INSIDE THIS ISSUE

JUNE 2011
MESSAGES
06BishopGabrielReyes,CFCFFLSpiritualDirector
07Ralph&AnneMartin
09ArchbishopSocVillegasandJamieCardinalSins
loveforCFC
10Fr.FrancisGustilo,
CFCFFLAssistantSpiritualDirector
12Fr.ArloYap,SFLSpiritualDirector
14Msgr.Kornu,Ghana
16Fr.JustinSequiera
STORIES & SHARINGS
14MissionaryConfessions:LatinAmerica,Africa
18FindingLoveintheCommunity:
JC&ChinkaSarmiento
21LifesPreciousMiracles:HiediJohannson,Sweden
28LikeSon,LikeFather:PaulandBernardTropicales,
RizalPhilippines
31HFL-TilDeathDoUsPart:MenchieDonato,
Philippines
36KFL-MissysStory:EugeneValdez,MichiganUSA
38HeartsForService:Doming&SusanSarmiento,
PasigPhilippines
52SFL-RediscoveringCatholicism:TinayMamaril,
FLiQ
54YFL-AChildsBattlewiththeBigD:SolFabie,
Pasig,Philippines
55TouchingLivesthroughCreativeEvangelization:
MaricarUrgino
60SFL-ITrustandIChoosetoBelieve
68RenewingOurFamily,DefendingLife,
ParanaquePhilippines
76CFC-TrustingGodsPlan:NoryReyes,Canada
84CFC-AgeisButaNumber:
MaryGraceHermano-Pingoy,Indiana,USA
90YC-ThePermissiveWillofGod:
TristanValdenor,MichiganUSA
92CFC-AllinGodsGrace:JulitaAguila,
Pasig,Philippines
ARTICLES
15YoungMinLogos
20EFIMovingUpDay
20EvangelizationinCambodia
48CoverStory:VisionfortheFuture(30thYear)
Editor-in-Chief: XavyPadilla
ManagingEditor:ChinkaBesinga-Sarmiento
EditorialAssistants:KhymeEsteban
InaGasgonia
MarieRelucio
ArtDirector: GayRacoma-Javier
LayoutArtist:ChristinaMamaril
JoyAguila
JepoyMeneses
MarketingDirector: DesYupano-Padilla
Adviser: FrankPadilla
Contributors:
NaniandBingAlmanza
JulingAguila
BambiDonato
MenchieDonato
VaniaPadilla-Edralin
LorieEguia
RaineEguico
SolFabie
HiediJohannson
MaryGraceHermano-Pingoy
GiellaSanchez
Bernard&PaulTropicales
AnaTorres
MaricarGatchalian-Urgino
TristanValdenor
EugeneValdez
FindCFCFFLon:
FACEB00K wwwfacebookcomcfcfl
TWITTER wwwtwitteicomcfcfl
Y00T0BE httpwwwyoutubecomuseiliqmeuia
AndourServantGeneralonwww.frankpadilla.com
STAFF BOX
JUNE 2011
4
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ADVERTORIAL
MILESTONES

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5
1981,June26:ESTABLISHEDCFCWITH16COUPLES
>
W & , ^ ^: >EW
s'>EW>
>^^>^>^

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1981, July 24: 1ST CHRISTIAN

LIIL kCGkAM CL
Indeed, a Christ-centered renewal of soci-
ety mainly begins with family evangeliza-
tion, primarily through the husband and
wife.
Originally created as LNPs family life
outreach program, Couples for Christ
burgeoned starting with 16 couples being
inducted on July 24, 1981 using the new-
born CFC covenant crafted by Gutierrez.
The frst 16 couples of Couples for Christ
are the following:
1. Frank & Gerry Padilla
2. Danny & Tess Aviado
3. Romy & Irene Arguelles
4. Chito & Shirley Borja
5. Tito & Tuding Collantes
6. Pete & Fely Campbel [Cambel]
7. Tony & Cora Espiritu
8. Danny & Eggie de Guzman
9. Larry & Brenda de Guzman
10. Monching & Baby Ramirez
11. Manny & Ditas Garcia
12. Rey & Diday Saavedra
13. Boy & Elma Santillan
14. Jimmy & Malou Tan
15. Jun & Auring Tan
16. Jojo & Hedy Villegas

From then on, Couples for Christ contin-
ued to spread out all over the Philippines
and throughout the world, renewing fami-
lies, relationships, and communities all for
the greater glory of God.
6
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MESSAGE
HIS EXCELLENCY
MOST REV. GABRIEL V.
REYES, DD
Bishop of Antipolo
Bishop Gabby is
the Spiritual Director
of CFC FFL.
HIS EXCELLENCY
MOST REV. GABRIEL V.
REYES, DD
Bishop of Antipolo
Bishop Gabby is
the Spiritual Director
of CFC FFL.
WhoisJorgeMunar?
Jorge was born on January 27,
1957inBaguioCity.Heismarried
to Rachel, and this year (2011),
theywillbemarriedfor30years.
They have 4 daughters (Marion,
Nikki, Loreen and Kyle) and cur-
rentlyliveinCavite.
Jorge and Rachel joined CFC in
1985, while Jorge was working
with the Cultural Center of the
Philippinesastheprintcoordina-
torforprintmedia.
Jorge experienced a 180 degree
change in his life after joining
CFC,andin1986hecollaborated
withotherstocomeupwithcon-
cepts for the logo, and designed
thesymbol.
Jorge and Rachel serve within
CFC FFL in numerous capaci-
ties - household servant, assis-
tant team leader, guitarist, youth
camp service couple coordinator,
facilitator. They have proclaimed
tobeinthismissiontoserveGod
forlife!
MILESTONE

I
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7
The
Faceless
Christ Logo
In 1986, Frank Padilla was at the
Evangelization Team Training at St.
John the Baptist Parish where Jorge
Munar was an attendee. The original
taskgivenwastomakenewbrochures
fortheupcomingdoor-to-doorevange-
lizationprojectwithinSanJuan,Rizal.
DuringtheTeamTraining,Jorgewas
asked to come up with a symbol that
will ueine CFC The theme of the sym-
bolwas:Christasthecenterofhusband
andwife.
JorgetookinspirationalsofromMat-
thew11:25-30,wherethemessageto
himwascometomeandrest.
Sowhatdoesthelogomean?That
thehusbandandwifeshoulddependon
Christsteachingsandputthoseteach-
ings into action. And in spite of argu-
mentsandmisunderstandings,tokeep
therespectandtrustineachother;and
toholdontoChristastheonlyanswer.
They gently hold hands as a show
ofsincerity;andChrist,atthecenterof
theirrelationship,looksuptoGodasa
gestureofobediencetothewillofGod
anu as an afiimation that love staits
withhusbandandwife.
moretrivia:
JorgealsodesignedtheCFCringslogo,
the 1987 Glory songbook, the Morning
Starlogoandthe1985-87
Ugnayanlogo
Anne onJ l were JeliqbteJ to see irstbonJ o number of yeors oqo in Honilo tbe obso-
lutely omozinq work of Couples for Cbrist in oll its vorious ielJs of mission Since tben
we bove continueJ to encounter tbe qooJ fruit of CIC oll over tbe worlJ
0ur most sincere conqrotulotions onJ qrotituJe for oll you bove Jone onJ ore Joinq to
belp so mony CIC is certoinly one of tbe most impressive exomples of tbe new evonqe-
lizotion tbot our recent Popes bove colleJ for Eoppy Anniversory
Rolpb onJ Anne Hortin
8
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ADVERTORIAL
MESSAGE

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9 Jaime L. Cardinal Sin
and Frank and Gerrys
Couples for Christ:
Friends Who Serve
+SOCRATES
B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of
Lingayen-Dagupan
CouplesforChristwasborninthe
early80sshortlyafterIwasordaineda
priest and became the personal secre-
tary of His Eminence Jaime L. Cardinal
Sin. By then the Cardinal was already
a very famous person, much sought af-
ter by the foreign press because of his
home-grown simplicity and admirable
courageinengagingFerdinandMarcos,
the Philippine president-turned dicta-
tor.

Whilemanyhadtheimpressionthat
politics was at the top of his mind, in
realityitwasntso.Ahugechunkofhis
timewasgiventopastoralwork.Priests
could see him without any appoint-
ment. He was diligent and judicious
in his curia responsibilities, and was a
stickler in keeping a working agenda
for consultors and presbyteral meet-
ings.Priestscouldbetakentotaskifnot
properlypreparedforreports,orwith
answers,forthesegatherings.

The Cardinal was very encourag-

ing, too, of lay leaders. He always ac-
cepted invitations from them to be
guest speaker or mass celebrant. He
always welcomed them in Villa San
Miguel,mostoftenoverbreakfast.With
hissharpmemoryhewouldremember
allthegoings-oninthemandatedorga-
nizations, as recounted to him by their
leaders. No wonder then that when he
seeks their support, he would get it
swiftlyandgenerously.

FrankPadillaandhiswifeGerrywere
steadyvisitorsofCardinalSin.Myneo-
phyte impression then pointed to their
being friends. Cardinal Sin was quietly
admiring of the young Frank and his
idealism about the family. The concept
for Couples for Christ excited him as a
novel and effective way of enriching
the spiritual growth of families and of
strengthening the institution. Now on
hindsight the Cardinal might have had
some prescient foresight of the larger
troubles and threats that the family
wouldbefacinginthenearfuture.
Thefuturecamewiththewaveofthe
heightened Western ideology of popu-
lation control and contraception and
thePhilippinessoonbecamethehatch-
inggroundfortheimportedphilosophy,
ifonemaycallitthat.
World conferences, largely spon-
soredbytheUnitedNationsfrompres-
sureexertedbyradicalfeministgroups
and anti-life proponents, soon con-
vincednations,oursnotexempted,that
the only way for a country to fully de-
velop was to control its population, so
that meager resources would not have
tobedividedamongsomany.
CardinalSinwasgladfortheinputof
theCouplesforChristunderFrankand
Gerry in the response to these confer-
ences. And the Couples for Christ, as it
was growing also in numbers, also en-
larged its support of and assistance to
the Cardinal-Archbishop in the Arch-
dioceseofManilasmanyactivitiesand
programs,suchasthe1995visitofPope
JohnPaulII,theGreatJubilee2000cel-
ebrations,EDSA2andtheWorldMeet-
ingofFamilies.
Suchwasthehelpandinvolvement
of Couples for Christ under Frank Pa-
dilla that the Cardinal, after convening
yet another committee for a national
event,washeardtoutter,Whatcanwe
dowithoutCouplesforChrist?
InmymanyyearswithCardinalSin
Iknowthatfriendshipwithhimmeans
service, or serving together. You know
you have become his friend if he asks
you to serve the Church, and serve her
withallyourmightandsoulandbeing.
Itmayseemlikeastrangeexpres-
sion of friendship and affection. But it
becomes more vividly understandable
whenseeninCardinalSinsdesiretobe
a tiue shepheiu of his lock Anu that is
toleadthesheeptothegreenpastureof
lovingservicetoGod.
Iamnotprivytothemanypersonal
exchanges and conversations between
Cardinal Sin and Frank and Gerry Pa-
dilla, but I am certain that they were
marked with much candor and humor,
and,asitiswithfriends,muchtrustand
joy.
FromwhereheisIknowthatCardi-
nal Sin smiles on Frank and Gerry and
thanksthemandtheCouplesforChrist
which they founded and which now
continuesinCouplesforChristFounda-
tionforFamilyandLife.##
ARCHBISHOP
SOC B. VILLEGAS
is the Spiritual Director of
CFC-FFL Young Ministries
Fr. FRANCIS
GUSTILO, SDB
is the Assistant Spiritual
Director of CFC-FFL
and the Spiritual Director
of CFC Youth for Family
and Life
MydearbrethreninChrist,
IrejoiceheartilyintheLordforHehasgivenabundantblessingstoour
covenantedcommunityoftheCouplesforChristFoundationforFamilyand
Life.
Whilemanypersonsnormallycountblessingsasalwaysthegoodtidingsin
wonderfulexperiences,wecountasblessingsgoodexperiencesandpainful
ones as well positive stiokes anu uificult ones as well haimony anu mis
understandings as well. This faith-perspective is rooted in the very Cross
experienceofourLordJesusChristandinthesubsequentpersecutionssuf-
fered by the early Christian communities, particularly Sts Peter and Paul,
ourpatronsofEvangelization.Cometothinkofit,Paulhimselfwouldnot
have been able to present the core of the Gospel message in the imperial
hallsofKingAgrippaandattheheartoftheRomanEmpirehadhenotbeen
persecuted, rejected and reviled by his fellow Jews. Jesus predicted in his
resurrectionappearanceontheshoresoftheSeaofGalileethatPeterwill
beledwherehewouldnotwanttogomuchinthesamewaythatheexpe-
riencedofhispassionanddeath.
Today our Philippine Church faces the onslaught of the RH Bill and[the
possible] Divorce Bill debates in Congress. And yet what better venue to
proclaimtheChurchsfaithregardingfamily-and-lifeChristianvaluesthan
thesehallstogetherwiththewiderangeofmediacoverageinnewspapers,
radio commentaries and television talk shows. Our very own community
experienceinthelastfouryearshassharpenedthefocusforwhichtheHoly
SpirithasraiseduptheCouplesforChristcommunitythirty-yearsago:we
arefoundedforthepromotionanddefenseofFamilyandLife.
So,letusrejoiceheartilyintheLordandletusblessHismightyname.For
itiswhenweareweakthatwearestronganditiswhattheworldcalls
foolishandastumblingblockthatisthewisdomandthepowerofGodthe
MostHigh.
The assurance of my constant prayers for everyone committed in the
Evangelization through the Renewal of the Family! Praised be the God
andFatherofourLordJesusChrist!
FrFrancisGustilo,SDB
10
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MESSAGE
ADVERTORIAL

