Your marital crisis may seem too painful to endure, your relationship too far gone– but there is still hope. Meet some of the thousands of real couples who thought their marriage was beyond repair, but experienced a miracle through a Hope Restored intensive.
Read Kelly C.'s review of Hope Restored: A Marriage Intensive Experience on Yelp
We attended the intensive in Branson. It was life changing. I was convinced that nothing could change what was going on in our marriage. I seriously considered not going the day before we were to leave. The counselors were amazing. They created the safest environment that could be. We are on a much different course now, and I believe we received a miracle that week. Thank you Focus on the Family, for such a wonderfully eye-opening, life-changing experience.
What a huge blessing this 4-day intensive has been – a much needed “turn in the road” to healing and hope for our broken, toxic 25 year marriage. The experience of going through this intensive with the four other couples has been so helpful. It is so true that so much is learned from listening to others and hearing their issues addressed. God knit us together with our common and different struggles, all of us needing to apply the tools we received to experience help and victory. We are so glad we came here. Hold on through the first couple of days and let Him show you that there is hope for you and your marriage and future.
Forever changed and tremendously grateful for the tools given to us to change a stormy relationship into a peaceful calm. What a gift God gave us here in a safe environment with counselors and staff that are totally walking in a close relationship with Christ. Miracles happen!
We just returned from Branson for the Marriage Intensive. WOW! God was so present that it wasn’t even funny! Miracles occurred everywhere! Lifelong friendships begun! Fresh starts granted! We can’t thank Focus on the Family enough for all you do for families that are trying to thrive (or survive) in this world! We love you all! BLESS YOU ALL. All the marriages that are being helped through the Intensives and the AMAZING staff! (Every single solitary one). We cannot thank God enough.
The Lord works wonders in this place! …Amazingly gifted counselors who minister the love and grace of Christ into the heart of every person/couple…
We found hope again and are believing for a bright future. I came with a poor attitude but a hopeful heart to restore our marriage. My spouse thought this was our last ditch effort. Today is our 18 month anniversary and I am hopeful now we can make 18 years.
When the initial shock of his plans for divorce had worn off, God had me research marriage intensives and I stumbled across the Focus on the Family Retreat Center after 3 local counselors refused to see us for counseling because they believed we were too far gone. God and Focus on the Family Retreat Center has helped not only save my marriage, but also has helped save my husband's soul...
For seven years our home has felt like World War 3. We came to Focus broken, nervous and skeptical. We walked into the room on the first night very unsure. We then noticed a journal sitting on the table. We decided to pick it up and read a couple of pages. We laughed at the notes other couples had left behind and said, “This will never be us, there is no way our marriage will change in 4 days.” I remember the staff saying, “You won’t want to leave.” I thought to myself, “Yea, right” and rolled my eyes. This past week has been a truly amazing journey and emotional roller coaster ride. God really opened our eyes. We learned how truly important it is to take care of our hearts and to care for our spouses feelings. We truly opened up to each other and put in the work and our marriage has transformed in the past 4 days. The closeness we feel with each other after this we have never felt with each other before. I can’t even begin to brag on how AMAZING the staff is here. I told my husband it’s like every single person that works at Focus puts so much love and care into their job. God is truly in control and working at Focus. I would recommend this place to any married couple, healthy or unhealthy. By the way, the couples we had in our group were like family at the end. I will cherish this memory forever! Be still and know He is God! Come with an open heart! I’m rooting for you, whoever you guys are.
We just experienced an extreme miracle through the Focus on the Family. My husband is military, and it came out that there had been an affair during his recent deployment. We attended a marriage intensive in February. The therapists were nothing short of anointed. The Lord really showed up. We’ve seen life-changing differences in our marriage. We cannot thank you enough for that. We have a ways to go, but we’re doing it with the Lord’s help and with help from Focus on the Family.
As a pastor's wife there has been a lot of feelings and fears of being ignored.…the counselor gave me a lot of tools…We have found healing here and have been placed on a path to pursue wholeness.
I came here without any hope. I honestly thought we would be divorced by the end of the year. We had so many disagreements on the opposite ends of the spectrum that I did not see how we could ever see eye-to-eye. But, I learned that it is a blessing that we have different perspectives and that no matter the viewpoint, we can come to a win-win. For the first time in my life, I am standing beside a man I respect, admire, and look forward to doing life with.
From the moment we arrived we felt loved and cared for. We were ministered to. We will never forget the new beginning we received here.
If you're feeling nervous, anxious, scared, or doubting, let it be comforting to your heart to know that I was feeling the exact same thing. [But], I felt safe, relaxed, relieved, comfortable, and unjudged on my very first day there. This is one of the most emotional, necessary, and powerful BEST weeks of my life.
We came here divorced. My ex-husband and I have been divorced for 2 years and separated for 3. I tried absolutely everything I could to fix what I broke but never really getting anywhere. I begged him at several points to attend counseling or retreats and was met with “no’s” or “not yet.” It truly was a miracle that he even agreed to come to this. I had a year long affair in which I lived with that other man and forced my ex to share custody of our precious baby boy. I rocked his world and my own. I can honestly say I can’t think of a more hopeless situation than ours. In this intensive we BOTH found healing and forgiveness – for each other and for ourselves. I learned that I am not my sin, and my sin doesn’t block out the value I have. I won’t minimize or excuse my behavior – but I want you to know the same is true for you and whatever has been done to one another. Today I can tell you we’ve created a new relationship – one that is better and healthier and stronger and an environment where we both feel safe, valued and accepted. We’re going home with plans to move forward and both of us have the ultimate goal of re-marrying each other…. WOW! It’s a lot and it’s new and feels hard at first….but it can be done. You can truly leave with your hope and your relationship restored.
