The winner of this the Real Escapes “Great Date Challenge” is... Denny and Ginny Adwell. Congratulations guys we hope you enjoy your date in downtown Louisville.
One of the amazing things about having a marriage retreat is the wonderful stories about how God works in the lives of the couples who attend. Below is a story of how God worked in the Adwell’s lives. Thank you guys for opening your heart and allowing us to see God's goodness! Check out all the pictures from these dates online.
Dearest Tiffany and Mike,
We truly feel blessed to have been a part of such an amazing weekend retreat. We have never attended anything like this, but it is indeed a testimony to your love, that we were as moved and touched with your stories, your advice, your genuine care and devotion to the Lord as well as each other. We are new to Valley View and have met some really amazing people. Pastor Joel and Jo were an absolute treat! I am a simple girl that believes God wants happiness and peace for us all. What an amazing and uplifting feeling to surround yourselves with couples that not only love each other, but love the Lord as well.
I have attached some pictures from the weekend. We had a blast, and I must say, a much needed break from routine life. We have been married almost 18 years, and this past weekend, I found myself falling in love with my husband all over again. It has not been easy for us. We have three amazing children and are both blessed with secured jobs, but this past year, my husband had found Jesus Christ and received him as his savior. Praise God!! The Holy Spirit is working on him more and more everyday and for that I thank God everyday. This past weekend is the first time Denny (that's my husband) ever prayed over me. There was something so powerful in that for me. This weekend is the first time I have ever prayed over him (with him awake or in the same room) and he has shared with me how wonderful and powerful that was for him. We pray together every day now and God is only making us stronger, as a married couple and as a godly couple.
The pictures attached does not tell the whole story, but they do show us smiling, and that is something we seemed to have forgotten how to do.
One more thing I would like to share with you both. We do not have pictures, but the task you had us do that involved going into a store, taking 10 minutes and $10.00 (we went to a Meijer shortly after coming back home and did not think $5 would be enough; it's a big store) This task was the most amazing thing you could have had us do. It was not over thought, it was impulsive and it was "real." Well, we both were checked out within 10 minutes and met out at our car. Denny presented me with a wonderful book of Psalms. Daily devotionals to soothe a woman's heart. It was very sweet and it showed me that my husband selected a gift that he knew I would love but not buy for myself. This is where it gets funny. I took the challenge as though I needed to buy a gift that reminded me of him. The first gift was an "onion"—That's right, an onion—We were at Meijer and the food is RIGHT THERE. I explained to him that I picked an onion because it is made up of many, many layers, and after 18 years, I am still peeling back layers. (And with onions, the more layers you peel back, the more you cry!) I am a crier, I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad. So, he reminded me of an onion. Well, that is not all I got. Come on, this is a good story. The second gift was a container of super glue. I explained to him that even when we are at our worse, his love and strength is like glue that holds our family together. The third gift was a heart sticker. I told him to stick that on something he will see everyday so that he can be reminded that he has my heart and always has. This might have been over in 20 minutes, but we were both touched in a way that only happens when love is real.
Ginny Adwell