Here’s how Rick got involved: 

When I betrayed my wife in ‘84, I was fortunate enough to have a wife who worked with me to find answers and heal our marriage. That event compelled me to look for ways to help others who, like Stephanie and I, wanted to heal and move on to a better life. We found that infidelity can be healed and there is a better life on the other side.

Then in 2003, I met Leslie. She was such a blessing. Like Stephanie, she had such a heart for those who were walking the path of suffering. She was just finishing graduate school when I asked if she’d consider working with me and develop a course for those who have been betrayed. At that point, the Affair Recovery Center was just a vision, but Leslie had such a heart for the hurting that she didn’t hesitate and took the risk of joining our project.

She spent months developing material and then conducting groups for hundreds of men and women who were trying to find hope for their lives. Time and time again these people told me how Leslie’s work had saved them. I began to realize that she had done it. Harboring Hope was really making a difference.

In those days, her husband, John, was a college professor and working out of state so I wasn’t even sure Leslie could stay with us, but God provided a way and John eventually agreed to also join our effort. Now we had a way of not only addressing hurt women, but John brought the much needed piece for helping men.

So maybe that explains their part, but you may be wondering where I fit in. I’m still trying to clean up the mess I started back in ‘84 when I cheated on Stephanie. I’m dedicating my life to helping others, like Stephanie and me, heal and recover from infidelity. I want couples to know that infidelity isn’t the end of the world; rather, it’s an opportunity for new life.