Coworker Retreat

As STM team members, we have observed pastor and coworker couples struggling with ineffective communication in their marriages over the past several years. The STM team feels a strong need in this area, so this year PY decided to provide marriage training during the retreat.

On the first evening, every couple was asked to write down one word on paper to describe their current marriage. Many gave beautiful answers such as “peace,” “grace,” and “family,” while only two notes—both from the Seattle team—used the same word: “difficult.” The observation was clear: couples had not yet opened up fully. PY then shared about CM’s and his own family-of-origin situations and the impact those experiences had brought into their marriage. It was the first time I learned this side of PY. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of their marriage. With God’s grace, past wounds have been renewed.

On Thursday, PY encouraged the Seattle team to share more about their own marriages, hoping this would help local couples open up too. Wives and husbands were then split into two separate groups to talk about the difficulties in their marriages. Though I was nearby with the kids, I was astonished by some of the words I overheard from our Seattle team members. Through the sharing, we also came to know our own team more deeply. The couples became much more open that day. One lady confessed that she always had the thought: “If I can bear it, I will stay; if it becomes too much, I will give up my marriage.” But after the encouragement and messages shared by the STM members, she decided she would hold fast to her marriage. In the afternoon and evening sessions, sexuality, communication, and respecting differences were covered.

Please pray that God will bless every couple who serves together with strength, joy, and rich blessing in their marriage so that the Lord may be glorified. Please also pray for Lui Lee and Ken to recover soon. They developed cold symptoms on Wednesday, possibly after seeing so many patients on Tuesday, some of whom were sick.

On Friday, we will visit Mae Sai, where Pastor Zhang wants to start a new gospel gathering place for refugees who have fled from Myanmar.