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11
Fr. ARLO YAP, SVD
is the Spiritual Director
of CFC Singles for Family
and Life
Ny iist foimal encountei with CFC
FFLwasthroughitssinglesministry
CFC Singles for Family and Life in
February2009.Iwasinvitedtogive
a workshop on the Liturgical Bible
Study and to celebrate Mass at the
World Singles Congress in Baguio.
From then on, I became a more fre-
quentpartnerandcompanionofCFC
SFLinitsactivities.Ayearafter,Iwas
appointedandgiventheprivilegeto
betheministrysSpiritualDirector.
What strikes me powerfully about
this community is its intense spiri-
tuality. The work of the Holy Spirit
isstronglymanifestedintheadvoca-
cies theyve established and contin-
uetosupportLivePure,Vocations,
Anti-RH Bill, etc. The creativity of
this community in communicating
the message of the Gospel and their
stand on various advocacies is truly
inspiringandcontagioustoo!
On the celebration of its 30th An-
niversary, may CFC-FFL continue to
keep the lame of this passion foi
mission and evangelization ever
burning,soastodrawmoremenand
womentoitslightalightthatleads
peopletoChrist.
Theie is a saying that kites ly high
againstthewind,notwiththewind.
Soar higher, CFC-FFL! There will
surely be forces that you will battle
against As you ly high against the
wind,youwillfacerejectionandper-
secution.AnythingthatisofGodwill
surelyfacetheoppositionoftheevil
one.Asithasbeeninthepast,letthe
power of the Holy Spirit carry you
through to overcome every obstacle
and to reach greater heights. My
prayers remain with you as you be-
ginyourjourneytoyourgoldenyear.
Happy30thAnniversary,CFC-FFL!
12
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MESSAGE
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
1983: First formal planning
session, at Alpadi. Formulated
statementsofmissionandphiloso-
phy.
1984: ESTABLISHMENT
OF CFCFI
In June 1981, Couples for Christ
(CFC) found its beginning through
the effort of the charismatic com-
munity Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon
(LNP) to evangelize married cou-
ples. Sixteen (16) couples com-
pleteu the iist Chiistian Life Pio
gram,andthusstartedthestoryof
CFC.
Bytheendof1981,CFChadatotal
of34couples.Twoyearslater,CFC
hadgrownto160couples.
WhilearayoflightshoneonCFCs
early years, a dark cloud hovered
over the Philippines, with eco-
nomic and political instability. In
theseuncertaintimes,CFCtookthe
boldstepofformalizingitsidentity.
UpontheadviceoftheLigayaBody
of Coordinators, CFC was regis-
teieu as a nonstock nonpioit
corporationonJanuary30,1984at
the Securities and Exchange Com-
mission (SEC) under the name:
Couples for Christ Foundation Inc.
Theincorporatorsandmembersof
the iist Boaiu of Tiustees weie
1.VictorinoB.Gutierez
2.RaulG.Sarceda
3.FranciscoA.Padilla
4.FranciscoF.delRosario
5.PioS.Acampado
6.JoseT.Villegas
7.RobertoPilar
8.CarlosC.Salinas
9.AntonioO.Vasquez
10.VictorU.Gamboa
At last, Couples for Christ had ob-
tained a legal identity. Upon us,
GodhasgivenHispreciousanoint-
ing. Our creation story has been
made complete. God saw all that
He had made, and it was very
good.(Gen1:31)
Weveonlyjustbegun.Thebestis
yettocome.
ADVERTORIAL

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13
CONGRATULATORY
MESSAGE ON THE THIRTIETH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE COU-
PLES FOR CHRIST FOUNDA-
TION FOR FAMILY AND LIFE
BY REV. MSGR. ANTHONY
KORNU, VICAR GENERAL,
HO DIOCESE
The threat to human life and all
that supports it, like the family,
atalllevels,hasreachedalarming
proportionsinourage.
Thirty years ago Blessed Pope
John Paul II, the Vicar of Christ,
sought to alert humanity, espe-
ciallyallpeopleofgoodwill,about
thisthreat,whichhedescribedas
the culture of death. To counter
this culture of death the Pontiff
invitedthebaptizedandmenand
women of good will at every op-
portunitytoprayforGodsmighty
intervention.
The founding of the Couples for
Christ Foundation for Family and
Life, obviously, must have been
inspired by the Holy Spirit as an
answertotheprayersonbehalfof
humanity, the family and human
lifebytheBlessedPopeJohnPaul
II.Surely,itisprovidentialthatas
CFC-FFL celebrates its thirtieth
anniveisaiy the beatiication of
the Holy Pontiff should also take
place.
We in the Ho Diocese of the Volta
Region of Ghana, especially the
SacredHeartCathedral,whohave
hadtheCFCFFLestablishedinour
Parish six years ago, salute the
CouplesForChristFoundationFor
FamilyandLife,andsay:Congrat-
ulations!
TAOS PUSONG BUMABATI SA
30TH KAARAWAN PAGDIRIWAN!
MoreGreasetoyourelbows!
14
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MESSAGE
Missionary
Confessions
Itisnotyouwhochoseme,butIchose
you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit that will remain so that whatever
youasktheFatherinmyname,Hemay
giveyou.(John15:16)
Wehavebeeninthecommunityforsix-
teenyears.AsmembersofCFC,wehave
takentoheartourcalltodomissionary
woik speciically in the Continent of Af
rica.Whileonmission,Godtaughtusto
changeandtransformmanyareasofour
lives.Wevelearnedtoletgoofsomeof
ourattachmentsandevenmoreofwhat
wewerecomfortablewith.

In one of our many trips, God tested

our faith. We were with our daughter
Victoria then and we were going to at-
tendthelocalconferencesandconduct
pastoralvisits.WearrivedinJohannes-
burgataround11intheeveningwhere
ourhost -JerieandGraceYanoria,met
with us. Upon reaching their house,
GraceandIenteredthehomeaheadof
theotherswhileVictoriawaitedforJe-
rietohelphimwiththeluggage.There
was excitement in the air because the
full-time missionaries assigned in that
area had been waiting to welcome us.
WhenGracewenttocheckonJerieand
Nani,sheimmediatelyturnedbackand
exclaimed,TitoNaniisbeingrobbed!
The excitement turned into silence. I
Johannesburg,
South Africa
Bing and Nani Almanza
asked everyone to pray and cast out
theevilonethathadsuddenlyattacked
thosethatwerestillinthegarage.Grace
saw a robber pointing a gun on Nanis
chest and another with a shotgun near
thegetawaycar.
Astherobberswerequicktounloadthe
luggage from the cars into their own,
Nani tried to protect an attach case
he carried with him that contained the
stipendsofthemissionaries,whichwas
underneath the front seat by using his
feet to move it away from sight but a
robbersawthisandhithiminthestom-
ach. The amount of the stipend stolen
was $ 10,000. Trying to save on bank
charges for sending the stipend, Nani
decided to carry this and give the mis-
sionariestheirstipendtilltheendofthe
year.Nanialsopleadedthattherobbers
leave his diabetic pills and our pass-
ports but his pleas remained unheard.
Astherobbersdroveoff,theythrewout
my passport and that of Nanis. They
might have unknowingly taken our
daughterVictoriaspassportwiththem
despite her frantic demands to return
it.Allofthesehappenedwithin5to10
minutesbuttoallofusthere,itfeltlike
forever!
When the police came, there was no
traceoftherobbersnortheirgetaway
vehicle.TheheadofCFCJohannesburg,
togetherwithhiswifecamerightaway,
upon learning of the incident. That
sameevening, an e-mail blast was sent
to all our brothers and sisters in the
world. There was an outpouring of
prayers,loveandconcern.Ourbrethren
gave money to help buy some neces-
14
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MESSAGE
sities and some clothes that we could
wear.Ourstorywassharedtothecom-
munity and an appeal was made for
the lost stipend. And the members re-
spondedgenerously.
While waiting for our daughters pa-
pers to be processed, we took some
time to iegioup It was a time to ielect
onwhatHewastryingtodoinourlives,
whilesayinggood-byetothemanyma-
terialthingstakenfromus.Godshowed
us a time of emptying, where we were
totally dependent on Him alone. It was
atimeofcomingbeforeHimaskingfor
the grace to be able to forgive - those
who took away our attachments, our
pride and dignity; those who violated
ourrightsandfreedom.Itdidnotcome
easy,butGodgaveusthegracetodoso.
Anoutpouringofloveandsupportfrom
our brothers and sisters was given to
us wheievei we went They gave inan-
cial support in spite of having nothing
forthemselves.Weevenreceivedword
thatonecountry,China,donatedthefull
amount of the stipend lost in the rob-
bery. Truly, Gods goodness and love
can never be outdone. He carried us
throughthetoughtimesandonceagain
showedusHisgreatlove.
During the early years of our mission-
arywork,Healreadystartedtoteachus
to let go of our worldly attachments -
ourmaterialwantsthathadsometimes
ruledourlife.Godwentastepfurtherin
ourrobberyexperience.Heshowedus
howHecanemptyusofthingsthatare
ofthisworld.Wheneverythingistaken
from you, one feels hopeless and help-
less,butGodshowedusthatHeisallwe
need. He protected us from harm and
shielded us from physical attack that
couldhavebeendevastating.Healsoal-
lowedustoforgiveandletgoofthepain
andhurtthattheexperiencegaveus.
It has been ifteen yeais since that iist
trip in 1996, when we said that we
would never return to Africa. God had
other plans for us. We still cannot fully
understand them, for we have a mys-
terious God. All we need to do is trust
completelyinhim.Wehavelearnedto
embiace oui ciosses tiials uificulties
anu aflictions offei them back to the
LordandleavetherestuptoourFather
forheisourstrength,thestrongholdof
ourlives.
FJitors note Noni is Country Servont of
CIC IIl in tbe 0niteJ Stotes onJ is tbe
Reqionol CoorJinotor of CIC IIl Africo
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15
May this 30th Anniversary
bring to CFC FFL through-
outtheworldadeeperun-
derstanding, passion and
living out of the charism
of this powerful lay move-
ment. May every member
makeCFCFFLawayoflife
woven into every aspect of
their lives, and not a pious
association or a part-time
socialclub.
16
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MESSAGE
FR. JUSTIN SEQUEIRA, SSS
and CFC FFL
MILESTONES
1984: CFC estob||shed |or 0rst t|me outs|de Mon||o,
in Bukidnon
CFChadstartedtogrowthroughoutManila.NowCFClooked
to bringing its ministry to places in the Philippines outside
Manila. The opportunity came in 1984. CFCs parent com-
munity the Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon LNP hau an afili
atedcommunityinBukidnon,Mindanao,calledAngBuhing
Pulong(ABP).AsCFCsharedaboutitsexperiencesinfamily
renewal,theABPbecameinterestedinadoptingthesame.A
team was sent a CLP mounteu anu CFC foi the iist time was
established outside Manila. Raul Sarceda, who was among
the iist CFC membeis in became a missionaiy to Nin
danaobutstayedonasamemberofLNP.
1985: First country outside Philippines - India
1986: 1st Foreign Mission trip to Hong Kong
ItallstartedwithamannamedBrianPotter.Hewasapilotof
Cathay Paciic who was attenuing spiiitual couises in Nanila
with the Ligaya ng Panginoon. He asked for help in behalf
of his group, and Couples for Christ responded. Since then,
CFChasbeeninstrumentalinbindingcouplesandfamiliesin
HongKongtowardsevangelizationthroughfamilyrenewal.
Thankstoourbrothersandsisterswhohaveneverstopped
respondingtoGodscallinbringingpeoplelikeBrianPotter
andmanyothersevenclosertoChristthroughCFCCommu-
nitylife!
Mayeveryhusband,inthisSpir-
it-oriented movement, live up
tohisroleasaSPIRITUALhead
ofhisownfamily,asatop-most
priority,besidesbeingaperson
looking after the material, so-
cial anu inancial aspects of his
family. In this manner he will
alsolearnhowtobeapastorof
hishouseholdorunitorchapter
or district as the case may be.
Let him live out the prophetic
and priestly role of Jesus one
ofthecommunityscorevalue-
besides the kingly (administra-
tor)role.
May CFC FFL hunger to know
theriches,thetreasuresandthe
excitement of being a Catholic
ineveryfabricoftheirlives.
And may the Anniversary Cel-
ebrations have a certain depth,
whose memory will linger on
much after the hype has died
out.
HAPPYANNIVERSARY!
We are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the whole world. We are his witnesses.
Every CFC-FFL member is an evangelizer, in the normal day-to-day environments of our lives.
We look to doing mission beyond our own environments to the very ends of the earth.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY FROM THE CFC-FFL UAE FAMILY!
ADVERTORIAL

