Global Youth Arise: Building Families on a firm foundation

The conference began in a powerful praise & worship session, panelists were welcomed and started enlightening us with the wisdom from the word of God, and their personal experiences in the journey of relationship.

Pastor Blaise shared how he made a decision to never have shortcuts in life, he mentioned also that in times of loneliness never let the devil whisper in your ears, ask God to give you a vision and to guide you in what you’re supposed to be doing. He is your creator, he knows what’s best for you.

The couple also highlighted about taking time to both pray for your relationship, which is very crucial as God answers prayers.
In a dynamic elevated mood of the congregation, we welcomed Pastor Henry Mugisha with a rap song where we confessed that the future is bright.
Pastor Henry Mugisha started telling us that our future is bright, that we should never allow something to mess up with that.
He continued saying that in life, we have two main things; PRINCIPLES & SECONDARIES
As the Bible says, to seek first the kingdom of God and everything shall be added unto us. Pastor Henry said to seek the primary, to run after the primary and the secondary shall follow. He continued with explaining and distinguishing dating, courtship & relationship.

With the help of scriptures, In Genesis v2, He shared the key things to work on before courtship:
He mentioned that before thinking of any relationship, we must first build  the relationship with God. We should not use the usual norms, we should consult the Creator’s manual, and know what the Creator says about that relationship.

Before courtship, there is a place. He continued by defining Eden from the Hebrews dictionary as a moment, a presence, a delightful atmosphere and open doors. Stay in the place where God placed you, God will teach you and elevate you.

Before courtship, One should find purpose in God
We don’t find purpose, purpose finds you when you’re in the right place. He mentioned also that we should serve the Lord before marriage. When you find each other, serve the Lord more.

Before courtship, One should know your identity. With the help of simple illustration, Pastor Henry showed us how the more you fill yourself with the word(presence) of God, all the wrong images of yourself get poured out.
He concluded with a prayer and requested the pastor to put youth in serving in the church.

Q&A Discussions:
1. How do you deal with heartbreaks, wounds from past relationships before committing to the next romantic relationship?

Pastor Blaise mentioned that in the healing process, there are both psychological and spiritual ways to heal.
Firstly, He advised to look on the role you played for you to be wounded
Secondly, He said that heartbreaks happened because you were in a place that you were not supposed to be, so he said it is recommended to seek deliverance from God, being in the right place where God wants you to be.

Pastor Henry continued saying never to rush in another relationship with unhealed wounds from the past. You first need healing.
Pastor Kelly advised the congregation to pray for God to give you guidance and heal your wounds.

2. How does a single mother get healed and engage in a relationship?

Pastor Kelly said that it was not easy, she asked herself a lot of questions concerning her future relationship now with a baby, she kept praying and working on herself.

3. How can I be in a healthy relationship while I'm still struggling with addictions, porn, drug abuse, etc.

Pastor Henry answered that those still struggling with addictions, porn, drug abuse, etc. God has a capacity to help everyone, that should boost your hope to overcome, he quoted Jeremiah 29:11. He continued speaking of the power of  associations & mentorship, as it strongly affects one’s life and decisions. Pray for it, share your challenges for help as it is your first step to freedom, and a point of accountability. Stay plugged to where God has placed you
Above all, God is for us not against us, if you're willing to overcome, God is always there to help!

4. Is prayer enough or can we even consult psychologists?

Pastor Henry advised the congregation to be very careful who you go to for help, because for us as christians, our standard is the word of God.
You can go for psychiatrists (professional counsellors) who are also christians. Also consult men of God from your church

5. What advice can you give to young people, who wish for marriages but get scared of divorce rates?

Pastor Blaise: God first and build your foundation on God, he said that it’s riskier being single than married, because there are many blessings that come with marriage. He advised everyone to seek God and then go for marriage.

Pastor Henry concluded by reminding us that God has great plans for us, the future is too bright. Life is a puzzle, and the picture has not yet been finished, God is still putting those puzzles together in the right position.

More pictures: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAN6YE