Engaged Encounter

Last weekend had nothing to do with wedding planning, it was all about marriage preparation.  Three of my friends had gone on an Engaged Enounter weekend and Chris and I both felt that it could only benefit us as well.  We headed to Camp Geneva in Holland on Friday evening where the weekend is held.  We dove right into the first three sessions that evening and were not done until after 11.  We were already exhausted on the first night, but were glad we were there!

The 7 a.m. wake-up call came fast the next morning.  We continued through the sessions discussing open communication and being life giving.  The sessions had "talks" from the lead couples, then we would get questions to right on separately, and then we would discuss our thoughts together.  It was about 2-3 pages each session.  On Saturday afternoon we got a 2 hour break.  Chris got his run in, while I took a short nap.  Then we got to go enjoy Lake Michigan on a sunny Feb. 4 day . . . unheard of!  The last sessions revolved about sex & money then we headed to dinner.  To our surprise they had a candelight dinner set-up for all of the couples.  After that we had a candlelight prayer service that was so special.

Sunday morning came early again.  The sessions focused mainly on your life as a couple and served as a wrap up to the weekend.  We each wrote betrothal letters to one another, which was a very moving time for both of us.  I knew it was going to be an intense time, but it was VERY intense.  Our talks together only made us appreciate each other better and helped us to feel better equipped for married life.  I honestly think we fell more in love during the weekend too!!

All of the principles we received during the weekend really join hand in hand with the items we are learning from Love & Respect.  We are studying this book with our small group.  We are just so glad to have all of these resources as we embark on this awesome journey together.  If you happen to read this and are preparing for marriage (or are already married and need a pick me up), I would recommend either.  We don't believe these things are going to give us a trouble-free marriage, but we are confident we can handle trouble when it arises as long as God is at the center.