appreciated the great selection of quality books. I like how every session started and ended on time! [The effect the conference was that] it reminded us to continually reconnect with the Holy Spirit’s power to help us to have a Godly marriage and to become Godly parents when we have twins later this year J.

Teacher, married 5 years

[The highlight of the conference was] a talk between my husband and I at the break—where after 26 years of marriage—he finally put me first place in his life and closed the door to all “the others” and “things” that have held his heart. This is an absolute miracle! An answer to the years of my desperate cries to our Father God!

Wife, married 26 years

.The engaged talk with Dave and Peggy [was the highlight] when we separated into boys and girls groups. The sexual intimacy talk was significant. Our relationship has deepened even more and we have prepared ourselves even more for our future marriage and how we should treat each other. Through the conference my fiancee and I redefined our purity.

Student, engaged

Bellingham WTR Comments

Bellingham 1

November 13-15, 2009

Attendance: 437

Commitments to Christ: 5

Asked to be filled with the Holy Spirit: 60

Recommitted family to Christ 84

Husband/wife comment… Him: I feel this has brought me closer to Christ and brought our marriage back from the brink of divorce. Her: I had thrown in the towel on my marriage. I now see my husband as a gift for me to fully receive.

Showed us we were going in the same direction—just separately. Got us back on the road together. (wife, married 16 years)

Date night…. Wahoo! Bow Chika Wow Wow…

It has given us a smack upside the head. Things we knew we were failing at but too stubborn to join together…my hope is that this is a start to a loving and joining future. (husband in sales, married 9 years)

My husband’s admission that he was glad that I was tenacious in going to the conference. He was not looking forward to it. He was pleasantly surprised. (wife, homemaker, married 13 years)

We have learned more about communication, how to love each other, respect, and how to be [passionate] with each other. (wife, receptionist, married 1 year)

We’ve recommitted our relationship to each other and to our Father/Jesus as its center. (husband, physical therapist, married 13 years)

I know that more than remembering why we love each other, we learned how to do it for the long run. (husband, musician, married 9 years)

I have received some really great tools to help me to be a better man and husband. I have already noticed that my wife appreciates me more. (husband, supervisor, married 6 years)

Coeur d'Alene Weekend to Remember

Top 10 Conference Quotes

Coeur d'Alene WTR

November 6-8, 2009

Attendance: 715

Decisions for Christ: 16

(husband/wife couple)
Husband (physician)—This is the first anniversary of me giving my life to Christ at last year’s WTR. This has been an amazing experience to look back and see how God has changed me and my relationship with my wife. Our marriage was about to fall apart last year but now it’s thriving.
Wife (psychologist)—This was our 3rd conference. It is because of this conference that our marriage did not end last year. God is the center of our marriage and personal lives. For the first time, our marriage is the strongest it has ever been.
Married 5 years


It has changed our lives. Every word was “right on” and helpful.
Husband, married 10 years

I have some hope again. I was planning to move out on Dec 1st.
Wife, married 2 years

Unequal to anything else. A “new” beginning. The divorce papers were filed, possessions split, house on the market. Going home today we go “together” Renewed.
Wife, married 8 years

We have only been married 1 ½ months and this weekend helped us both see how beautiful our marriage can be for our lifetime!
Husband

Re-emphasized the importance of each other.
Military husband, married one year

It saved our marriage! We were both in two separate “marriage counselors” and checked out. This really works!
Wife, married 2 years

Our communication has improved immensely. We are finally tackling the issues that have plagued us for years.
Husband, student, married 8 years

It broke down the walls we have build over 17 years together. We have been Christians for 5 years and for the first time we are on the same page!
Wife, married 2 years

Boys and Soap

Alright, I must confess that with our move there is one bathroom in our house that has been neglected...the boy's bathroom. It is downstairs near their room and over the past month I have overlooked it, not intentionally, but life is busy with seven children and many boxes to unpack.

A few days ago I decided to conquer the bathroom. I donned latex gloves and gathered my cleaning supplies. I tackled the sink first and then went on to clean the shower. To my surprise there was no soap. It wasn't that the soap had been all used up...there was no evidence that soap had ever been in the shower!

I called two of my preteen boys to the bathroom. "Where is the soap you have been using during the past month?" Their response was simply, "There wasn't any in there so we didn't use any." My mouth dropped open as I said, "You haven't used any soap in a month!?" They just shrugged their shoulders and smiled. I quickly opened the bathroom closet door and showed them the two neatly boxed bars of soap just waiting to be used.

"When you take a shower use soap...every time. If it is gone ask me and I will get you some more." They nodded, smiled and left the bathroom. I thought, "Surely my teenage son has his own soap that he has stashed away after each shower." After the same line of questioning I discovered the results were the same...no soap!

Isn't is interesting? For a whole month they have simply rinsed off and thought it was good enough. They knew about the soap because they are the ones that actually put it in the closet after I bought it. They have been taught how to take a shower but they didn't take the time to go to the closet, open the door, take out the box of soap, put it in the shower and use it.

Hmmm...I wonder how much of my life has been similar this past month regarding my time with the Lord. I know I need time with God, I know where my Bible is, I know what I need to do in order to have a "quiet" time in my home but somehow the distractions of life have crept into my life. Okay, I haven't gone a whole month without a quiet time, but I also haven't spent the time bathing in the Word of God and letting His Spirit cleanse me from the inside out. More often than not I've had a "rinsing" rather than a "cleansing". So often I've gone through the motions to check it off my list, rather than going with a heart ready to hear from the Lord.

I'm not thankful that my boys have gone so long without a proper scrubbing, but I am thankful for the ways that God uses the ordinary things of this life to teach me more about Himself. We all learned a lesson from this one!