The big M is for . . . Marriage

Regan and Tracy Lewis met when they were 16, while working at the McDonald’s restaurant in Langley, B.C. Their courtship consisted of burgers and fries, but from the other side of the serving counter!

Eight years later, in 1988, they married with starry-eyed dreams of a “happily ever after.”

Tracy and Regan Lewis with children Graham and Rebecca.

Such was not to be the case, however. In 1991 Regan was rear-ended in a car accident, leaving him with terrible neck and back pains. He suffered through two years of treatments, endless drugs and mounting medical costs, only to find out from further x-rays in 1993 that he had actually suffered a broken neck in the accident.

Two neck surgeries followed. Unable to work and in pain much of the time, Regan’s frustration and worry began to take their toll on their young marriage. Tracy, in the meantime, was working at a teen mom’s parenting program, but this ended during the summer and so did her paycheques.

Their first child, Rebecca, was born in 1997 and their second child, Graham, three years later. By that time, Regan and Tracy’s marriage had begun to disintegrate. Regan had started a new job but was finding it difficult to keep a regular work schedule because of ongoing neck pain. Mounting bills, Regan’s struggle with his injuries, and the pressures of parenting were too much for the young couple. They withdrew into themselves, building walls and failing to communicate their fears to one another.

When Rebecca was three-and-a-half years old, Tracy heard from friends that the Sonshine Street Preschool at South Langley Mennonite Brethren Church was considered one of the best preschools in the area. Neither Tracy or Regan were raised in Christian homes or had faith in a creator, but the Sonshine Preschool’s reputation so impressed them they registered their daughter.

In 2002, Tracy and Regan’s marriage reached a crisis and they decided to separate for two months. Rebecca had been asking to go to church to learn about God because some of her friends at preschool were attending South Langley MB Church. Tracy and Regan had endeavoured to keep everything as normal as possible for the sake of the children. They determined not to fight or upset the children during their separation, but somehow little Rebecca must have felt learning about God and going to church would help her mommy and daddy get back together again.

During their separation, Regan started attending a church in Cloverdale. He felt it might help him deal with the grief of the separation. He accepted Christ and got involved in the Alpha program at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford.

Regan desperately wanted to reconcile with Tracy so he asked her to join him at Alpha the second week. After some hesitation, she decided to attend. A marriage counselling weekend during their separation had been a catalyst for them, but they still struggled. They wanted to make their marriage work for the sake of the children and desired the “spark” back in their relationship, but were afraid the wall between them was a barrier they could not break down.

An Alpha retreat at Northview was a turning point for Tracy. She gave her life to the Lord. Regan and Tracy then moved to Aldergrove to begin life anew together. In March 2003 they were baptized at Northview Community Church. They were now able to show family and friends their commitment to Christ, their family now healed by God’s love.

Two years later Regan and Tracy celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in a very special way. What better place to celebrate their re-commitment to each other than where they began their courtship?

McDonald’s not only agreed to host their party for family and friends but paid the bill. Newspapers and television reporters shared the story throughout British Columbia.

Through the support of their church family Tracy and Regan have come to the realization that their marriage is not between two people, but three. God reigns in their marriage and in their lives. They have made the verse “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12) their own.

Vonnie Mostat attends South Langley MB Church, Langley, B.C.