I
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17
Goa, the adopted land of that great
missionary, St. Francis Xavier, the
land that in turn gave birth to
Blessed Jose Vaz, the missionary to
SriLanka,istodayCFCFFLsmission
centreinIndia.
With a membership more than 4
times that of Mumbai, one might be
inclinedtothinkofGoaasthestart-
ing point of CFC in India. Far from
the truth! That credit goes to Mum-
bai,thengoodoldBombay!
On October 16, 1985, in the sleepy
suburb of Borivli, 9 couples, who
begantheirCLPinJulyearliermade
their covenant with God and with
eachothertolivethelifeofCouplesfor
Chiist Little uiu these the iist non Fili-
pinoCFCcouples,knowthattheirsmall
step would two years later result in 4
familiesinGoacompletingonApril10,
1987whatisprobablytheonlysuccess-
fulself-administeredCLP,withthreeof
thosecouplesstillinthecommunity24
yearslater.
God used these humble beginnings to
create a community that would lead
tens of thousands of Indians to experi-
encetheloveofGod,thejoyoflivingthe
fullness of life in Christian community,
andtheexcitementofgoingonmission
missionaryfamilies,kid&youthmis-
sionaries,andwomenmissionaries!
CFC-FFL INDIA
18
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SHARING
Finding Love
in the community:
JC & Chinka
Sarmiento
by
Chinka Besinga-Sarmiento,
Full-time Missionary
Prolife Education, Family
and Life Quad Media
you onJ l will trovel for toqetber
well pursue our little stor toqetber well
be boppy os we ore toqetber
we moy never qet to beoven but its
beoven ot leost to try
When my husbanu anu I iist met we
were both full-time lay missionaries in
ourcommunity.Ourrelationshipblos-
somed,inthemidstofourservice.This
iswhyIbelievethatfromthestart,our
marriagewasaspecialgiftfromabove.
Looking back, I realize that our love
storywaswrittenevenbeforeweknew
each other. We found out from our
moms that we were born in the same
hospital, in the same year. They even
went to the same Ob-Gynecologist and
shared the same Pediatrician. But we
wouldnotmeetuntilmuchlater.
Separately,webothjoinedthecommu-
nity in 1993 by way of the youth camp
andservedactivelyinourcommunitys
youthgroup(I,inQuezonCitywhilehe,
in Taguig). We then became mission
volunteers and eventually worked as
full-time pastoral workers after gradu-
ation. It was during this time that our
paths ciosseu anu we woulu inally
meet.
Its already amazing how God led us
to one another but even more how He
tookspecialcareinpreparingusforour
marriage and family life together. We
are fortunate to have found each other
whileincommunity.Andweareexcited
to have experienced how real Christs
loveisinourlivessowecansharethat
same love to our children. Our prayer
is that others may be blessed with the
same privilege and that they too may
share that same peace in sharing the
rest of their lives with the person that
GodHimselfhaspreparedthemfor.
Sarmiento 1
Casayuran 2
Alvarez 3
Padilla 4
Morales 5
Soler 6
Dunglao 7
Gelido 8
Liban 9
Guarnes 10
Eguia 11
Reyes 12
Contreras 13
Lee 14
Magtibay 15
1
2 3
4
5 6
7
8
9
11
10
12
14 15
ADVERTORIAL

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19
Hopes for CFC-FFL in
China in the next 30 years
Stiengthen the membeiship
ofthelocalChinese.Hopingthere
willbefutureleaderscomingfrom
thelocalChinesemembershipto
continuetheevangelizationmission
inChina
Cieate CFCFFL paiishbaseu
communityindifferentareasin
China
VICTORIES
Piaise uou foi iesuiiecting
theCFC-FFLinShanghai
Piaise uou foi having a veiy
supportiveparishpriestin
St.PetersChurchwhereCFC-FFL
started
Piaise uou foi allowing oui
communitytocloselysupportSt.
PetersChurch-almostallmembers
areservingtheparishindifferent
ministries
Piaise uou foi pioviuing us
newleaders,EricandRaquelSo,
tocontinueourmission.
STRUGGLES
Nost of the CLS giauuates aie just
transientsinShanghaiandeithergo
homeforgoodorre-locateforwork
aftertheCLSgraduation.So,theres
notmuchgrowthintermsofactive
membership
Nembeis have vaiying woik
schedulesindifferentlocationsin
Shanghai.
CFC-FFL
China
BEGINNINGS
The iist batch of CLS paiticipants in
Shanghai(St.PetersChurch)gradu-
atedonJuly27,2008(Jun29-Jul2708
CLS)undertheteamleadershipof
BobotIsip.Therecouldhavebeen
previousChristianLifeSeminarscon-
ductedinShanghaibutmembership
wasdissolved.CFC-FFLwasre-started
by this iist batch in
AllcoordinationworkforCLS1from
planning,speakerarrangement,invita-
tionsandannouncements,weredone
byonepersononly-BobotIsip.Praise
Godforhisenergyanddedication.
Fromthenon,aCLShasbeenconduct-
edinStPetersChurch,Shanghaievery
year.
ADVOCACIES
Aim to foim CFCFFL commu
nityinotherparishesinShanghai
(St.FrancisXavierandSt.Ignatius
Churches)
Suppoit the evangelization mis
sionbystrengtheningthepresence
ofCFC-FFLinShanghaiasastart
CURRENT PROJECTS
NER Bone on Febiuaiy
BWR Bone on Nay
BWR }uly
CLS August
20
I
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ARTICLE
This years theme seems to coincide
with the batch that was called upon to
serve and be part of the community.
Like all other Christian Life Seminars,
the service team went through a lot of
challenges spiritually, physically and
emotionally, but through and with His
will, everyone was given the strength
to pursue Him in faith. This particular
CLS though was far from ordinary as
Cambodia is primarily a non-Christian
country.Despiteapparentchallengesto
thecommunitysgrowthinthearea,12
fruitsoflaborwereharvestedlastApril
3,2011-4Cambodiansand8Filipinos.
Each session brought in different ex-
periences for the participants and the
serviceteamalike.Astheseminarpro-
gressed, so did everyones will, dedica-
tionandfaith.Trivialissuesconsidered
as stumbling blocks became building
blocks for camaraderie and under-
standing,aswellastestingeachothers
patience.
Theie weie iist time shaieis who ie
allyopeneduptheirsoul,withthegrace
oftheHolySpirit,infrontofthepartici-
pants and the service team. What the
participants experienced was like no
otherandtruly,theHolySpiritdescend-
ed upon all and proclaimed His pres-
ence.Ireallyaskedtobeabletospeak
intonguesanduponthatmomentIwas
and I just couldnt stop and I was cry-
ingsaidRJoneofthenewmembersof
SFL.NothingisimpossiblewithourGod
aslongaswewholeheartedlyaskforit;
He will readily show us His almighti-
ness.
Likewhattheparticipantsweresaying,
they again coniimeu foi themselves
that whatever background one comes
from,whatevernationalityorwhatever
past we may all have, we are HIS chil-
dren and HE will always welcome us
backinHISlovingarms.
By Giella Sanchez,
CFC Fulltime Lay Missionary
CFC-FFL Cambodia
CLS 2011
San Isidro Labrador Parish
Child Learning Center
Moving Up Day
March 23, 2011

SILP Chilu Leaining Centeis iist

school year was marked by a Moving
UpDayheldlastMarch23,2011atthe
SanIsidroLabradorParishChurch.We
hadasourgueststheparishpriest-Fr.
Eric Salazar who allowed us to use the
oldchapelofSILPfortheschool,Mr.Ro
gelio Alejandro - the barangay captain
Ms. Tess Piolo and the SILP Education,
Screening Committee, members of the
SILP Commission on Human Develop-
ment,CFCFFLsWWPfulltimeworker
BonjieBonjibodandWWPsteaminthe
DioceseofParaaque.
Lorna Evidente, SILP education pro-
gram coordinator gave the welcome
remarks. She talked about the remar-
kablechangesshesawinthechildrenin
thedifferentaspectsoftheirlives.They
also now know how to pray through
their Catechism classes held every Fri-
day. She then thanked Fr. Eric and the
parishioners of San Isidro Labrador,
Bgy.Capt.Alejandrowhogenerouslyal-
lowed the school to use the basketball
courtandtheirsoundsystemwhenever
wehadaprogram,andCFCFFLIndiana
for their funding. Aling Luna was gra-
ciouslythankedforthefoodshecooked
dailyforthechildren.
ThemorningsessionsangLord,IOffer
My Life to You with actions while the
afternoon session gave their own ren-
dition of the action song We are One,
whichisanoriginalcompositionofone
the parish staff members Benjie de
Guzman.HeidiRamirezrecitedapoem
entitled Whopee, which is about look-
ingatgraduationnotastheendbutthe
beginning.
Fr. Eric gave a talk, which centered on
havingavision.Thepre-schoolstarted
as a vision by the parish and CFC FFL.
Now,itisarealityandthechildrenhave
ieceiveu the beneits of going thiough a
freepre-school.
ThepresentationofthediplomasbyFr.
Eric,medalsbyBgy.Capt.Alejandroand
ribbons by Rene Evidente followed the
talkofBgy.Capt.RogelioAlejandro.

