Focus on the Family Canada helped this couple choose hope

Bob and Amanda were separated for a year and a half before they agreed to attend one of Focus on the Family Canada’s Hope Restored marriage intensives. The divorce papers were waiting to be signed; this was their last attempt to try and save their marriage. That was two years ago – and today they’re not only still together, they’re also regularly using the tools they learned at Hope Restored. Amanda even carries a little card that has the “Care Cycle” on it so she can remember to practise self-care when she gets stressed or her buttons get pushed.

Marriage is a beautiful union between husband and wife, and as any long-term married couple can attest, it is also one of life’s most complicated and complex relationships. When two people come together on their wedding day, they’re filled with hope and excitement for their future, but as they start to walk through the ups and downs of life together, they learn how misunderstandings, poor communication, and recurring conflict can start to erode their relationship.

That’s why we make every effort to equip couples to weather the storms that will inevitably come so they not only survive but thrive. When you donate to Focus on the Family Canada, you will give couples:

• Free counselling consultations and personalized prayer support.
• Hope Restored marriage intensives for couples in crisis at our three centres in Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta.
• Journey to Us marriage events for couples wanting to strengthen their marriage at our retreat centres and churches across the country.
• Relevant online articles, e-newsletters, PDF downloads, and video series that speak into the unique challenges of marriage.
• Biblically based books and devotionals from marriage experts.
• Free Focus on the Family magazine and Focus on the Family with Jim Daly show for couples seeking regular encouragement and inspiration.

Thanks to generous supporters of Focus on the Family Canada, even more couples like Bob and Amanda will get the help they need to thrive in their relationship with their spouse. Every gift provides practical, biblically based, marriage strengthening tools and resources to couples across Canada so they can build a solid foundation for their family to thrive. Whether they’ve been married five days or 50 years, couples need help and hope to weather the storms of life – together.

“Before Hope Restored, we were in a cycle of blame, anger, and withdrawing,” Amanda recalls. “But now when we slip into old patterns, we’re able to say, ‘Wait, we need a Heart Talk here.’ And then one of us can step back and calm down and know that not only can we share what we’re really saying and feeling, but the other person is fully listening and there in the space with us – that’s a big thing for us.”

Blessings,

Jean-Paul Beran, MA
President
Focus on the Family Canada