Marriage Getaways Save Marriages and Strengthen Families!

When Jeff and Ericka first heard about our Marriage Getaways, their marriage was hanging on by a thread.

“I was so done with him,” confides Ericka. “He said he was a believer, but his actions did not show it. I felt so unloved by him.” 

Ericka had already begun the legal process of divorce.

“I was on my way to losing her,” remembers Jeff. “I prayed I would not get divorced again, but I was so convicted and felt unloved by Christ.”

Yet Jeff was committed to make this marriage work.

Jeff and Ericka had both already been divorced. When they got married, Jeff became an instant first-time father to Ericka’s two children. Then they had Sage, now 18, who has autism. Disability, divorce, and ongoing patterns of sin added heavy burdens to their relationship. Jeff admits he was “distant as a husband.”

And Ericka recalls, “I’d made up my mind. I definitely wanted a divorce.”

But when Jeff learned about our Marriage Getaway, he was determined to attend even if Ericka refused. Surprisingly, she agreed to go, and what happened there was nothing less than an all-out miracle.

“It was amazing! Instantly, we connected with our coaches, Pastor Darrell and Donnell. After we prayed with them it was this immediate feeling of trust, and we both let it all out. It was like a switch flipped in us.”

Ericka

DJ, the youngest of Darrell and Donnell’s five children, has Down syndrome. They understand the very real challenges that come with being a special needs family. They also clearly remember their first impressions of Jeff and Ericka.

“They were in real trouble,” recalls Donnell.  “We were not at all sure their marriage could survive. It was heartbreaking.”

But Jesus had a bigger plan!

“We know that God used the Marriage Getaway and Pastor Darrell and Donnell to save our marriage! We were being loved on by Joni and Friends. It’s where we were taught to trust God first and to love each other more than we loved ourselves,” explains Ericka.

“When they saw us run hard after God in all things it changed our kids.”

“I had never really looked at our marriage in a biblical way before,” shares Jeff. “But the Marriage Getaway saved our marriage and renewed our faith in God. I saw a big change in our family when they saw the big change in us. When they saw us run hard after God in all things it changed our kids. It set an example for them that they had never seen before. It was a trickle-down effect, and it still continues to this day.” 

This year, Jeff and Ericka celebrate their 7th Marriage Getaway together where they now serve on our Marriage Getaway leadership team. Their testimony of God’s mercy, grace, and power is shared at every Marriage Getaway, giving hope to other special needs couples in crisis.

“My power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

The power of Jesus is truly on display at our Marriage Getaways. When you support Marriage Getaways, you are shining a spotlight on Jesus and saving families impacted by disability all across the country.