The inale was a beautiful song entitleu

Pasasalamat. The children then pre-
sentedtheguestswithroses.
A simple salo-salo capped the whole
day of festivities. It was a memorable
day for everyonethe guests, the par-
ents,theteachersbutmostspeciallythe
children.
Tbe SllP CbilJ leorninq Center is o portnersbip of
CICIIl Work Witb tbe Poor witb tbe Son lsiJro lob
roJor Porisb ot los Pios usinq CIC FIls BATA Bi
yoyonq Arol Tonqinq Aloy Prescbool proqrom We
ore Juplicotinq tbe some proqrom ot o porisb in So
qoJ Soutbern leyte tbis cominq scbool yeor Eope
fully tbis will be o templote of more CICIIl Sociol
Hinistries involvement in tbe porisbes lsoios Bon
jiboJ CIC IIl Iulltime Worker Work witb tbe Poor
SHARING

I
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21
I joined the community of CFC in the
year 1998. I served as one of the HH
servantsandoftentimesvolunteeredas
a member of the service team in other
communityactivitiesinOslo.Imovedto
Sweden when I got married in Decem-
berof2006toaSwedishnational,who
isnotamemberofourcommunitybut
is a devout Catholic and a God-fearing
andlovingman.
Two months after the wedding, I got
piegnant with oui iist chilu We weie
sohappyandfeltsoblessed.However,
on the second month of my pregnancy,
Lifes Precious
Miracles
By Hiedi Johansson
CFC FFL Sweden
I started to bleed. I was rushed to the
hospitalwhereaD&Cprocedurehadto
beperformedonme.Myhusbandand
I cried for the baby but what made us
so sad was when I found out that the
young lady patient with whom I was
sharing my room was admitted for an
abortion.Afterthatincidentwestarted
to pray for aborted babies and asked
Godtogiveusthosechildreninstead.

After a year and a half I was pregnant

again. I did everything I could to keep
my baby safe. My pregnancy had not
been easy since I suffered from bleed-
ing & abdominal pain for no reason. I
wasalmostlyinginbedallthetime.On
December18,2008,after36hoursofla-
bor,Igavebirthtoababygirlwhomwe
named after my favorite saint, Therese
of the Child of Jesus. Sadly, we lost
Baby Therese after three hours. She
had suffered from a skull fracture and
massive bleeding in her brain. She was
the victim of medical malpractice and
negligence. It was the darkest moment
ofmylife.IwassoangrythatIblamed
everyone including God. I asked Him,
why?IdidnttalktoHimforweeks.But,
with our family, friends and the whole
community in prayer, I was healed of
my hurts and started seeing the light
at the end of the tunnel. I offered my
tears to God each time I cried for my
daughter until I learned to accept that
she was happy together with our Cre-
ator. My husband and I started to pray
novenas to our favorite saints for only
onewishandthatwasforGodtogrant
uschildren.
After 6 months I was once again with
child. My pregnancy went well, unlike
my previous pregnancies. I was full of
hope anu coniuence this time aiounu
until I went foi my iist ultiasounu We
were devastated when they found out
that there was no life in my womb! I
had to undergo another D&C proce-
dure. While waiting for my surgery, I
asked God to stop testing me because
nomatterwhattrialHegavemeIwould
always praise Him and look at Him as
myGodandSavior.
After all the things that had happened
IlearnedtoputeverythinginHishand.
I never lost hope. One time when my
husband and I were praying together,
I asked God to give me twins. My hus-
band said it would be impossible since
therewerenotwinsinhisfamilynorin
mine.But,likeJobintheBible,Idobe-
lieveinmiraclesandinGodspromise.
Two months followed and I found out
thatIwaspregnantforthefourthtime.
On the third week of my pregnancy I
had to be rushed to the hospital be-
cause I was bleeding again. But this
time, I was not afraid; I put everything
inGodshandandevenwenttothehos-
pital by myself. The doctor conducted
an ultrasound to check what was the
causeofbleeding,andIalmostjumped
out from the examination bed when
shesaidIwashavingtwins!Everything
seemed okay and I was told that the
22
I
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SHARING
bleeding was perfectly normal! I went
homethankingGodforthegoodnews!
After 25 weeks and 5 days into my
pregnancy, my water broke and I was
immediately rushed to the hospital.
My doctor waited until my 26th week
andonApril21,2010,anacuteCSwas
performedsoastopreventanyfurther
harmonmeandmybabies.Atlast,my
twins wereborn!I praisedtheLordall
nightwhenIwokeupfromthesurgery.
A day after we talked to the pediatri-
cian, she said that we should be aware
thatourbabiesconditionwasunstable
sincetheywereextremelypremature.
As parents we were really crushed by
thetruthwhenshebegandiscussingall
therisksfromheadtofoot.Theirdeli-
cate health made them very prone to
any kinu of sickness In theii iist thiee
weeks they were 90% prone to brain
damage. At their early age they had to
take large doses of antibiotics. Their
lungs were not mature enough so they
breathed with the help of a respirator.
Another major concern was that the
chamber that connects their heart to
theirlungsremainedopen.
I prayed like I never prayed before! I
askedGodforstrengthformychildren
and asked everyone else to pray for
them too. Everyday was a new day for
us as long as we knew that our babies
were alive. When they were almost 40
weeks old, the doctor found out that
there was something else wrong with
theireyesandthattheyhadtoundergo
laser eye surgery. Once again, we cried
for our children. To think that they
wouldturnblindfeltlikesomeonehad
drivenanailintomyheart.Icouldfeel
theirpainandallIcoulddowastoask
forGodsmercy.
Thetimecamewhenwecouldbringour
babies home. They had overcome that
very sensitive stage and were on their
way to becoming healthy, normal and
happy! They were indeed Gods pre-
cious miracles testaments of His love
and mercy to us! Our twins are now 1
year and 2 months old. Usually prema-
ture babies are sickly but our children
have never been sick since they came
home from the hospital. I praise the
Lord for His goodness to my family!
Indeed, He always has the best plan in
storeforus.Heisfaithfultothosewho
remain faithful to Him. Praise God for-
ever!
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
1989, August:
Near-deathattackonFrank
Padilla; afterCommunitysDecade
PlanforRapid,MassiveandGlobal
Evangelization
1989, September:
SenatorAmbrosioandLourdes
Padilla donate Alpadi Renewal
Center to Ang Ligaya ng Pangi-
noon/CouplesforChrist
1993 Separated from LNP;
Set up of Family Ministries
CFC has been related to a cov-
enanted community called Ang
LigayaangPanginoon(LNP).LNP
was used by the Lord to start CFC
and through the years many of
CFCs top leaders joined LNP in
ordertoreceivefurtherformation.
However as the work of CFC ex-
pandedtremendously,thecommu-
nitybegantoexperiencemoreand
moie tensions scheuule conlicts
and incompatible demands on the
loyaltyandcommitmentofcouples
who were in both LNP and CFC.
Since LNP expected that it be the
priority,theinterestsofCFCinevi-
tably came out second best. Thus
on March 19, 1993, a new council
was elected by an overwhelming
majorityofCFCtopleadersandon
March 25 of the same year, Bish-
op Lagdameo formally installed
the new Council members. He af-
iimeu in his homily the neeu foi
andthrustofCFCtowardsmassive,
rapidandglobalevangelization.
1993broughtCouplesforChristto
another major stage in its evolu-
tion.Itwasatthepointofamajor
take-off in pursuing the vision re-
vealed in 1984 for it to be Fami-
lies in the Holy Spirit that will re-
new the face of the earth. Many
signiicant changes happeneu in
CFC- changes in system, structure,
skills,strategyandthebirthofnew
ministries-CFC Children Center,
CFC Young Adults Program, CFC
Singles for Christ and CFC Hand-
maidsoftheLord.
24
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SHARING
I was only around 7 years old at the
time, but I do clearly remember that
my dad just suddenly wasnt feeling
well.Hewasgettingchillsandnomat-
ter what we did, it wouldnt stop. I re-
member piling up pillows on him and
wrappinghiminathickblanket.Ididnt
think it was anything life threatening
until he started to have convulsions.
My mom decided then to rush him to
thehospital.Irememberhowpanicked
she looked, but still remained in con-
trol.Shedirectedourdrivertodriveour
thensmallcarandthenshehadmydad
put at the back seat where she stayed
with him. I remember pleading to go
with them, but I knew that I wouldnt
beallowed.Theysoonspedoffintothe
night.
When I speak to my mom about that
time,IthankGodthatshehadthegood
sensetobringmydadimmediately.She
also placeu hei ingeis in his mouth
to prevent him from biting his own
tongue She got black anu blue ingeis
for a while but it was well-worth it.
Sincewelivedfarawayfromanymajor
hospital, my mom decided to stop by a
smallerhospitalalongMarcoshi-wayto
buy oxygen. It was another grace from
God that she would think to do such a
thing. This helped my dad breathe as
theymadetheirwaytothemainhospi-
tal.
The next recollection I have is of my
momcrying.MydadwasintheICUand
kidswerentallowedtoenter.Mymom
hadthenexplainedthatmydadssitua-
tionwassobadthathemightnotmake
outofitalive.Hewasinacomaandhe
had a disease that no doctor could ex-
plain. He didnt look like he was going
tomakeit.IrememberIhadjustcome
home from school and I didnt know
what to think. I got out my pad paper
and then decided to write a letter to
God. I asked God to spare my dad to
By Vania Padilla-Edralin
CFC FFL Metro Manila, Philippines
In the
Eyes of a Child
takemylifeinhisplace.IknowIdidnt
think much of it then but I know how
deep that proclamation was for a 2nd
grader. I guess I knew then how much
mydadhadyettodoinhislife.
Then I remember my mom telling me
that they were going to sneak me into
theICUtoseemydadbeforehewould
eventually pass away. I think my mom
convincedthenursessayingthatwont
theyevenallowthechildtoseeherdad
who would die anytime? He had just
a 20% chance of living at this point. I
remember going in and seeing him ly-
ingthere,withsomanytubesattached
to him. I cannot forget feeling his pain
anditmademefeelterriblysad.There
were dozens of people praying outside
the ICU and I was moved by how all of
themhadcometosupporthimandour
family.
In September 1989, after my dad was
miraculously healed from an unknown
ailment, my grandparents were so
moved by what the community had
donefortheirson.Theyweresograte-
fulfortheloveandsupportshownand
for the gift of a second chance in their
sonslifethattheydecidedtocommita
portionoftheirland,theAlpadiRenew-
alCenter,forthecommunitysuse.This
was their way of saying thank you and
declaring their support for the life and
path that their son had chosen. I think
they really saw how God had shaped
my dads life, from being a man of the
world and how he was transformed to
theamazingfamilyman,father(grand-
father)andCatholicheistoday.
After that event, the only other recol-
lectionIhaveisofmydadmiraculously
wakinguponthe3rdday.Hejustwoke
upandwas100%ok.Untilthisday,doc-
torshavenoideawhatsicknesshehad
or what healed him. It was just a mir-
acle in every sense of the word. Gods
healing hanu with the afiimation Son
youarenotdonedoingMyworkyet.
FJitors Note vonio is tbe Jouqbter of
Ironk onJ 6erry PoJillo Sbe onJ ber
busbonJ Sonti ore octive members of
tbe CIC IIls Younq Couples 6roup Tbey
bove o son Sontino onJ o Jouqbter Yso
bello onJ ore expectinq tbeir tbirJ cbilJ
in Auqust of tbis yeor
A Gift
from the Heart
ADVERTORIAL

