A little girl dreams of her wedding day, not her marriage. She probably doesn’t even know what the word marriage means—just how much crinoline she wants under her dress. At least this is what Christie Amoyo was thinking about, not the marriage relationship, money matters, or faith decisions.

After years of living an unhealthy lifestyle, Christie decided to attend  Providence University College and Theological Seminary in Manitoba. The place where she would meet her future husband. 

"He was this guy that was going to be a youth pastor and it's like he's got all of his ducks in a row. He knows what he's doing. He comes from a good life. But you know, it's was a good life, but it was all hidden," Amoyo explains. "I was completely open and uncovered and he was very hidden. So, you know you get married thinking that love just covers all of this. We're going to be awesome, but we weren't."

Christie says by their seventh year of marriage, things had completely fallen apart.

"It did come from a lot of stress and anxiety and pressures of life and then the baby losses. There was a lot of depression and frustration in our home, and yet you'd put a smile on your face and go to church on Sunday. We'd minister through these broken smiles."

Christie questioned God about everything that year, and he responded by saying that he had to get the garbage out.

"So from then on we had to focus on working together and working on our marriage," Christie explains. "Let's be honest, if we don't work on something, if you're just going to leave it to the side and think it's going to get better, it never will. So you've got to actively work on it."

That came through faith messages, talking throughout the day and praying together. 

"Love is a choice, and through love, you can forgive, hope, and give your marriage an exciting and fulfilling future," says Christie.

Christie is now sharing the real-life decisions and dramas that occurred before—and after—she and her husband said “I do” in her new book, Marriage Uncut: Real Marriage Transformation and Preparation. She also breaks down the pre-marriage classes her ministry shares with other couples.

Today on connections, Christie shares her journey through marriage and how she and her husband managed to get to where they are today.