What Participants say about the program?
“I can’t say enough about how much The Third Option has helped me. As we’ve said so many times during our group meetings, The Third Option gives us the tools to make our marriages and our own lives better.”
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“I have learned so much …It really helps to share with other people who are struggling in their marriages but want to work on things or who have resolved their differences. The hope and strength from the group sharing is powerful.”
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“The meetings are a top priority for me.”
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“I have so much hope that our 27 year marriage has a chance at happiness. We have felt the disappointment and now see the hopes coming true.”
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“It helped to hear a couple who knows exactly where I am.”
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“I don’t believe we would be in counseling now if we had not gone to The Third Option meetings.”
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“The Third Option was the thread that held us together while we worked things out.
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“We are really impressed with all of the programming you are providing and think the mission is really relevant, needed and awesome. We are blessed to have the Third Option in our area. We’re hoping to make it to more upcoming programs!”
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“Thanks for all the good you do to help couples who are struggling in their marriages. We know a couple that was in the Third Option program and told us how it saved their marriage. They started to go to this program and are back together again. We think your program is so worthwhile!”
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“As a society we have lost our focus on marriage and family and we need to re-focus our attention on building up the strength of marriage and family.”
Sharing From Mentor Couples.
One evening my husband told me he ran into a friend who wanted to get a new marriage program started in our area. She was hoping we would volunteer along with 2 other couples. I was not thrilled at first about getting involved because I worked full time, had a new baby plus 2 other children. We were still adjusting to getting back together after being separated for a while, but that inner voice reminded me I had made a promise that if God healed our marriage I would do whatever I could to help other couples in troubled marriages. The Third Option got off to a slow start, but has grown by leaps and bounds. Our group presently meets twice a month with an average of 40 people attending. We get so much joy in seeing a couple walk through the doors who initially could hardly even speak to each other and then a few months down the road are transformed. We feel privileged to have answered the call, not only do we get the joy of seeing renewed marriages, but we continually learn new skills to apply to our own marriage after 20 years together. The Third Option Orientation Booklet says that even good marriages need a little tune up once in a while. This is so true! Our marriage just continues to get better and better from all our “tune ups” as a Mentor Couple. We’re shooting not just for a good marriage, but a great marriage! I’d say we are pretty well on the way to obtaining it, thanks to God and the skills we’ve learned at the Third Option.
-Blair & Karen
Facilitator Comments
At the request of our Pastor we started attending The Third Option in the fall of 2011. We brought along another couple that we were friends with for support. We thought we had a pretty good marriage, but we found that we were learning skills that helped make our marriage even stronger. We felt welcomed while attending the sessions and were encouraged and supported when we eventually decided to start our own group at our church. As facilitators of our new group we already see such growth in the couples and in us. We find that we gain something each time because the group dynamics are different, and we are also at a different place in our own lives. It is our desire to help couples grow their marriages by presenting tools that will enable them to come into the fullness of marriage that God intended for them.
-Bev & Tom