I
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25
Buddy&NormieCabatic
Chito&GloJiongco
Ochie&RizGeronimo
Jun&FannieDeVera
Rey&DelCantaoi
LittleKairi
CFC-FFL CANADA
Kim&NesFlores
AlexFerriois
Ourlifeandmissionisfounded
onstrongfamiliesinChrist.
WedefendandstrengthenChristian
marriage,weraiseourchildren
tobethenextgenerationofGods
people,weestablishourhomesas
piecesofKingdomground.Inour
defenseofthefamily,wearecalledto
astrongadvocacyanddefenseofthe
cultureoflife.
Jun,Fannie,Cathy,Karen,John
26
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Rene & Mona Lucero HH:
Jun & Myrna Panganiban,
Uly & Sophie Sto. Tomas,
Abe & Neng Surilla,
Rene & Mona Lucero,
Martin & Pura & Johannes
Dorfner.
WeareprivilegedtoserveGod
and His people, both in and
out of CFC-FFL. We serve with
the mind and heart of Jesus,
who came to serve and not to
be served (Mt 20:28). Leaders
aretoservewithhumility,self-
saciiice anu submission to the
Chief Shepherd, to whom we
willrenderanaccount.Hewho
wishes to be great shall be the
leastofall.
MILESTONES

I
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CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
1996, March: Ateneo Ozanam Award
for CFC
InMarch1996,theAteneodeManilaUniversitypre-
sented the Ozanam Award to the Couples for Christ
community.
TheOzanamAwardwasfoundedin1937forthepur-
poseofgivinghonortoChristianswhohavegivendis-
tinctive and continued service to their fellowmen in
accordancewiththeprinciplesofJusticeandCharity.
It is given only to laymen or laywomen, and it is in-
tendedtoemphasizethefactthatCatholicsandother
ChristiansarealsoCitizens.
The Award is named after Frederick Ozanam, now
Saint,thegreatFrenchCatholicleader,whofounded
the St. Vincent de Paul Society for the relief of the
poor.
1996, May: CFC publishes its First Book,
Fishers of Men by Founder and Servant
General, Frank Padilla
1996, July: CBCP approval as National
Private Association of the Lay Faithful
Onthe8thofJuly1996,TheCatholicBishopsConfer-
enceofthePhilippinesgrantedrecognitiontoCouples
forChristasanationalPrivateAssociationoftheLay
Faithful. The recognition followed the recommenda-
tions of two CBCP commissions, the Episcopal Com-
mission on the Doctrine of Faith (headed by Arch-
bishop Pedro Dean) and the Episcopal Commission
on the Laity (headed by Bishop Angel Lagdameo).
The plenary meeting where the grant of recognition
was decided, was itself presided by Archbishop Os-
carCruzofLingayen-Dagupan,CBCPPresident.Bish-
op Angel Laguameo oficially infoiming Couples foi
Christoftherecognitionsaidinhisletter,myprayer-
ful wishes that you may fulill youi commitment to
becomeaLightofChristtotheNations.
1997, January: First International
MIssion Conference
CFC marked a milestone on January 28-29, 1997 as
it held its 1st International Mission Conference at
theCFCRenewalCenterinAntipolo,Philippines.The
Conference consisted of 3 talks Our Call to Global
Mission, Establishing CFC in Countries and The
International CFC Community all given by Interna-
tionalMissionDirector,FrankPadilla.Timewasalso
allotteu foi peisonal ielection iepoiting anu shai-
ingbyregion,groupdiscussionsandplenarysessions
whereactionplanswerepresented.Finally,Frankled
thebodyinprayerforempowerment.
In May 1996, CFC released
its iist publication Fisheis
of Men by Frank Padilla. In
2005, as a full-time lay mis-
sionary for the youth minis-
try,Iwrotethisintroduction
toareportIdidonthebook:
We waited too long. I saw
this blurb at the back of the
book, before picking it up
and reading. and looks to
seeing CFC established in
over 150 countries by the
year 2006. This book was
writtenin1996,9yearsago!
And we only started doing
thisrapidlyforYFC(andthe
otherministriesaswell)just
this2005.Didntwereadit?
If we only moved with that
sense of urgency 9 years
ago, we would have gone to
all150countriesbynow.
The book spoke about dif-
ferent principles of evan-
gelization, heeding the call
of the Master Fisherman,
sometimes falling into the
trapoffailingtorespondand
concreteexamplesofourre-
sponse as isheis of men
We are all missionaries in
this community. We are
called to some level of ser-
vice,inresponsetoHim.As
missionaries, we are called
to uo so much anu saciiice
even more. Before, it was
just to relinquish material
desiresandlivesimply.Now
we are called to go on mis-
siontoplaceswedontknow,
put personal plans on hold,
even give up already low
salariesforevenlowerones.
But that is the greatness of
our calling. We know that
we work for God, and that
what we have in this world
is leeting We know that
our reward is in Heaven for
all eternity. Sometimes we
forget that, thinking for a
moment that we need more
money, we need to provide,
weneedthisandthat.Butwe
alsoneedtorealizethatGod
isTrulyEnough;andthatwe
workforthebestemployer
anyone could ever have. He
hastheresourcesoftheuni-
verseatHisdisposal.
All we need to do is follow
HimandHiswillforus.And
we will be taken care of. All
weneedtodoisbringevery-
one to Christ, through our
life and our words; through
giving up, and lifting up as
well.
Noonesaiditwouldbeeasy,
butwithaGodlikeours,and
a calling that is reserved
only for the chosen, nothing
is impossible. Let us all be
isheis of men

Master
Fisherman
Responding to the
Call of the
By Xavy Padilla
CFC FFL Metro Manila,
Philippines
Full-time Lay Missionary
for CFC FFL Family and
Life Quad Media
28
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SHARING
BERNARD: My wife, Sonia and I are
verythankfultotheLORDforourfam-
ily. We enjoy each others company
and are always there to love, support
andunderstandoneanother.Whatwe
admire most is each members will to
seive the L0RB uespite the uificulties
andhardshipsweencounter.
From the time we joined Couples for
Christ, we have tried our best to raise
our children in the ways of the Lord
with the help of our community. Being
a part of CFC was a major part of our
spiritual journey as a couple, which
is why it was very important for us to
shareourwillingnesstoserveGodwith
ourchildren.
WhenwedecidedtoattendtheCLPon
August 1991, we only had 2 kids but
Sonia was pregnant with our 3rd son.
We were blessed to have six children
all in all. We never had any regrets in
decidingtohaveabigfamilybecauseall
ofourchildrengrewuptobekind,lov-
ingandfriendly.Weneverencountered
anymajorproblemsinraisingthembe-
causetheLordhelpedus,guidedusand
sustainedusinallourneeds.
WealwayspraytotheLordthatHeuse
us-ourlivesandthatofourentirefam-
ily, to proclaim his Greatness. We are
guided by the words, our family, our
treasure; nothing else. And therefore,
as for me and my household we will
servetheLORD(Joshua24:15)
PAUL:Manypeoplesaykunganoang
itinanim, iyon din ang aanihin [Trans-
lation: you reap what you sow], and
it`s true. I believe that I am a product
ofwhatmyparentsstartedwaybackin
November7,1991.
The Roots.Wehaveabigfamily.All
inallweare8inthefamily.Iamthesec-
ondson.Iremembermyparentswould
ask our neighbors, relatives and family
friends to take care of us because they
had to attend household. They were
very active serving the Lord through
our community. Saying no to God`s
calling was never an option, especially
formyfather.It didnottakeuslongto
realize how blessed we were to have
parentslikethem.
The Branches. All of us eventually
became members of the community.
When I was in iist yeai high school
my father invited me to join the Youth
Camp. After completing the camp, I
foundmyselfjoiningafewmoreactivi-
tiesuntilIdecidedtogoinactive.Many
times my father would remind me by
saying, I`m the Youth Coordinatorand
yet youarenot attending. I remember
those words clearly because that be-
camemyturningpointtogoactiveonce
again.
The First Leaves. From then on my
journey to follow in my fathers foot-
steps began. I started to make friends,
then later on attended assemblies,
servedintheyouthcampsandgotmore
involvedincommunityservice.WhenI
reached3rdyearhighschool,Ibecame
a HH Servant and a Program Head. It
was a fruitful and exciting year in my
life. It was in this year that my dream
to become a fulltime worker began to
form.Iwasveryactivethattime,doing
what the Lord wanted me to do, going
toplacesthattheLordwantedmetogo.
The Leaves become Dry.
When the time came for me to discern
Like Father,
Like Son
By Bernard Tropicales
(CFC YFL Couple Coordinator)
and his son, Paul
(CFC KFL Full Time Pastoral Worker)
MILESTONES

