REVIVING LOVE Marriage Builder celebrates 16
Years of fanning flames of love
Founders of Faith Covenant Ministries International, Apostle Mogomotsi Kabelo and his wife Precious Kabelo, have embraced the national project of preserving the marriage institution because strong families result in strong communities and ultimately, nations.
This, they do through The Marriage Builder, an annual initiative that organises marriage seminars for married couples and those preparing for
marriage. The 16th edition was held at Travel Lodge recently under the theme, ‘Love Revival’.
When the event started over 16 years ago, it was a church programme that has since grown beyond church boundaries to become a national project, according to Apostle Kabelo. The Kabelos are proud that so far, The Marriage Builder impacts couples across the nation to keep fanning the flames of love and keep their families intact.
According to Pastor Kabelo, this year the event attracted people from as far as Lobatse, Palapye, Orapa, Francistown
and Maun. Approximately 300 people were in attendance compared to 260 from last year. The seminars bring together experts in different fields to deliberate on issues affecting marriages today.
Family Lawyer, Wame Pilane explained what the law says in relation to the care and protection of children born out of wedlock. She cited Section 29 of the Children’s Act which allows parents not married to each other to co-parent and provide for their child’s financial needs.
She slammed the tendency by parents who stop caring for their biological children once they get into a new union. She said this is common with men, saying some even go to the extent of changing contact numbers and avoid any contact with their children from previous relationships. Attorney Pilane said that children born out of wedlock are often denied the right to their inheritance, which they deserve just like children born within the marriage, citing the Court of Appeal judgement between Kealeboga and Another V. Kehumile and Another (Civil Appeal No. 45 of 2013), which restored the right to inheritance of children born out of wedlock.
She advised couples who have adopted children to ensure that the children are legally adopted to avoid any unexpected issues that may arise when issues of inheritance emerge. She observed that generally Batswana rarely write Wills but emphasised the importance of having a Will that will stipulate that children born out of marriage are also beneficiaries in the event that one parent dies. “Ensure that the property you acquired before the new marriage is secured for the benefit of the children born outside of that union,” she said. Under the title, ‘The wounded lover,’
Apostle Kabelo spoke to couples on an array of issues that often break down marriages. He said marriages often break down because of lack of communication. He encouraged couples to become vulnerable with each other and resolve issues that creep up in the marriage.
Couples need to acknowledge past hurts and disappointments, which often result in people building walls around issues of their hurt, in the process destroying the marriage. His view is that each party needs to be sensitive and offer support through thick and thin.
“The couple should know that they are each other’s healer,” he said, further reminding couples to always reflect and remember why they married in the first place and rather be each other’s cheerleaders than fighters.
He encouraged couples to be quick to forgive each other and focus on their best attributes and characteristics rather than the negative. This, he says, always builds trust and further fans the flames of love between a couple.
The guest speaker, Pastor Advocate Holele and his wife Dr Kgaugelo Mashishi from Couples Foundation International in South Africa, also gave their insights about love and agreed that the theme ‘Love Revival’ was just relevant for today’s world, where couples fight instead of embracing their love and union.
Apostle Kabelo and his wife, have observed over time that there is a desire among people to have strong families and they hope to further make an impact in that regard.