Love has no boundaries
November 2, 2018
ME challenges and supports
November 4, 2018
Deacon Malcom & Lynn Joab are married 20 years and made their original weekend in 2004 at the Emmaus Retreat Centre, Arima.
“The most powerful thing that we learned on our weekend was that communicating through dialogue is the key to improving our relationship in our marriage.” They also shared that “We strongly believed that God touched us and our marriage on our original Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) weekend. Marriage Encounter was and still is, for us, an eye-opening experience. After our weekend, we felt rejuvenated and a oneness that was almost indescribable; we believed that we could conquer the world. We are now able to share our feelings, values and concerns about being in relationship, family life, and dealing with our own attitudes and behaviours.”
As Malcom and Lynn further reflected they said, “We have become better communicators and listeners as a result of the WWME weekend. Sharing and receiving from other WWME couples also helps us to realise that we need to walk with others to continue to grow and live this lifestyle. It also reinforces that we are not alone on this journey.”
They have had many adventures during their WWME journey and said “After doing our WWME weekend we were unaware of the amazing journey that was in store for us and how God would work in incredible ways in our lives and through our lives.” These adventures include:
- Dialoguing
- Being Country and Regional Coordinators simultaneously
- Studying to become functional in French in one year and assisting at a WWME weekend in Haiti
- Rejuvenating the movement throughout the Caribbean increasing the number of active communities in two countries when we took on leadership, to seven countries in less than seven years—all this with NO region bank account!
“And when we travelled to Haiti with two couples and a priest from Belgium and a couple and priest from Quebec, Canada there were 91 couples encountered over three consecutive weekends!”
They believe the most significant moment in WWME history is when “in 1978, when the movement reached the shores of Trinidad and Tobago signalling the advent of a Movement which has affected the lives of generations of couples, priests and religious in the Caribbean.”
The message they wish to pass onto others is that “WWME is the most amazing, life-changing, marriage-changing experience EVER!” The three words that sum up their thoughts about WWME are “Heaven-sent, indispensable, life-changing.”
