When April and I mention to people that we got married 6 months ago, one of the first responses we get are, "Oh you're in the honeymoon stage." I just have to wonder about that statement because for April and I, we've been in conflict well pretty much since day one and continue to have a healthy dose of conflict at least one a week. The thing is though, since we've worked through so much conflict during our dating and engagement time, we have established healthier ways to sort through disagreements. We're not perfect though but it has been pretty nice to know that we have the tools to effectively work through conflict.
This year, April got to attend Mark West Pacific as part of the Prayer Ministry Team. At first, she was skeptical and unsure of how things would turn out but as time went on and when Mark West Pacific came around, her view of prayer changed. What she received was the constant movement of the Holy Spirit in students lives. Student lives being challenged, changed, and transformed through scripture and her being directly involved in the intercession and prayer ministry. It was indeed a breath of fresh air for both her and us as a couple. We have been finding it so much fun to be serving together.
Shortly after Mark West Pacific, April and I audited a Marriage Enrichment course at Trinity Western. It's nice because we only had to pay one fee since spouses can come for free! Through this course, we were able to confirm some of the things we were doing well along with learning new models and perspectives of what a marriage could look like. We learned useful tools such as Speaker-Listener to help with conflict resolution. Towards the end of the class, we then received training in the Prepare Enrich Assessment. With the increasing amount of relationships forming in our church and the number of students in the IVCF ministry getting into relationships, we are really excited to have this tool that we can do together for our friends and students around relationship building.
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