I came here feeling hopeless, brokenhearted, with no emotion. I felt this was our last chance to heal our marriage. The presence of God in the room was truly felt. Learning and practicing the tools brought out feelings I did not know I had. I did not know how much I loved my wife, missed her and now long to be with her for the rest of our lives on this Earth. It was amazing to feel the love of God come back into our lives and those around us. To truly understand that Jesus died for our sins so that we may be free. I am looking forward to returning home a changed man, loving and caring for myself and my wife. To share all of the beautiful moments and working through the bad. Departing with my most heartfelt emotion – “I love my wife.”
When we arrived at the Focus on the Family Retreat Center we had been separated for 2 1/2 months. We had been to four different marriage counselors on and off over 15 years. My husband had told me that he “would give” Hope Restored 100% effort, but that he had little hope and that if God didn’t do something big it would be time for “formal separation”. I am thrilled to say that we both have hope and now have some great tools to start operating in a “safe place” with each other.
You have helped our marriage after an infidelity. My husband is active duty and he moved to another state for work for a 1 year period, and 4-5 months into the separation he had a moment of losing faith. He found Hope Restored and we travelled to Branson, MO and it was the most wonderful and spiritually fulfilling experience of BOTH of our lives. We have our normal struggles after a loss in commitment but we are stronger through God's Love and HIS strength in us as a couple has been renewed. We plan to renew our vows. Thank you for all that you do. Please share our story and know that HOPE and the LOVE is waiting for any and ALL pains.
My husband and I truly received a miracle here. Our overall experience was beyond our expectations. We learned that there is hope when thinking all hope is lost. Our relationship has been forever changed.
I'm so thankful for Hope Restored. My wife and I attended with every intention of filing for a divorce after the week in Branson. We were separated for 5 years before we went. Then the week before our time there, God supernaturally made a way that had seemed impossible. The divine connections we made while at Hope Restored and the tools for communication have transformed our marriage. We are now four years on the other side of restoration and we owe it to God of course, but He used this organization to lay a solid foundation. If you're at the end of the road with what seems like an impossible restoration...please go to Hope Restored.
Coming to the Focus on the Family Retreat Center was tough because we felt little hope…Divorce was on the table, hate was in the air and resentment was pushing us in bad directions. We learned the exact unique but easy tools to use every day in many, if not every situation. We felt extremely cared for, listened to and loved on. We are forever grateful to have our marriage back.
The food, the counseling, the safety, the other couples’ stories—it was all so beautifully interwoven to make for a truly healing time away. We will be celebrating 3 years of restoration and healing and we continue to reflect on our time at the Focus on the Family Retreat Center on a regular basis.
For almost 2 years of our 15 years of marriage we have lived apart…Hope Restored was our last attempt at reconciliation/healing.…after four days of the intensive I feel closer to her more than ever.
My husband and I were at a breaking point in our marriage of 16 years. We had tried to get help through our church pastor and 12 months of professional marriage counseling. Neither one helped too much and we were losing hope for our marriage. After suffering two separations in less than a year, my husband finally agreed to come to Hope Restored as a last resort to save our marriage. At the beginning of the intensive I was apprehensive about my husband’s willingness to participate. Those fears were laid to rest after our first “heart talk” took place. We also learned about each other’s fears and how the fear cycle can derail a relationship. It’s not easy opening up to each other emotionally, but the counselors are there to help you through it and create a safe environment. I experienced emotional break-downs during the intensive but the counselors and the other couples helped me through it. Trust the process and don’t give up because it works! Divorce is no longer an option after going through Hope Restored!
After 21 years of many heartaches and struggles…we had so much hurt and grief built up that our marriage was coming apart at the seams. The miracle of a 4 day intensive has been amazing.
Thank you Focus on the Family Retreat Center for providing such a safe and comfortable environment for us to process our wounds and begin the process of finding healing in ourselves and in our relationship.
When we first arrived, both of us were nervous. We met a lot of caring, loving individuals that truly care about our needs. All the staff made us feel welcome and at ease. We have learned a lot in the short time we were here. We have a renewed vision for our marriage and our relationship with God.
My husband and I arrived here separately and were in fact legally separated. What had been missing in other counseling was the tools and true understanding of the whys so we could put into practice what we were taught.
My wife and I hadn't spoken much over the past 2 months and almost didn't speak at all on the drive up. I was pretty exhausted and hopeless in my marriage; I had tried everything and I was very hurt. God worked through the counselors, and my wife and I talked to each other--she told me things I never knew about her. I also learned a lot about myself and where I was hurting my marriage. We still have a lot of work to do, but I'm very thankful to God and his team.
We came so broken, so hurt, so confused and longing for direction and answers. We have learned about ourselves individually and about our marriage that will impact every aspect and relationship in our lives.
My wife and I arrived in a season where we have been walking through "the valley of the shadow of death", carrying mixed baggage, hurts, complications, emotions, and a general feeling of being "stuck" in that valley. As the program is named, I feel our hope has been restored in a number of ways. Our counselors gently (yet with intentionality) led us through the dark places of our minds and hearts and showed us a better way to communicate and care for ourselves. We are leaving with great tools with which we can build the foundation (and beyond) of a better, God-honoring marriage.
Upon arrival at Focus on the Family, I was very unsure whether or not our marriage could be healed. I can say with the utmost confidence that through our sessions with the counselors and learning [the tools], our marriage is on the way to being whole in a way that we have never experienced.
Our marriage intensive programs are like “marriage ER.” We hear many testimonies from couples whose relationships were literally on the ropes—they were headed for divorce court. But at that moment of crisis, our team at Focus on the Family was able to help them turn things around and start down the road to healing and restoration.
Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family
Contact us and speak to a Focus on the Family adviser who is ready to confidentially and sensitively answer any questions about our Hope Restored marriage intensives.