I
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29
what course to take in college, I seri-
ously consiueieu what woulu it my
scheuule so as not to conlict with my
commitment to attend community ac-
tivities. I had always dreamt of becom-
ingacheforabiologistbutIendedup
taking Nursing as a course.Although it
wasnt a dream of mine, I had become
aware that my family was getting big-
ger and there was a need to help aug-
mentthefamilysincome.Theplanwas
to graduate from college and apply for
ajobabroad.Ittooksometimeforme
toadjusttomysituationbuteventually
found myself beginning to accept it. It
was then that I also realized that I had
toletgoofmydreamtosomedayserve
Himfull-timeasalaymissionary.
The Fruits. God`s plan is always bet-
terthanours.Ayearbeforemycollege
graduation, I found myself answering
Gods call for me to become a mission
volunteer. I recall being so afraid and
hesitant to accept the offer because I
had so many things to do especially
whenitcametomystudies.InmymindI
thoughtIcouldntmanagemytime,and
yet I knew that the Lord was working
outeverymomentofmylife.Iprayedto
God,surrenderingallmyplans,dreams
and the things that hindered me from
sayingyestoHiscalling.
The Tree that will Bear Much
Fruit. As I enjoyed God`s grace of be-
ingamissionvolunteerithelpedmeto
growdeeperinmyfaithandthedesire
to work full-time for the community
wasrekindled.
After my college graduation, I decided
nottotaketheNursingBoardExam,be-
causeIthoughtthatIwasnotyetready.
That time gave me the chance to go on
mission and to discern about my next
step in life and in my service. I shared
how I felt with my parents and they
agreed to give me the time and space I
needed.Sowiththeextratimegivento
me,Icontinuedtostudyharderinprep-
aration for the board exams. Simulta-
neously,whilereviewing,Ialsomadeit
a point to attend my household meet-
ingsandcontinuetotendtothepeople
whohadbeenentrustedtomycare.
At this time I was also diagnosed with
tuberculosis. Despite my apparent
physical limitations, the desire of my
heart to bring back everything to God
remained. I offered everything to God.
WithhumilityIsurrenderedeverything
to Him, offering my petitions to pass
the board exam and to heal me so that
IcouldserveHimexcellently.
The Lord granted my petitions! He al-
lowed me to pass the board exam and
hehealedme!
Ieventuallybecameafull-timelaymis-
sionary for our community. As I look
back, I realize that the Lord was con-
stantlyremindingmethatHeisincon-
trol,ifonlyIallowHimtotakeover.My
fathermademeseethatandhelpedme
reachthispointinmylife.Iamthankful
foi his example of selless seivice anu
grateful for God, my Heavenly Fathers
manifestation of love and goodness in
mylife.
1997: First Missionaries to
die on Mission in Vanuatu
--Ben Donato and Jun Frias
1998, May: CFC participa-
tion in the World Congress
of Ecclesial Movements
and the Meeting with the
Holy Father in Rome
Frank Padilla attended the World
Ecclesial Congress in Rome last
May30,1998.Hewasjoinedby15
membersofCFCPhilippineswhich
included Charlie Reyes on the last
day of the Congress, which was
capped by a Pentecost Mass ce-
lebratedbyPopeJohnPaulIIatthe
St.PetersSquare.
On May 30, the 15 man group
joined more than 300 CFCs from
different parts of Europe namely
Austria Denmark, England, Italy,
Monaco and Spain. There were
alsodelegatesfromUSandMalay-
sia. They all gathered for a prayer
meeting and fellowship at the La
Immocalata Hall in the Vatican
City.
Inthemeetingwiththebiggroup,
Frank shared and reported on his
experienceduringthe3dayWorld
CongressofEcclesialMovements.
1998: Start of Work with the
Poor in Bagong Silang
1999: Start of Priests for
Family and Life
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
30
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SHARING
On August 15 (Feast Day
of the Assumption of Our
Lady),twoCFCmissionaries,
Ben Donato and Jun Frias,
leu to Papua New uuinea
(PNG) to continue the mis-
sion that CFC community
started. After which, they
went to Vanuatu - a country
that people rarely knew, to
beinthepresenceofFilipino
expatriates and Nivanuatus
(Vanuatunationals).Junand
Benleftthecomfortsoftheir
homeinManilafortheyboth
believed in the urgency and
importance of spreading
Godslovetoall.
On September 8, the Feast
of Our Lady, in preparation
for a Marriage Enrichment
Retreat, Ben and Jun had
to drive on a coral-paved
road, which was normal in
Vanuatu.Withnoroadsigns,
the car skidded off a bridge
withoutrailingsandplunged
intotheTeoumaRiver.
PublicWorksmenfoundthe
carturnedupside-downtwo
hours after. Their lifeless
Faithful Til The End
By Bambi Donato, CFC SFL Manila
Be foitbful until Jeotb onJ l will qive you tbe crown of life
Revelotions c
bodies were recovered and
wereproclaimeddeadonar-
rival at the nearest hospital.
It woulu be too uificult to
imagine how they struggled
before they died, but we all
know is how uificult it must
havebeentogetoutofacar
that fell in water. More so if
thecarfellupsidedowninto
murky water, covered with
lotus loweis It is just com
forting to know that during
this time of struggle, Mama
Marywaswiththem.Arosa-
rywasfoundineachoftheir
palms.
Their bodies were brought
toManilaaweekafterdueto
constiaints in light scheu
ules and quarantine poli-
cies. As Bens only daughter,
I went to Vanuatu, together
with my mom, Menchie and
Juns son, Patrick. Imagine
the feeling of traveling to
pick up a dead body. It was
painful and dreadful. How-
ever it all changed when
we got to Vanuatu and met
the Nivanuatus whom they
both served during the last
days of their lives. My heart
felt that my Papa and Tito
Junwereblessed.Theydied
while doing what they were
borntodo-toloveandserve
Godspeople.Inchoosingto
sharetheirlifetotheNivan-
uatus and Filipinos, they all
gainedalifeinChrist.
I write this article 14 years
afterbutIstillrememberthe
overwhelming support and
comfort we received from
ourfamilyandCFCbrothers
and sisters. Truly that time
of my life was a concrete
manifestation of Gods care
throughCFC-thecommuni-
tyHecalledmetobepartof.
Ben and Juns loss was a
great reminder for all of us
that we gain so much more
whenwegiveourlifetoGod.
Mylifechangeduponrealiz-
ingthatallthatwehave-our
ownlifeandthatofthepeo-
ple we love, belong to God.
Nothing that we will do nor
achieve will ever be as pre-
ciousasthelifewewillhave
whenwefollowChrist.
I decided then to let God
takeovermylifeandofferit
inserviceofHispeople.Like
myfather,Iwantedtobetrue
to what my heart desired at
thattimeandbeusedbyGod
to proclaim His abundant
love. I became a missionary
for the family ministries of
CFC for ten years. My mom
isstillafull-timemissionary
forHFL.TitaLuluFriasand
her family are in different
parts of the world continu-
ing to serve God in the way
theyarecalled.
To this day, I still rest on
Gods promise that He will
take over as my Father and
willneverforsakeus.
Ior me to live is Cbrist
onJ to Jie is qoin Pbil

SHARING

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31
Til Death Do Us Part
by Menchie Donato
Fulltime Pastoral Worker, Handmaids
for Family and Life
To love and to cherish, in
good times and bad times,
till death do us part was
the vow Ben and I made to
each other during our wed-
dingonMay2,1979atMary
Help of Christians Parish,
KalookanCity.Thisvowwas
challenged many times, es-
pecially in bad times, in our
married life. We were
two wounded people who
brought our past hurts into
our marriage, and ended
up hurting each other even
more. We thought our love
wasgoodenoughtomakeus
holdontothatcommitment,
sowefelthelplessandhope-
less.
Iwasabouttogiveupwhen
Maribel Descallar, a former
classmate in college, invited
ustoaChristianLifeSeminar
(CLS) in Pasig City in 1988.
Onlythendidwerealizethat
we needed God to make a
marriagework.InthatCLS,
we saw that we were not
aloneinourstrugglesandin
our desire to be true to our
commitment. We felt then
thatCFCwhosemissionwas
personalrenewalandfamily
renewalwasthecommunity
forus,sowecarriedon.Our
Lordbecameourstronghold
inbuildingafamilyforGod
acallthatwetookseriously.
Then, we felt there was a
higher calling for me and
Ben -- to tell others about
God. So, we said yes and
worked fulltime in His vine-
yardbybecomingamission-
ary couple sent to near and
fai lung aieas in the Philip
pinesandabroad.Imustsay
thosewerethemostblissful
yearswehadasacoupleun-
tilthatfatefuldayin1997.
While on mission, Ben and
a brother Jun Frias, died in
a car accident in Vanuatu.
When the painful news was
relayed to us, I asked God,
Why deprive me as a wife,
at least to hold Bens hand,
during the last few seconds
of his life? God, however
hadthemostreassuringan-
swer-Whatcouldbemore
beautiful than the loving
handsofmymotherholding
the hands of your husband
during the last few seconds
of His life? Their lifeless
bodies were found with a
rosary in Bens hand. They
died on September 8, Mama
Marys Feastday. Peace was
all I felt in the midst of my
grief.Inmyheart,Iknewit
was Gods perfect timing to
takeBenaway.Itwaswhen
ourmarriagewasatitsbest-
whentherewasforgiveness.
Almost14yearshavepassed
sincethatfatefulday.Icould
nothavemovedoninmylife
without God as my strong-
hold. The overwhelming
loveandsupportofmyfam-
ilyandbrethreninthecom-
munity was an afiimation
that God truly sustains the
fatherless and the widows.
To lose a spouse through
death was very painful. It
waslikeasifhalfofmedied
alsowithBen.Iunderstood
then the meaning of hav-
ing Ben as the kabiyak ng
aking puso[Trans. of the
better half referring to the
spouse]. Not seeing Ben
ever anymore no matter
how much I cried deep in
my heart for him to come
back,mostespeciallyduring
Christmas and CFC gather-
ings, was unbearable. But
by the grace of God, I was
able to move on. I cross-
overed to the next ministry
- Handmaids for Family &
Life (HFL). It was not that
easy to do immediately af-
ter Bens death because it
meant acceptance that he
was really gone forever. In
HFL, I felt at home where I
sharemystruggleswithoth-
er widows whose struggles
are the same as mine. I can
tell my own story without
the fear of being judged. I
only have coniuence that I
will be supported through
theirprayers.
IfitwerenotforHFL,Iwould
not have discovered and re-
spondedtomyownperson-
al calling through any other
way. In HFL, even without
Ben, I continue doing what
we as a couple loved doing
most-servingGod.Thus,it
hasbecomemyownperson-
al calling. As I celebrate my
23yearsnowinthecommu-
nity,thisiswhatIpray,Lord,
thank you for always reach-
ingouttome,soIwouldnot
giveuponourmarriageand
staywithBenuntildeathdo
us part through the support
ofthecommunitywhereyou
broughtusin.AsIgothrough
everychapterofmylife,you
will always be my strong-
hold.ContinuetoblessCFC,
so that it will continue to
be a great blessing to many
asithasbeentomeandmy
daughterBambi.Amen.
ADVERTORIALS

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CFC-FFL
TANDAG
WeinCFC-FFLareanintegralpartoftheCatholicChurch.Wearesubmittedtoourbishopsandtothe
pope.Ourlife,formationandservicewillconformtoCatholicvaluesandideals.Wemakeourselvesavail-
able to be of service in the parishes and dioceses, especially in the areas of family and life. We look to
Mary,themotheroftheChurch,asourinspiration,modelandhelp.
Happy30thAnniversary
CFC-FFL!
Thankyouforour21wonderful
andfruitfulyearsincommunity!
...asformeandmyhousehold,
wewillservetheLord.
Joshua24:15
Pancho and Marilyn Lopez-Tan
CFC-FFL ILOILO
CFCFFLhadaturbulentstartinIloiloin2008butGodswill
prevails.Aswecelebrateour30thAnniversary,CFCFFLpres-
enceisinfourareasArevalo,LaPaz,Janiuay,andMina.We
will continue the mission and become one chapter in Iloilo
CityandanotherinJaniuay/Minaandfromthesetwochap-
terswillgrowtheCFCFFLcommunityinIloilo.
34
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ADVERTORIAL
ADVERTORIAL

