Scott and Emily were married on Aug. 6, 2006. It was a picture-perfect wedding, down to the elaborate details.
Fast forward 19 years to June 12, 2025, when they renewed their vows on a simple wooden dock overlooking a quiet lake in Alaska. It wasn’t fancy this time, but the vows ran much deeper.
“I feel like the vow renewal should be our new anniversary,” Emily said. “We invited Jesus to be a part of the marriage. I’ve learned knowing Jesus changes everything.”
Each summer, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) invites law enforcement couples to a Marriage Resiliency Week in Alaska. This opportunity, part of the ministry’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Program, is open to officers who have been involved in a traumatic event on duty—or in Scott’s case, several events.
In just three years, he suffered three traumatic brain injuries.
First, Scott’s police car was T-boned at 60 miles per hour. Less than two years later, a suspect kicked him in the head during a fight. Not even a year after that, he sustained another brain injury at the same time his partner was hurt.
“Sometimes, I need a kick in the butt to get me in the right direction or get me going,” Scott said with a laugh.
In recovery, Scott had to attend a laundry list of therapies, and Emily ferried him to various appointments while caring for their two kids. But Scott’s injuries didn’t just wreck their schedule; they wrecked Scott’s mental health as well.
“The anger and depression he had for four years was so hard to understand as a spouse, especially when you’re dealing with it daily,” Emily said. “It’s lonely and overwhelming.”
Their marriage wasn’t exactly smooth sailing before the injuries. Emily committed her life to Christ after they got married, but when she invited her husband along to church, Scott—who said he was a Christian—had no interest in going with her.
At church, Emily learned about God’s design for marriage, and she began to devour books and resources about being a godly, supportive spouse.
But a good marriage takes two.
“It was hard to apply alone,” Emily recalled. “I remember [my friend] telling me to pray and that she would continue to pray that Scott would one day come to Jesus. I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’”
Through years of prayer, she sat in the pew by herself. Meanwhile, God was working on Scott. He used the injuries to chip away at Scott’s identity, which he placed in his job. Facing depression and anxiety, Scott reached a breaking point.
In March 2024, a social worker from the police station showed up at Emily’s door. She told Emily that Scott was headed to the hospital to be evaluated. He was having suicidal thoughts.
“You feel like an anchor—that you’re pulling your family down with you,” Scott explained. “And if you don’t cut loose, then they’re going to drown, too. I didn’t want to kill myself; I just thought it would have been better if I hadn’t survived.”
With their marriage at rock bottom, Emily started searching for help. She came across BGEA’s Marriage Resiliency Weeks and quickly applied. By the following June, they were flying to a remote part of Alaska. Scott had no idea what he was getting into—or really, what God was getting him into.
Every summer, these Marriage Resiliency Weeks give couples a chance to unplug from daily life and be refreshed through Biblical teaching, outdoor excursions, and time with other couples who understand the stresses of law enforcement.
As part of the week’s ministry, Scott and Emily wrote two letters to each other: a love letter and an apology letter. That’s when Scott had a breakthrough.
“I’ve thanked her before, but sitting down and actually putting it all on paper was a bit of a different experience,” said Scott, who no longer works as a police officer. “She’s been with me through everything. I told her to leave when I got hurt. I said, ‘Just go find somebody better.’ And she refused.”
Time spent in the rugged Alaska wilderness helped revive their marriage. In the last 20 years, through hospital visits, medical appointments, law school for Emily, and the police academy for Scott, they hadn’t taken a single vacation together.
“I remember just thinking, ‘There’s my wife that I love. Right now, she’s not having to deal with all of my stuff, coordinating all of my care like she used to,’” Scott said. “She was having fun, and we were having fun doing a new experience.”
Over the course of the week, God gradually broke down Scott’s walls. He decided to surrender his life to Jesus Christ and get baptized in the frigid lake. As she watched Scott rise out of the water, Emily cried joyful tears, watching the answer to years of prayer.
“That was just something I never thought I would see,” Emily said.
Scott and Emily then renewed their vows on shore, proclaiming to the small group gathered—and to God—that their marriage is in His hands. From now on, they will celebrate June 12 as the day the Lord changed their lives forever.
Applications reopen this November for next summer’s Marriage Resiliency Week.