Our love story began when two 14-year-olds met during a summer job in Detroit. One day, sitting in a classroom, Renée tossed a pencil off her desk to get Gil’s attention. What seemed like a small moment became the beginning of something extraordinary. That pencil started a conversation, a friendship, and eventually a lifelong love story. More than 38 years later, our story is still being written every day through faith, commitment, and choosing each other again and again.

Our favorite memory isn’t a single moment—it’s the journey. Together we’ve weathered life’s storms, overcome challenges, raised a family, served others, and watched God transform our pain into purpose. Seeing Rich Relationships Refuge grow from our personal experiences into a ministry that helps couples around the world has been one of our greatest joys. It reminds us that every chapter of our story, even the difficult ones, had a purpose.

We would invest the $20,000 into expanding the mission of Rich Relationships Refuge. The funds would help us provide scholarships for couples in need, create more marriage and relationship resources, expand our online community, publish additional books and workbooks, and reach more individuals and families through media, events, and coaching. Our passion is helping people build healthy, Christ-centered relationships that can impact generations to come.