“Teamwork, coupled with endurance, patience, and a never-give-up attitude, is essential.”

CK and I have been married for 24 years, and we have two boys. I had dreamt of climbing Mount Kinabalu since my university days. Hence, I was excited to hear about the Mount Kinabalu climb organised by Focus on the Family Malaysia.

The few days out in beautiful nature really strengthened our marriage and helped us know and appreciate each other more. During the climb up to the peak of Mount Kinabalu, we learned that teamwork, coupled with endurance, patience, and a never-give-up attitude, is essential.

Marriage has many challenges, and we both have to find ways to overcome them and never give up. To achieve our goal in life, we have to prepare ourselves, put in the effort, and work towards our goal. To scale greater heights, we need synergistic energy, i.e., hubby-wife energy.

We also learned not to over-depend and set high expectations on each other; give each other time and space; and have open communication, trust and obedience. Strong unconditional love between couples is essential during good and bad times, while spiritual values help guide and give us the strength to move on.

I also discovered that CK is a caring and patient person as he followed my pace without complaining, and he showed his love for me by ensuring that I was safe. This experience with him has reaffirmed our marriage journey.

Sherene Chan, 2018