Northwestern’s fifth annual married and engaged retreat will take place the weekend of Feb 16 and 17 in Milford, Iowa. Couples will spend the night at Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp, a new location for the retreat.
The featured speakers this year are Jackson and Krista Dunn of Colorado. Jackson is the Director of Marriage and Family Formation at Focus on the Family and previously served at John Brown University.
The event is free of charge for all couples, thanks to the Growing a Healthy Relationship, or GHR, grant gifted to the college by John Brown University.
Due to the grant, NW has been able to host this retreat for five consecutive years.
Of the 10 to 12 couples that usually attend, there is an even mix of both engaged and married couples. The retreat is offered to all spouses and fiancés as long as one individual is enrolled at NW.
The topic of this year’s retreat is centered on “Healthy Conflict: Key to Intimacy.” The retreat leaves couples feeling “inspired, challenged and motivated” after spending the weekend with their significant other.
Approximately four weeks after the retreat, the couples will regroup for the “Great Date Night,” a fun evening that includes a dinner and follow-up assessment to see how the couples have implemented what they learned at the retreat into their marriage.
Sam Kallevig, a junior art and education major at NW, will attend the retreat for the third time this winter with her husband Tony, a student at Dordt.
“It’s a small amount of time to take a break from the busyness of college and to invest in our marriage. It is also a good time to meet other college engaged/married couples and build new relationships,” Kallevig said. “My husband and I have really enjoyed the past years since there is always something in our marriage that can be worked on either now or in the future.”
In addition to hearing from the Dunns, retreat attendees can look forward to hearing from Sally Edman, the Director of Counseling at NW, as well as her husband, Laird Edman, who teaches in NW’s psychology department.
Couples can register for the retreat by filling out the registration form located in the Wellness Center lobby or downloading it from their email. The deadline to apply is February 12. Prof. Edman can be reached for questions at sedman@nwciowa.edu.
