Legacy
The early 90's seems like a lifetime ago. For many, it is ancient history, as much a part of history books as the Roman Empire or Confucius. In the grand scheme of time, however, it really wasn’t that long ago at all. But one experience, by one couple in Spokane, set the stage for a legacy that will impact countless generations.
Jim Svoboda went to Vietnam in 1965, just as the troop buildup was starting. He volunteered, not realizing (and not being informed by his local draft board) that as the only surviving son of a WWII casualty, he wasn’t required to enlist at all. Enlist he did, and sixteen months in-country as a combat MP who also ran convoy escort and spent six weeks as a machine-gun operator on a Huey left him with wounds that only time would reveal.
After completing his tour of duty, Jim headed back home to rural Oregon, where he crossed paths with a beautiful young school teacher new to the local high school. Linda Billow, hired to teach French, found herself in church on a Sunday evening looking for something. What she found, in the tall, dark, handsome soldier, captivated her heart. In only six weeks, Jim and Linda were married, though the journey would be far from easy.
Neither time nor space permit detailing all the stories of the “Swobs” as they were affectionately called. Suffice it to say they made many memories and shared incredible adventures with dear friends from church who would become like family. The demons inside of Jim’s heart and mind, however, from what he saw and experienced in Vietnam, began to consume him. In the mid-80s, before the Veteran’s Administration or other experts recognized what was going on, Jim began struggling with what has come to be known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Injury. Jim was diagnosed in the late 80s, but not before significant damage had been done to many relationships. Some of that damage was actually made worse by the VAs attempts to provide treatment. By 1991, Jim and Linda were headed for divorce, their marriage in tatters. A local pastor, from whom they were seeking counsel, had heard about a marriage getaway in Yakima that he thought might help. Because finances were so tight (Jim had lost his job due to challenges with PTSD), the pastor actually paid for them to attend the getaway.
In recounting the story, Jim said he and his wife fought most of the more-than-three-hour drive to the conference. By the time they were done, however, their vows were renewed and their marriage restored. They would celebrate 52 years of marriage before Linda went to Heaven.
When Jim got back to Spokane, he spoke to a local ministry leader, encouraging them to bring the marriage conference to this area. More than twenty-five years later, the Weekend to Remember, as that getaway has come to be called, has grown to be one of the largest getaways FamilyLife hosts, with annual attendance between 850 and 1000 couples. Every year, at the Weekend to Remember, couples experience the same miraculous restoration that Jim and Linda did almost three decades ago. It is a beautiful legacy that continues to impact lives.
For those of you who don’t know, Jim is my dad. He is also one of my heroes. And the story I’m about to share is one he may not have realized, but it is one of my favorite stories from the Weekend to Remember.
About five years ago, a long-time friend, Gina Lewis, called asking for help to get to the Weekend to Remember. She and her husband, Jonathan, were really struggling. By God’s grace, we were able to set them up not only with a free registration, but also with a hotel and date night, generously provided by a local ministry partner. Unbeknownst to me, Gina arrived at the hotel with divorce papers in her suitcase. She literally wanted to attend the getaway so she could say she’d done everything before leaving. But God had other plans. Over the course of the weekend, Gina realized that not only did she not want to get divorced, she’d been blessed with an incredible husband!! They, too, left the getaway with renewed vows and restored hope for their relationship. They are having a formal vow renewal ceremony in April 2020.
Now, Gina and Jonathan serve with us on the local Weekend to Remember team, helping get the word out about the getaway and praying over every single person who attends. They are passionate about marriage. In fact, Gina is investing in the lives of six other women, supporting them in their relationships, sharing what she’s learned from personal experience and biblical principles shared at the Weekend to Remember. Recently, Gina, commenting on her husband’s behavior, described how much he’d changed in the last five years. He cares so deeply for her now; every decision is weighed against its impact on her before moving forward. It is beautiful to see. And because Chris and I personally reach out to every single person who indicates a spiritual decision at the getaways, we get to watch couples like Gina and Jonathan grow and be transformed by following God’s blueprint for a Christ-centered marriage.
The most beautiful part about this whole story is, my mom is gone. She isn’t personally inviting couples to the getaways or praying or anything. But her legacy lives on through couples like Gina and Jonathan and the countless others who have experienced the same miraculous transformation by attending a Weekend to Remember.
Now for a shameless commercial; you don’t have to be in crisis to benefit from the Weekend to Remember. Regular maintenance is also valuable. A popular correlation is taking care of the family car. Few people consider it unnecessary to have the oil changed regularly. Marriage is the same way. You are, according to principles shared at the getaways, either drifting towards isolation or intentionally building towards oneness. Attending a Weekend to Remember can be as good for a healthy marriage as for a struggling one. Consider this your personal invitation. Now back to our story.
When Jim and Linda went to the Weekend to Remember in 1991, they were desperate, struggling, willing to try anything to save their marriage. They had no idea how God would bring beauty from the ashes of their fairy tale. But God keeps His promises, and He brings beauty from the most unexpected places. Jim and Linda’s 52 years of marriage is one example. Gina and Jonathan’s vow renewal is another. If your marriage, or the marriage of someone you know, is struggling, the Weekend to Remember may be a way God can bring beauty from ashes in their lives, too.
For information on the Weekend to Remember; the schedule, topics discussed, or a link for registration, visit www.weekendtoremember.com. Use code WeekendCoeurdAlene to save $100 on a couple’s registration.
My husband and I attended our first Weekend to Remember in 1994, when we'd been married for just three weeks. We made it to our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary because of the principles we learned at the Weekend to Remember. By God's grace, we've been able to attend more than fifteen getaways. We give leadership to the local Weekend to Remember team and Cru Spokane, focused on reflecting Jesus together for the good of our city.
