EE COUPLE HONORED BY DIOCESE FOR THEIR SERVICE

On May 2,2014, at the annual Diocese of Reno Volunteer Banquet, Amy and Craig Nielson, presenting couple and Local Coordinators, were awarded the distinguished Diocesan Award for their service to the Engaged Encounter Ministry.  Amy and Craig having been active in Engaged Encounter for 18 years, and have ministered to hundreds of Engaged Couples.

“We never did it for the recognition, but it is truly an honor to be recognized for our work” they told the others as they sat at Bishop Calvo’s table during the dinner.  ”Over the years we have put in a lot of work with Engaged Encounter, but the enrichment the ministry has given to our marriage is far greater than what we have put into it.

They went on to say “The beauty of working in EE as a ministry, is it doesn’t get in the way of your life.  We have been involved with the ministry for 18 years. Over those years, we have both had careers, had children and have been raising them, getting them to their activities and such, and EE has never prevented us doing any of that.  Our kids now help out with serving meals on the weekend and they really enjoy it.”

After Dinner, Craig was approached by a woman who along with her husband had attended the Engaged Encounter weekend in 2007.  She told Craig “when I saw the two of you up there, I was thrilled.  The weekend was such a great experience for us.”

Craig shared, “You never know who you may touch or how what you share will impact on the couples. We joined EE with the simple intention of sharing our love for each other, with others. The Bible tells us “Love never fails.”  We heard on our EE weekend that “love isn’t love until it’s given away.  Our love continues to grow, the more we give it away.  Engaged encounter gives us one opportunity to do that…and the dividends have been immeasurable.”