Marriage Retreat

Three dozen couples planning to attend marriage retreats in the Southeast Europe Field refused to let a little volcanic ash stop them. While retreat leaders David and Lisa Frisbie were stranded in an airport following Iceland’s volcano eruption, 24 couples from Romania and Bulgaria met April 16-19 in Veliko Turnavo, Bulgaria, and 12 couples from Albania and Kosovo met in Gjilan, Kosovo April 22-25. The sudden change in plans allowed for additional times of rest and relaxation, which the participants appreciated, said Jay Sunberg, the field strategy coordinator.
For the Bulgaria retreat, Klaus and Martina Arnold, who had planned to co-lead, took over the activities.

Attendees Svilen and Elena Simeonovi, of Razgrad, Bulgaria, were particularly struck by an object lesson the Arnolds presented. They tied themselves together with a rope, which symbolized that a husband and wife are climbing partners in the mountain of life.

“There should be a good balance and tension so the distance from your partner and God is neither too distant nor too far, nor you get so close together that you actually suffocate,” Elena said. The demonstration showed how each partner in a marriage has a different personality and different interests. A healthy marriage allows each person to explore different interests while the partner supports the other in those interests, the couple added.

At the retreat, each couple was randomly paired with another couple so they could pray for one another and have married friends with whom to share joys and struggles over the next two years. “Sometimes it’s better to share things with people you haven’t known before,” said Elena. “It’s also good to be able to talk on a deeper spiritual basis with new people and couples.” The couples exchanged e-mail addresses so they can share prayer requests and answers to prayer.

With the Frisbies still stranded in London, the second marriage retreat in Kosovo was led by Jens and Sabine Haberkorn, Youth With a Mission volunteers in Bulgaria. Klaus Arnold is rector of European Nazarene College (EuNC) and Martina is also on staff at EuNC.
By Gina Grate Pottenger
Eurasia Region Communications
Where Worlds Meet, Year 7, Issue 3, May 2010