Derrick Kauka was part of the group mobilised to support Lilian Nderaki’s wedding to another man. Heartbroken but faithful, he waited patiently, and today, God’s timing brought them together.
Derrick Kauka recalls meeting Lilian Nderaki at the Calvary Temple Worship Centre in Mbale, eastern Uganda, where both served as ministers in the church’s music department. At the time, neither of them had marriage on their minds. They were young, focused on serving God, and related to each other strictly as siblings in faith.
‘I joined the Church during my Senior Six vacation,’ Derrick narrates. ‘After joining the music team, I stayed for about a year before leaving Mbale for Gatuna in Rwanda.’ Around the same time, Lilian also left Mbale and relocated to Kenya. Derrick would occasionally return to Mbale, but Lilian remained away. In 2022, Derrick finally returned to Uganda from Gatuna and settled in Kampala for work, unaware that Lilian had also returned to Mbale around the same period.
One day, Derrick received a call from his close friend, who would later become his best man, inviting him to serve as the music director for a gospel concert called the Alive Concert in Mbale. Honoured by the request, Derrick asked for leave from work and returned to Mbale for rehearsals that lasted more than a month.
‘That is when I met her again. This time, everything felt different. Back then, I was not attracted to her at all,’ Derrick admits. ‘But when I saw her again, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.’ He was drawn not only by her beauty but also by her character. Lilian was calm, hardworking, deeply committed to serving God, close to his best friend’s family, and lived in the same compound. Above all, Derrick admired her caring nature and strong work ethic.
One moment, in particular, changed everything. ‘We had a small catch-up,’ he recalls. ‘She took care of me so naturally, like a wife would, without any intention. She prepared meals, organised things quickly, and made sure I was okay. It melted my heart.’
Encouraged, Derrick opened up to his best friend about his feelings and his intention to marry Lilian. The response shattered him. ‘He told me she was already taken and that marriage preparations were underway with a man from our church,’ Derrick says. Heartbroken, Derrick chose to accept the situation as a Christian, even though it was not easy, especially since Lilian was the treasurer and coordinator of the same concert he was directing.
‘I kept fighting my feelings until the event ended,’ he says. ‘Then I returned to Kampala, but my feelings never stopped.’ Soon after, Derrick was added to a WhatsApp group for Lilian’s wedding. ‘That felt like adding salt to a fresh wound,’ he says. He still contributed to the wedding preparations. However, two weeks later, he noticed people were being removed from the group. Curious, he made a call only to learn that the wedding had been called off.
Lilian later confirmed to him that she would not go ahead with the marriage, citing personal reasons. Inside Derrick’s heart, hope quietly returned. The following day, he opened up to Lilian about his feelings. She listened but told him she was not in the right emotional position to respond.
‘It took her three months,’ Derrick recalls. ‘I had even forgotten about it. But after three months, she got back to me, and that marked the beginning of our love story.’ Their relationship began with conditions; one being Derrick’s return to Mbale. Despite having built a life in Kampala, he agreed without hesitation.
Proposal
The proposal took place on Valentine’s Day last year. Derrick took Lilian to a hotel in Mbale City, where he expressed his intentions clearly.
‘I told her I was not dating for fun; I wanted marriage,’ he recalls. ‘She asked if I was serious, and I assured her I was ready to settle down.’
Later, in May 2025, they shared their decision with their pastor, proposing to hold their introduction ceremony in January 2026 and the wedding on February 14. However, their pastor surprised them by saying, ‘You are getting married in July 2025.’
Introduction and wedding
Trusting in God’s timing, the couple began their preparations immediately.
‘We did not even hold fundraising meetings,’ they say. ‘God provided everything. It was our season.’
Their introduction took place on November 15, 2025, followed by a wedding ceremony on December 20 the same year.
Through marriage counselling, Derrick learnt that marriage is both permanent and ordained by God.
‘No matter what you face, you stay,’ he says. Lilian emphasises the importance of communication and putting God first. The couple also faced challenges, including public criticism due to their past broken relationships.
‘People talked,’ they say. ‘But we stood together, and God helped us overcome.’
Memorable moments
Derrick’s most memorable moment was singing Lilian’s favourite song, See What the Lord Has Done, for her on their wedding day. ‘It symbolised victory,’ he says. For Lilian, watching her soulmate sing that song was deeply emotional. ‘It melted my heart,’ she shares.
Derrick encourages young men not to lose faith, saying: ‘God is faithful. He will bring the right person at the right time.’
Lilian urges young women to remain patient and trust God’s process.