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36
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SHARING
Missys Story:
By Eugene Valdez
CFC FFL Michigan, USA
On her 5th month of preg-
nancy with our third child,
my wife Wangs ultrasound
showed abnormality in our
babys head. Hydrocepha-
lus was coniimeu to be ue
veloping. Maybe due to the
history of such cases in the
Philippines, Wang was ad-
vised that she still had the
choice not to continue with
the pregnancy. Not knowing
what to do, we tried to seek
forasecondopinion,onlyto
hear the same recommen-
dations. Only then did we
decidethatitisnotuptous
anymoreandthatifGodwill
take our baby from us after
birth,thensobeit.
A friend of a friend told us
togototheUniversityofthe
Philippines-Philippine Gen-
eral Hospital to seek for a
third opinion. We ended up
attheclinicofDr.Miguel-a
specialist on these kinds of
pregnancies. She told us the
A Testimony
of Gods
Love
same things that the previ-
ous doctors said. The only
difference was the glimmer
ofhopethatsheoffered.She
nevertoldusthatweshould
discontinue the pregnancy.
Butshewasalsoverytrans-
parentininformingusabout
the expenses that we will
need to shoulder. Crippled
with the limited money we
were making back then, my
wifeandItoldourselvesthat
wehavetodothisandthisis
theonlyway.Werelayedour
decision to Dr. Miguel. We
wantedtokeepourbaby.
One day, Dr. Miguel called,
tellingmethatmywifeneed-
ed to have the baby in two
daysandthatIneededtopre-
pareatleastP60,000.00toa
maximum of P100,000.00
(up to $2,000.00++) for a C
section delivery, because
of a cyst found on her back,
right above the waist (My-
elomeningocele). I told her
thatIdidnthavethemoney
at that time but would try
mybesttocomeupwithit.
Tooursurprise,thedelivery
wasperformedandwewere
not charged a dime for any-
thing. It turned out that Dr.
Miguelwasjusttryingtoas-
sess how much we wanted
this to happen and told us
that we will still need the
money for antibiotics and
other surgery afterwards.
Godisgood!EugeneMissy
ValdezwasbornonJune8th
2002.
Missys trials didnt end
there. In fact, it was just
thebeginning.Shewasborn
with the cyst that needed
to be removed and closed.
Within a week, they did the
iist suigeiy They also tolu
us that a shunt needed to
be put in her head to drain
excessive luius in hei biain
and to reduce the pressure
thatwasbuildingup.Money
was again a major concern.
Wetriedtocomeupwiththe
moneyfortheshunt.Assoon
asItoldthemthatIhadthe
money, they did the surgery
and to our surprise again, a
resident in the hospital do-
nated a shunt and we didnt
needto pay foranything ex-
tra but to keep the money
because the baby would
needatleastamonthworth
of antibiotics that would
cost at least one thousand a
day.GodisAwesome!
One month passed. With
the continuous administer-
ing of antibiotics, no infec-
tions developed. Then, the
pediatricians told us that
they couldnt do anything
more and that we had to
takethebabyhomeandcon-
tinue gi-ving the antibiot-
ics there. One pediatrician
even told me that with this
kindofcase,typicallybabies
liveonlyfrom3to6months
duetoinfections.Andifshw
still lives after that, we will
havetoprepareourselvesin
our daughters 1st, 4th and
7th year because infections
wouldstilltypicallydevelop.
Missyturned9yearsoldthis
year.AllglorybetoGod!
In April 2007, I was able to
bring them here to the U.S.
and in December of that
same year she was diag-
nosed with Neuroblastoma
- a cancerous tumor that
developedjustaboveherad-
renal glands. She had a suc-
continued
on next page>>
cessful surgery last January
2008 and has been cancer
free since then. God is Su-
perb!
Shehadtoundergoacouple
moresurgeriesforherteeth
and feet correction but de-
spite everything that she
had to go through, Missy
continues to be a source of
strength for us all. A very
happygirlwithapassionate
loveforlife,sheisaconstant
reminder of how much God
cares for us. Her life itself is
amiracleandisatestament
of His love and faithfulness
toourfamily.Wheneverwe
inu ouiselves in one of lifes
dull moments, we just look
at her and instantly we are
remindedofhowblessedwe
already are. To God be the
glory!
FJitors Note Hissy is on oc-
tive KIl member in Hicbiqon
0SA Eer porents ore Fuqene
onJ Wonq volJez
CFC's O|0c|o| kecogn|t|on by the Ho|y See
In the Boly See gave iecognition au expeiimentum foi ive yeais as a piivate
internationalassociationofthelayfaithful,afterreceivingmanylettersofrecommen-
dationfrombishopsallovertheworldwhereCFCwaspresent.
CFC-FFL MILESTONES
MILESTONE

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SHARING
In 1989, Doming and Susan Sarmiento
were invited to participate in a Chris-
tian Life Program in the Parish of St.
Anne in Taguig City. They had long
been wanting to serve the Church in
anycapacityandtheinvitationcameas
a refresher to their then 11-year mar-
riage. After graduating from their CLP,
they both went straight into serving
God through different avenues in the
parish and in the Couples for Christ
community.Becausetheywereveryac-
tiveandenthusiasticmembersfromthe
start,theywereimmediatelytappedto
serveashouseholdheads.Atthesame
time,theywerealsoinvitedtotakepart
intheirParishEducationCommittee.In
additiontothis,Domingalsoservedas
aLayMinisterduringSundayMasses.
They found themselves thrust into a
life of service for others. Because of
thesupportandguidancetheyreceived
from their leaders in community, they
learned to put full trust in God and on
eachother.Theywouldfacemanychal-
lenges anu uificulties at woik anu es
peciallyathomecaringforandraising
theii ive chiluien putting them thiough
school and making sure they had their
basic needs. There were mostly hard
times for their growing household and
Hearts
For Service
yettheirzealtoserveGodneverwaned.
It wasnt uificult foi them to know
whattoprioritizeespeciallyinschedul-
ing the activities they would attend or
participateinbutmanagingtheirfamily
life wasnt always as easy. They would
encounteralotofhumblingexperienc-
esthroughtheyears.Allofthesewere
offeredandsurrenderedtotheGodthat
they served, trusting that He will see
themthroughitall.Theywouldeventu-
allylearnhowtomanagetheirresourc-
es,makingsuretobalancetheirservice
with family time. Their simple home
wouldalwaysbeopentoanybodyseek-
inghelp.TheyknewverywellhowGod
would pull them out of dire situations
therefore they would never hesitate to
offer whatever little they had in time,
talent or treasure whenever someone
elsewasinneed.
Today,afterbeingmarriedfor33years
andbeingincommunityfor22ofthose,
theirheartscontinuetobeatinhumble
service.Susanisapassionateleaderof
HandmaidsforFamilyandLifeandboth
her and Doming are active servants in
the District of Pasig. In their parish,
they are both members of the Family
and Life Ministry where they give Pre-
Cana seminars to young couples pre-
paringformarriage.Andbecausethey
weie nevei selish in immeising them
selvesinparishwork,theyhavehelped
maintain a good relationship between
CFCandtheParish.
How they have managed to stay in ac-
tive service and happily married serve
as an example to otheis 0f theii ive
children, two are now married them-
selves. They willingly play the roles of
caringgrandparentstotheirtwobeau-
tiful grandchildren. According to them,
there are many ways in which we can
get involved in parish work through
the Family and Life Ministry, Youth
andChildrensMinistry,ParishFeeding
Programs or Education Ministry. They
encourageallCFCFFLmemberstocon-
tinuetoaskGodtobringthemtomore
areas and opportunities for service for
itisinservicewherewewillbeemptied
of our own selves, therefore allowing
God to make an outpouring of His love
untous.
ADVERTORIAL

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ADVERTORIALS
The Dorfner
Household from
Vienna Austria
joins the CFC-FFL
community in the whole
world in celebrating its
30th Anniversary.
We thank the Lord for the
blessings the community
has brought to Austria --
Loreto & Gerhard Eisendle,
Cita & Pepi Lorenzi, Josef &
TinaFehr,Mario&Melyne&
Niko Bertl, Pura & Johannes
&MartinDorfner.
We pray for a rich harvest
so that in 30 years CFC-FFL
Austriawillhavegrowninto
astrongevangelizationpart-
nership of Austrians and
Filipinos.
Withjoined
forcesfora
Germanspeaking
CFC-FFLAustria.

CFC-FFL
Vienna, Austria
Martin & Pura
Dorfner
and
Fr. Francis Gustillo

ADVERTORIAL

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Greetings from
CFC-FFL Vienna - AUSTRIA
Weareanevangelisticandmissionarycommunitycommittedtobecomefamiliesempoweredby
theHolySpirittorenewthefaceoftheearth.
Westriveforholinessoflife,aswecommittorenewthetemporalorderthroughourworkwith
thepoor,ourworkforjustice,andourworkforlife.
We are a servant of the Church, working to renew her children through every generation and
throughouttheworld,untiltheLordreturnsonceagain.
42
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ADVERTORIAL
Greetings from CFC-FFL KSA
WearepartofthelargerfamilyofCFC-FFL,aworldwidefamilyofmanydifferentnationalities
andculturesbutallsharingbrotherhoodandsisterhoodinChrist.Wedesiretomoveforward
togethei in oui life in the Loiu pioviuing love afiimation fiienuship suppoit anu healing
Wearecommittedtothegoodofourbrethren,alwayslivingthetruthinlove.
ADVERTORIAL

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44
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ADVERTORIAL
Apartelle 12, Starmall Complex
EDSA cor. Shaw Blvd. Mandaluyong City, Philippines
46
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ADVERTORIALS
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
2001, January: CFC triggers EDSA People
Power 2 and Ouster of Erap
2001, October: First Latin America
Conference of Matrimonios para Cristo
in San Jose, Costa Rica
As Shared by Ana Torres,
Matrimonios Para Cristo, Costa Rica

Matrimonios para Cristo (Couples for Christ) began

in Costa Rica in 1998. Luis and I had the privilege
of being pait of the iist Piogiam ue viua Ciistiana
(Christian Life Program, CLP), through the initiative
ofsomeCFCbrothersandsistersfromthePhilippines
who came to woik at the iist Intel plant in Costa Rica
WehadthebeautifulopportunitytogettoknowEd-
win and Nila Andrews, who inspired us and helped
ustostartthemissionworkofevangelizingcouples.

Together,weorganizedvariousCLPsindifferentcom-
munitiesinBelenandAlajuelaandsomeothernear-
bycommunities.Intheearlyyears,wehadacommu-
nityoffourhouseholdgroupsthatbegantolearnand
live out the CFC way of life. We started translating
pastoralmaterialsfromEnglishtoSpanish.Allbythe
grace of God, we worked to bring the Good News to
morefamiliesinCostaRica.

continued on next page >>
CFC-FFL
NIGERIA
Benedict Jereke
CFC-FFL, Abuja-Nigeria
ThefamilyofBro.&Sis.Bene-
dictJerkeandtheManagement,
StaffandChildrenofBema
HomesfortheLessPrivileged,
aNon-Governmentorganization
(NGO),heartilyfelicitatewith
HisHlinessPopeBenedictXVI,
HisGracethearchbishopof
thePhilippines,theServant
GeneralofCFC-FFLandthe
entireBrethrenofCFC-FFL
world-wideforthe
30thAnniversaryCelebrations.
MaythegoodLordwith
Bis ininite meicy giant the
committeeagreatsuccessand
entireBrethrenawonderful
celebrationinthenameofour
LordJesusChrist.
Bema Homes for the
Less Privileged
Here`sWhatYouCanDo:
:SponsoraChildEducationProgramme
:SuportourSchoolProject(SecondarySection)
:Beatrainer,speakerorfacilitator
:MentororgiveadvicetoBemHomes
beneiciaiies 0vC anu Young Entiepieneuis
:LinkBemaHomestoindividualand(or)
CorporateSponsors
:PaymentofTeachers`salaries
:Becomeapart-timeorfull-timevolunteer
Be a consitent inancial paitnei
:Jointhefamilyofpatrons
TosupportBemaHomesProject
(OVC),werecommendthatyousend
donationstoBemaHomesdirectly.
PleasecallBenedict(0805522991)
orBenedicta(08052746710),
JalarthOpera(07068420002)
Email:bema2theneedy@yahoo.com,
www.bemacare.org
TakeninFaraya,Lebanon
Fromlefttoright:Nolan(eldest),NeilAlan(youngest),
Annie,Nestor,Norman(secondtoeldest)andNoel(third
toeldest).AllCFCmembers.
NESTOR PADALHIN
AMBASSADOR TO NIGERIA
MILESTONE

I
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CFC-FFL
MILESTONES

<<continued from page 46
Edwin and Nila requested the MPC Costa Rica com-
munity to host the iist Confeiencia Latinoameiicana
de Matrimonios Para Cristo (CFC Latin American
Conference).LuisandIweregiventhehonoroflead-
ing the preparations for this important event that
happenedonOctober26to28,2001.
We were very happy and excited to be given this
blessing.Everybodyhelpedtoensurethesuccessof
this important milestone in the life of Matrimonios
para Cristo in Latin America from organizing the
musicministry,totranslatingtheconferencemateri-
als; from coordinating the travel details of delegates
toarrangingthelodgingofourvisitors.Iremember
thewonderfulexperienceofsharingourhomeswith
our brothers and sisters and how much we learned
fromallofthem.
The Confeience was a veiy spiiitilleu occasion Eu-
win delivered the talk The New Conquerors. Edu-
ardoandMaryaelrepresentedCostaRicaandledthe
sessionBringingtheGoodNewstoOthersandLuis
Oquineda shared Moving for the Mission. We had
the blessing of the participation of brothers and sis-
tersfromPhilippines,UnitedStates,Panama,Nicara-
gua,Colombia,Peru,ArgentinaandCostaRica.
I remember how we all danced with our countrys
typical costume for the Talent Night. It was an eve-
ning of lights, dance, worship and laughter! On the
inal uay of the Confeience we leu the uelegates to a
touroftheBaslicadeNuestraSeoradeLosngeles
(OurLadyoftheAngelsBasilica)inCartagoandalso
some sight-seeing around the area. As a conference
souvenir,alldelegatesweregivenamini-statueofthe
OurLadyofAngels.

