What a weekend, y'all!
The hubs and I just returned from a marriage retreat at Fort Rock Family Camp in the Ozark Mountains. We were blessed so much to be able to go with four of our couple-friends, too! We all had a blast, and I'd like to share with you some pictures and take-aways from the sessions:
Fort Rock is a Christian family camp set up like the 1800's Wild West. Yes, it was that cool!
The main meeting/eating area was inside the diner.
Fort Rock has the longest zip line in Arkansas! My pictures are not very good, but if you look in the one above, there appears to be a man in the trees to the right, and that's just someone going down the very long zip line! And yes, we braved it, too!
On Saturday, each couple competed against the others in rifle shooting, archery, and tomahawk throwing. Too awesome! Above, you can see the rifle shooting area. We didn't come in first, but we didn't come in last, either. ;)
The hubs and I also got a chance to ride horses in the afternoon.
Oh, it was just so peaceful - and cold. Yes, peaceful and cold is a very appropriate description (it snowed the last day!).
Dr. S.M. Davis led most of the sessions, and he was amazing! I've listened to many of his sermons online before, so it was really neat to hear him in person. And he uses PowerPoint in his messages, so it keeps all the visual learners engaged. His first session was the one that really spoke to me, and here's the big take-away. . .
Expectations ruin relationships.
Oh, how true!
This is the main room inside the diner. The eating area is on one side, and the pews and stage are on the opposite side. There were 40 couples at the retreat, so it was pretty packed. Actually, I heard one of the owners say it booked up in 48 hours! And below, you may guess why. . .
Yes, it's because of the great orchestral music! No, they were great (even heard a Les Mis song!), but do you recognize the man in green behind them? Not yet? I'll give you one more hint; scroll down. . .
We played some couple-games, which were fun (we won an Olive Garden gift certificate!). The hubs and I are on the far left side. The man in green is on the opposite end. Do he and his wife look a little familiar?
Yes, it's the Duggars!
We were blessed to have them do the Saturday night session, and they were so great. They didn't have one specific subject to their talk, but they just shared some good advice they had received over the years, such as:
2 Keys to a Successful Marriage:
1. I'm sorry.
2. Will you forgive me?
They were also very gracious to stay after and talk to everyone. Actually, they've been to Fort Rock before (click here to see that episode), and they're friends with the owners. Pretty neat!
The lovely ladies of our group! We've been friends for years, and I pray we'll stay friends for a lifetime.
Me and the hubs - my perfect partner, the love of my life sent from Jesus. I hope that I can bless him at least half as much as he blesses me. Love you, sweetie!
Fort Rock is an amazing place, friends. They offer family camps throughout the year, and if you have the opportunity, I highly recommend making the trip. People go there from all over the country, and families are changed forever. After the final session, one couple stood up and shared through tears how they were already planning on divorcing, but
now they were going to stay together. Another man stood up and shared how he
had already planned to end his life and make it look like an accident. But now,
he wanted to live and have a godly family. I'm telling you, God is working
here, friends! If you want to reconnect with your family and grow closer to God
together, come to Fort Rock.
Tomorrow we get
back to real life as we have our CC day and begin Week 21 (today is a movie day
as I catch up on stuff around the house, and it's also Spring Break for Anna).
I hope to finish strong with the weekly plans, and I have some other little
things I'd like to share. The hard part is always finding the time.
I hope you have a
wonderful week, and if you can, tell your hubby you love him today.
That looks like so much fun! I am definitely going to jot the name of that place down. Sounds like a lot of adventure! I was able to see some of the Duggars when I went to a women's conference in Birmingham a few years ago and they were great! We were able to talk to the oldest son's wife and she was so nice. Alone time with the hubby is a good thing. I'm going to take your advice and tell mine how much I love him...especially after he just took the oldest two to their t-ball game in 50 degree weather! God bless!
ReplyDeleteIt was very fun, Stacey, and you would love Fort Rock. It's a great place to get away with your hubby or family and really reconnect. Just plain awesome! And props to your man for taking the kids to that cold t-ball game, too! Brrr! :)
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