On December 18, 2010 in the city of Kremenchug there was a conference for married couples. The theme of the conference was: "Communication - the first secret of a happy marriage." I think that by the end of the conference everyone agreed with this, but more on that later. The couples who attended were not only from Kremenchug, but also from Komsomolsk, Cherkassy, Kirovograd and Svetlovodsk.

The atmosphere and teaching throughout the program reinforced the topic of the event. The conference was friendly and welcoming, with a true feeling of family. In order to have mutual understanding in the family the couple needs to work on their relationship and appreciate all that is necessary for sincere communication.

The conference organizers asked each married couple to take part in an interesting and difficult task. The husband and wife were asked to assess and appreciate the strengths of their spouse. You may be asking, "Is this task really that difficult?" In fact, the vast majority of married men and women tend to focus more on the shortcomings of their spouse than on strengths and positive qualities. Conference participants were invited to list at least 6 strengths of their spouse and then show their spouse that long-overdue list of "good qualities". The purpose of this task was to help both men and their wives look at each other differently, to focus on the wonderful strengths of their life partner. But there was more to come!

The second part of the assignment was that the husband and wife were supposed to find the obstacles that hinder a family in making time for communication. Maybe for some the hinderance to communication is the television habit, and for others tiredness, or perhaps fear or lack of trust and openness in relationships. Each couple searched for ways to overcome these obstacles. One of the proposed ways was setting up romantic dates for fun and to help with communication. Dates have often helped to improve the relationship between husbands and wives, adding romance to everyday married life. 

The final activity was very touching; husbands and wives wrote each other letters in which they expressed their love and their appreciation for each other. Then the couples at the individual tables enjoyed the romantic atmosphere and the exotic taste of coffee and tart tea, ate cookies, and above all, talked.

After the conference some couples expressed the desire to hold this type of meeting for those who do not yet know the Lord, to share the news of salvation and help couples restore their relationship with the help of the Holy Spirit - to revive those marriages that have come to exist only on paper.

So, returning to the theme of our conference, I can confidently say that the message didn't just "go in ear and out the other", but touched every heart. I hope that the blessing of the Lord's happiness will continue with those Christian families.

Ludmila Zhuk