By Bob Schindler, President, Mission ONE

“Thank you, Mission ONE team, that you have blessed us”… These sentiments were expressed over and over again by the 18 couples that attended the Mission ONE marriage retreat in Thailand during March 9-13, 2009. The retreat was designed to encourage, strengthen, honor, and refresh the leaders of Mekong Evangelical Mission (MEM), Mission ONE partner in Southeast Asia. Heartfelt worship, sweet fellowship, honest sharing, and lots of laughter highlighted the week. God uses your prayers and support to make events like this possible. Rejoice with us! Here are just a few of the participants’ comments:

• “We have learned to be good listeners. In the past, we have did not put to use these principles in our marriage. Mostly, we expected the other person to listen to us.”
• “Unresolved issues in our marriage were discussed by the two of us, and we amended those broken relationships. We forgave each other and got rid of things between us.”
• “We have learned that a holy and sanctified marriage life is important in leading others to salvation. Solving problems must be intentional.”
• “Because of the retreat, we learned to trust God together as marriage partners in confronting obstacles in our lives.”
• “The advice for marriage was based on the Scripture and all of the speakers had real-life experiences from which to share. The marriage retreat gave us the best/happiest time in our marriage life in the 10 years of our marriage.”
• “We learned that we must be open and let God heal our wounds.”
• “After hearing from the speakers, we realized that we all face similar problems. The difference between each marriage is how each couple views their problems and reacts to them.”
• “We learned that in our marriage, we must fear God and honor each other. Because of the retreat, we love each other more.”
• “Thank you, Mission ONE, for this opportunity that you have given to us—the rest for just the two of us that we were never going to get if someone did not give this opportunity to us.”
• “Thank you for all the encouragement that the Mission ONE team has given. We feel close to you. We now want to make our marriage a model for others to follow …”
• “Thank you, God, for Mission ONE and their supporters for making the retreat possible. We are grateful for the gift of the retreat that we have received. Words cannot express how thankful we are.”

Note: This is an excellent case study of an investment in a healthy cross-cultural partnership; this marriage retreat represented far more than an investment of funds. This was about strengthening bonds, building for the future, healing relationships, and protection from attacks of the enemy. According to Dr. Chansamone Saiyasak, Director of Mekong Evangelical Mission, the marriage retreat had an impact on the entire “culture” of the organization. Since all ministry involves communication skills, developing new or deeper listening skills became a catalyst to improve every facet of MEM’s ministry. Praise the Lord. –Werner Mischke