Last night’s Refuge brought Henderson and Ouachita students together to hear from our very own, Jared and Mary Farley.
Jared is a Henderson graduate who now serves as BCM director there and his wife, Mary Castleman Farley, is a 2013 Ouachita graduate. The two have been married a year and shared some of the lessons they’ve learned as well as tips for healthy relationships they wished they had known when they were in college.
The two shared from their opposite experiences and left the crowd with something for everyone–whether you have been dating in college, like Mary did, or you haven’t, like Jared didn’t. Overall though, they shared about being a committed friend to others and follower of God first and foremost, as this is the key to having healthy relationships now or in the future.
“I appreciated what Jared and Mary had to say about relationships, mainly because they are young and have recently walked through what we as college students are currently walking through,” Sadie Sasser, senior Christian Studies major from Crossett, Ark. said.
After the couple spoke and gave their general wisdom, the time opened up to questions. Students were encouraged to text in their questions to James Taylor, Director of Campus Ministries, as he sorted through and asked the couple several questions. The couple work together to handle questions like “How do you handle heartbreak?” and “What has been the hardest thing about marriage?” The topics ranged from questions about marriage to questions about relating to people in friendship settings as well.
“It was helpful to ask questions and have them answered honestly, as well as dialogue about friendship in general and not just romantic relationships,” Sasser said.
Refuge last night was a continuation of Healthy Relationships Week at Ouachita, but it wasn’t the end.
For couples who are seriously dating, engaged, or married, they have the chance to go on a couples retreat in Little Rock Friday night and Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Elrod Center and hosted by Ouachita staff and faculty couples, Katie and Scott Haynes and Judy and Scott Duvall. The 22 couples attending will receive copies of chapel speaker Guy Grime’s book Relationship Matters.
The speakers for the weekend are Twyla and Steve Lee, professors at the Focus Leadership Institute and co-directors of their consulting business Authentic Relationships, both in Colorado Springs, CO.
This events for Healthy Relationships Week all have one purpose in mind– helping students reflect on their relationships and take intentional steps to foster authentic relationships in all areas of their lives, even after the week is over.