Jim Svoboda went to Vietnam in 1965, just as the troop buildup was starting. He volunteered, not realizing (and not being informed by his local draft board) that as the only surviving son of a WWII casualty, he wasn’t required to enlist at all. Enlist he did, and sixteen months in-country as a combat MP who also ran convoy escort and spent six weeks as a machine-gun operator on a Huey left him with wounds that only time would reveal.After completing his tour of duty, Jim headed back home to rural Oregon, where he crossed paths with a beautiful young school teacher new to the local high school. Linda Billow, hired to teach French, found herself in church on a Sunday evening looking for something. What she found, in the tall, dark, handsome soldier, captivated her heart. In only six weeks, Jim and Linda were married, though the journey would be far from easy.
Neither time nor space permit detailing all the stories of the “Swobs” as they were affectionately called. Suffice it to say they made many memories and shared incredible adventures with dear friends from church who would become like family. The demons inside of Jim’s heart and mind, however, from what he saw and experienced in Vietnam, began to consume him. In the mid-80s, before the Veteran’s Administration or other experts recognized what was going on, Jim began struggling with what has come to be known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Injury. Jim was diagnosed in the late 80s, but not before significant damage had been done to many relationships. Some of that damage was actually made worse by the VAs attempts to provide treatment. By 1991, Jim and Linda were headed for divorce, their marriage in tatters. A local pastor, from whom they were seeking counsel, had heard about a marriage getaway in Yakima that he thought might help. Because finances were so tight (Jim had lost his job due to challenges with PTSD), the pastor actually paid for them to attend the getaway.
In recounting the story, Jim said he and his wife fought most of the more-than-three-hour drive to the conference. By the time they were done, however, their vows were renewed and their marriage restored. They would celebrate 52 years of marriage before Linda went to Heaven.When Jim got back to Spokane, he spoke to a local ministry leader, encouraging them to bring the marriage conference to this area. More than twenty-five years later, the Weekend to Remember, as that getaway has come to be called, has grown to be one of the largest getaways FamilyLife hosts, with annual attendance between 850 and 1000 couples. Every year, at the Weekend to Remember, couples experience the same miraculous restoration that Jim and Linda did almost three decades ago. It is a beautiful legacy that continues to impact lives.
For those of you who don’t know, Jim is my dad. He is also one of my heroes. And the story I’m about to share is one he may not have realized, but it is one of my favorite stories from the Weekend to Remember.
About five years ago, a long-time friend, Gina Lewis, called asking for help to get to the Weekend to Remember. She and her husband, Jonathan, were really struggling. By God’s grace, we were able to set them up not only with a free registration, but also with a hotel and date night, generously provided by a local ministry partner. Unbeknownst to me, Gina arrived at the hotel with divorce papers in her suitcase. She literally wanted to attend the getaway so she could say she’d done everything before leaving. But God had other plans. Over the course of the weekend, Gina realized that not only did she not want to get divorced, she’d been blessed with an incredible husband!! They, too, left the getaway with renewed vows and restored hope for their relationship. They are having a formal vow renewal ceremony in April 2020.Now, Gina and Jonathan serve with us on the local Weekend to Remember team, helping get the word out about the getaway and praying over every single person who attends. They are passionate about marriage. In fact, Gina is investing in the lives of six other women, supporting them in their relationships, sharing what she’s learned from personal experience and biblical principles shared at the Weekend to Remember. Recently, Gina, commenting on her husband’s behavior, described how much he’d changed in the last five years. He cares so deeply for her now; every decision is weighed against its impact on her before moving forward. It is beautiful to see. And because Chris and I personally reach out to every single person who indicates a spiritual decision at the getaways, we get to watch couples like Gina and Jonathan grow and be transformed by following God’s blueprint for a Christ-centered marriage.
The most beautiful part about this whole story is, my mom is gone. She isn’t personally inviting couples to the getaways or praying or anything. But her legacy lives on through couples like Gina and Jonathan and the countless others who have experienced the same miraculous transformation by attending a Weekend to Remember.
Now for a shameless commercial; you don’t have to be in crisis to benefit from the Weekend to Remember. Regular maintenance is also valuable. A popular correlation is taking care of the family car. Few people consider it unnecessary to have the oil changed regularly. Marriage is the same way. You are, according to principles shared at the getaways, either drifting towards isolation or intentionally building towards oneness. Attending a Weekend to Remember can be as good for a healthy marriage as for a struggling one. Consider this your personal invitation. Now back to our story.When Jim and Linda went to the Weekend to Remember in 1991, they were desperate, struggling, willing to try anything to save their marriage. They had no idea how God would bring beauty from the ashes of their fairy tale. But God keeps His promises, and He brings beauty from the most unexpected places. Jim and Linda’s 52 years of marriage is one example. Gina and Jonathan’s vow renewal is another. If your marriage, or the marriage of someone you know, is struggling, the Weekend to Remember may be a way God can bring beauty from ashes in their lives, too.
For information on the Weekend to Remember; the schedule, topics discussed, or a link for registration, visit www.weekendtoremember.com. Use code WeekendCoeurdAlene to save $100 on a couple’s registration.
My husband and I attended our first Weekend to Remember in 1994, when we'd been married for just three weeks. We made it to our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary because of the principles we learned at the Weekend to Remember. By God's grace, we've been able to attend more than fifteen getaways. We give leadership to the local Weekend to Remember team and Cru Spokane, focused on reflecting Jesus together for the good of our city.
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