Marriage Mondays
#MarriageMondays – Batho and Linah Mpholo
Names: Batho and Linah Mpholo
Married since: 20 April 2004
Pet names: Baby
Kids: 4
Scripture foundation: Genesis 1vs27-28
How did you meet?
We met each other in 1996 at the airport, my wife was working as a cleaner in our office
Was it love at first sight?
Yes it was
What attracted you to each other?
Him – i saw a young and innocent girl who looked like a real African queen and i just loved her.
Her – he was just too handsome and i could not keep my eyes off him
Why did you get married?
We loved each other so much that we could not live without each other
How did he propose?
He sent me a screen saver from his computer to my phone, I was at work and had left my phone at home. When i got home and switched on my phone my screen had the words “will you marry me”. I wasn’t sure who sent it and so i called him to find out and he asked me to respond. I was like “respond to what” and he said to the screensaver and then i said yes. After work he came with a ring and flowers.
How has marriage changed you?
It made us very strong, everyday is like a brand new day.
What has marriage taught you?
Patience and perseverance
Timing
Prayer
And to never allow emotions to get in the way of our peace
What do you love most about being married?
The completeness
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your marriage and how did you overcome them?
I once said something hurtful to my wife that made her cry, when she reminded of it i couldn’t remember to this day and then i decided to write to a TV show called all you need is love so that they could help me apologize
What do you mostly fight about?
Well I leave my socks all over the house and she is lenient with the kids
What irritates you about each other?
Nothing, we’ve passed that stage now we enjoy each moment we have with each other in spite of all the differences
How do you keep love alive?
We travel a lot
What do you do for fun together?
We love the beach, we love to play and we love visiting our childhood friends
What do you think marriage is?
The coming together of 2 individuals with different experiences and backgrounds to establish and achieve 1 common goal
What makes marriage work?
Honesty
Respect
Communication
What do you think makes it fail?
Competition
Advices from unmarried people
Infidelity
Lies
What do you think is the reason for people to not believe in the institution of marriage?
Fear of the unknown
Lack of knowledge
Looking at other couple’s challenges and thinking that you’ll also go through the same
Do you think premarital counseling is important and why?
Yes because it prepares you for the journey ahead, its like going through a map before taking going on a trip
Why do you think there’s such a high rate of divorce?
People marry for the wrong reasons, instead of love they do it for what they can get out of it and once that expectation is not met, they resort to divorce. Get married to someone you can’t live without rather than one you can live with.
What measures can be taken to combat this divorce rate?
Prayer
What advice do you have for people who intend to get married?
Know your intentions and reasons for getting married, know God and know that marriage is not a bed of roses, it has challenges, be ready to face those challenges.
