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Section Four Reaches out across the Sea

Chris & Darla Phillips

Section Four Reaches out across the Sea

By Chris & Darla Phillips

OUTREACH TO EUROPE

For many years we were privileged to be a part of presenting WWME Weekends in Germany. Unfortunately in 2000 due to the temporal lifestyle in Europe a support community could not be maintained and Americans in Europe (AIE) drew down as a separate area. At that time we continued to provide one day Marriage Enrichments in Europe but never gave up the dream of being able to bring the Weekend back to our military couples in Europe.

Two years ago we met Dave & Lucy Snyder who introduced us to WWME’s Archdiocese of the Military Service Outreach (AMSO) which began in 2004. It started as a result of the serious concern for the survival and health of married couples in the Archdiocese of the Military Service (AMS), which includes 1.5 million Catholics, 60% of them married couples. Bishop Jack Kaising was appointed by the Military Services Archbishop as the Project Officer for AMSO. The vision of AMSO is to support Catholic Couples and Priests by actively inviting them to a Weekend and WWME follow on support community.

Now the dream of providing a Weekend for our military couples in Europe is being realized. A WWME outreach Weekend for military couples has been scheduled by Section Four from 28-30 July in a retreat house on a hill above the Rhine.

With forty eight years of active service between us, we know what a difference the gift of the WWME Weekend can be for our military couples who daily face short and long term separations and who truly never know if tomorrow will come. We know from experience that our Weekend can help couples to do more than just barely survive long term deployment. It can provide the tools to allow their relationships to grow during and heal following those deployments.

We truly believe that the Weekend is one of the greatest gifts that our WWME community can give to these families who give so much for us and we are very excited about this opportunity.

We want to ask for your prayers:

• We would love to have a full retreat house; please pray that couples will see the value and sign up for the Weekend.

• We would love to see the miracle of the Weekend come alive for them; please pray that they will be open to one and other and the concepts of the Weekend.

• We would love to see them create small support communities; please pray that they will realize the value of community even in the midst of their hectic lives.

Note: If anyone would like to pray for this Weekend and the couples who make it please email:

A dialogue question for you to share: Who do we know who truly deserves the gift of the weekend? HDIF about offering them that gift?

- Chris & Darla Phillips live in Millersville, Maryland. They were married October 29, 1982 and encountered in February of 1992 in Pirmasins, Germany. They are the parents of five adult children. Chris & Darla were the last Leadership Couple for the Americans in Europe (AIE) Area of Section 4 before it drew down as a separate area in 2000. They are currently the Secretary Couple for Section Four.

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