See your spouse with 20-20 vision

When David and Jean Fell attended a Marriage Encounter weekend, it wasn’t because they felt their union was in trouble. They were asked if they would like to put icing on the cake that they considered a strong and healthy marriage. “Why not?” they asked each other.

That was 26 years ago. Since then, the Fells, members of Advent Lutheran Church, Solon, Ohio, have not only presented nearly 100 weekends, but they also were elected the lay executives for the North American region of the International Lutheran Marriage Encounter.

The volunteer-run mission has for 30 years worked with couples to strengthen marriages by teaching tools for more effective and open communication, as well as ways to better understand one’s spouse.