After more than ten years now, and after having at-
tendedotherCFCconferencesinothercountries,and
evenasecondoneinCostaRicain2007,Istillfeelthat
the iist Latin Ameiican Confeience was the one that
piepaieu the way It illeu us all with enthusiasm en-
ergyandfaith.IthelpedLuisandIprepareourselves
forthehugetaskofleadingMPCCostaRicaforalmost
adecade,allforthegloryofourLord.Alongtheway,
wehavemetmanypeopleinmanycommunities,gave
andheardalotoftestimonies;wehavegrowninour
faith and love with the brothers and sisters of our
community,becauseMPChaskeptusintherightway,
withChristinthecenterofourfamilyandofourlives.
MywifeGerryandIweretherewhen
CFC started in June 26, 1981. Now, 30
years later, with greying hair (only for
myself), we are still here. It has been
a wondrous and truly blessed journey
withJesus.
And now it is not just the two of
us. Aside from the millions of brethren
who have crossed our lives and whom
we have journeyed with, we have our
5 children and 5 grandchildren (going
on6).FromacoupleforChrist,wehave
becomeafamilyforChrist,andgrowing
to be a clan for Christ. That CFC is an
evangelistic ministry founded on fam-
ilyrenewalhasbecomeavibrantreality
forus.
We have been through a lot. Just
as marriage has its better or worse,
so does community life and mission.
I have been attacked physically by the
enemy,almostlosingmylifeonmission
anumberoftimes.Ihavebeenattacked
verbally... by brethren! But with all the
ups and downs, my life in Christ has
maturedanddeepened.Itisallworthit,
andIwouldnothaveitanyotherway.
Whatdoesthefuturehold?Well,the
importantthingiswhoholdsthefuture.
AndthatistheLordJesus.Heraisedus,
Herestoredus,Hecontinuestosendus
forth to reach out to others. Our mis-
sion remains the same. We are evan-
gelizeis anu missionaiies We ight foi
familyandlife.Jesuswillstomakeusa
lighttothenations,that(His)salvation
mayreachtotheendsoftheearth.(Is
49:6b).
Vision for
the Future
48
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COVER STORY
Sowhatcanwelookforwardto?
Moreofthesame,andthensome.
Wearegoingtodorapid,massive
andworldwideevangelization.
Wewillcontinuetoworktorenew
thefamilyandtodefendlife.
Wewillbuildcommunitiesamong
thepoor.
Wewillsendoutmoremissionaries.
Wewillraisemanyvocationstothe
priesthoodandreligiouslife.
Indoingsuchmassivework,wewill
need to give more of ourselves, more
than what we have given in all of 30
years. We have entered the end times,
anu the inal conlict is at hanu We in
CFC-FFL are an army that has been
Frank Padilla
CFC-FFL Servant General
In 30 years, this is what I want to be. . .
COVER STORY

I
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49
thrust right in the thick of the war. We
know that the victory is already the
Lords, but we continue to face tough
times ahead, as the enemy goes all out
toseektobringasmanyofGodspeople
toperdition.

Godofcourseknowsallthis.Having
formedandtrainedusfor30years,now
Hefurtherequipsus.NowGodoffersus
the fullness of His strength. What we
need to do is to become those instru-
mentswhoarewilling,andeager,tobe
formed,andtoreceivewhatGodoffers.
First,wemustcontinuetogrowin
holiness.Wearemadeintheimageand
likenessofGod.WeareGodswitnesses
totheworld.Weareservantsdoingthe
very will of the Master. We are instru-
mentstobewieldedbytheSpirit.Sowe
must be holy as God is holy. We must
strivefortheperfectionoftheFather.
Howcanthathappen?Sosecond,we
must be faithful to our covenant. God
givesusourcovenantinCFC-FFLnotas
aburden,butasthehelpweneedinor-
dertobecomeholy.Fullystrivingtolive
outourcovenantisthegaugebywhich
wecanseeifwearetrulywillingtore-
spondfullytotheLordscall.Whenwe
live out our covenant, then we receive
thehelpandgracebywhichwegrowto
maturity in Christ. Our community life
isGodsblessingandprovisionforus.
Then,asweenterdeepintothefray,
we will be bruised and bloodied. We
willexperiencesufferingandpain.This
iswhyGodhastaughtusaboutredemp-
tive suffering, which is the very way of
Jesus on the cross. So third, we deny
ourselves and embrace the cross. This
aftei all is }esus ueinition of uisciple-
ship. We can only truly serve God ac-
coiuing to Bis call if we sheu all selish-
ness anu be fully selless foi Chiist We
canonlytrulybeeffectiveinourworkif
we look to the banner of the cross, re-
joicing at the privilege of suffering for
Christ.
Idonotknowhowmanymoreyears
IhavetogiveformyLordJesus.Wheth-
er there is much more toil for me on
earthormytimeisup,itdoesnotmat-
ter. For to me life is Christ, and death
is gain. (Phil 1:21). What I do know is
thatGodhasmadeclearwhatourmis-
sion is, what the purpose for our exis-
tenceasCFC-FFLis.Further,Godhasal-
readyputinplacethenextgenerations,
sothatourworkwillcontinueuntilthe
LordJesusreturnsonceagaininglory.
TherelationshipwiththeLordhas
alwaysbeenthesame.Helovesuseter-
nally, He uses us for His purposes, He
provideswhateverweneedinorderto
do His will. Our part then is to humble
ourselves,toobeywithout reservation,
and to give our all. When we do that,
then we will have a glorious next 30
years,andbeyond.
Let us then go forth in the very
strengthofGod.
50
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL
IMUS CAVITE
Amidst chaos and uncertainty, Gods
unfailing hands are always at work.
His Presence is always felt in times of
peace and in times of trouble and am-
biguity. Truly His thoughts are not our
thoughts and His ways not our ways,
for who would ever imagine that the
seed of Couples For Christ (CFC) will
beplantedintheprovinceofCaviteby
theLordattheheightofacoupdetatin
thatscaryearlydaysofDecember1989
TheSpiritledthemtocontinueandlet
the1stbatchof18couplesand1hand-
maiu giauuate fiom the iist evei CLP
conductedintheprovinceinthehistor-
ictownofKawitinDecember9,1989.
ADVERTORIAL

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52
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ADVERTORIALS
Thecallingtobefearlesswasamessage
that resounded in my life for so long
thatIhadbecomenumbtoit.Stepping
out of ones comfort zone was a clich
that I used so often but never really
tooktoheart.Ilookedfortangiblecom-
bats with the evil outdoor, not real-
izing that the bigger and more testing
battleshappenedwithin.
After trying to escape confrontations
with myself, God moved the mountain
within me only to show me what I had
beenmissingwhenIchosetoignorehis
sincereappealstomyheart.Shortlyaf-
terdecidingtogiveGodmyyestoHis
call, He proved Himself faithful to His
promises.Itwasanunlikelyandavery
impractical decision for my beloved
parentstosendmetoSt.MichaelsMe-
dia in the United States for internship.
I knew for one that other people were
moie qualiieu foi the inteinship anu
secondly, questioned the difference of
aninternshipwithCatholicTVproduc-
tionfromaregularone;noneIdaresay.
And here I am shame-faced at the fact,
slappedtomyface,thatthereindeedis
adifference;andthatIwastrulyblestto
havebeenwhereIwas.
To have worked for Michael Voris and
the RealCatholicTV.com crew gave me
more than mere skills training. Sure,
learning the technicalities of TV pro-
duction will prove helpful in our com-
munitys pursuit of evangelization
throughmodernmedia,andtheexperi-
encebroughtmetoapointoftotalreli-
ance on God when my stocked knowl-
edge and skills proved short but more
than that, God penetrated the Tinay
who contentedly sat on the fence for a
lotofthings.Theexperiencepushedme
to make a decision which I know will
change my life forever. I am no longer
the complacent showcase Catholic
that I once was. I am no longer satis-
ieu with boxing the beauty anu spiiit
leddesignoftheCatholicChurchintoa
stereotypethatclaimsittobeoutdated
anu unit foi the mouein man If its
anything being born into the Catholic
faith is a privilege I didnt appreciate
untilnow.MyexperienceintheUnited
States, seeing the battles faced by the
ChurchmademeunderstandwhyIam
pro-life, why I am Catholic and why I
strivetobeholy.Holinessisnolongera
far-fetchedstandardIwillneverreach,
ratherithasbecometheonlystandard
Idesire.
I piay that I nevei inu myself compio
mising the calling God has set for me.
Whenpeopleseeme,myprayeristhat
they see my Father and feel His over-
whelming love loou them the way it
did mine. Thank you, Lord for the gift
offamily,ofcommunity(CFCFFLMichi-
gan, thank you for your generosity!),
thankyouLordforsecondchancesbut
most of all thank you for keeping your
promises.
ForHissakeIhaveacceptedthelossof
allthingsandIconsiderthemsomuch
rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be
foundinHim.Phil3:8
Rediscovering
My Catholic Faith
By Tinay Mamaril
Full-time Missionary
CFC FFL Family and Life
Quad Media
ADVERTORIAL

I
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54
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SHARING
WhenmyhusbandRickyandIcelebrat-
edour19thweddinganniversaryinMay
2010, we came to realize that fate has
beenkindtousbecauseinourshareof
lifesupsanddowns,thelatterhadbeen
few(toparaphraseafamoussong).We
ucknowledged the fulllment of our
dreamtohavethreewonderfulchildren
- Sam, Sien and Salve whom we have
been trying to bring up in the fear and
love of the Lord. Everything seemed
perfect until we got the biggest shock
ofourlivesjustamonthafterthatreal-
ization. Our 12-year-old daughter Salve
wasdiagnosedwithjuvenilediabetesor
diabetes mellitusType 1.It is a disorder
characterizedbyanabnormallyhighcon-
centrationofsugarintheblood.Itisan
autoimmune disease meaning the cells
thatproduceinsulincalledbetacellsare
destroyed by the bodys own immune
system.Todate,scientistsdonotknow
exactlywhatcausesthebodysimmune
systemtoattackthebetacells.Thepan-
creatic cells that produce insulin called
beta cells are destroyed by the bodys
own immune system. People who live
with this type of diabetes require daily
injections of insulin. At present, Salve
injectsfourtimesaday.
Everythinghappenedsofast.Wewere
cuught o guurd ve notlced the slgns
a little over a week before the diagno-
sis. She was always hungry and thirsty
so she ate and drank a lot but she was
A Childs
Battle with
the Big D
By Sol Fabie
CFC FFL District of Pasig,
Metro Manila, Philippines
losingweight.Sheurinatedveryoften.
Shehadmoodswings.Ibroughtherto
thedoctorbecauseIthoughtshehada
kidneyproblem.Itwasablessingindis-
guise.Herkidneyswereperfectbuther
urinewaspositivewithsugar.Tocutthe
long story short, when we brought her
tothehospitaljust3daysafterherbirth-
day, the nightmare began. We knew
thatherconditionwasntgoodbecause
everyone in the emergency room was
attending to her. We found out that
had we not brought her to the hospi-
tul thut nlght she could huve suered
an emergency condition called Diabetic
Ketoasidosis (DKA), characterized by
thepresenceofdangerouslyhighblood
sugar levels and ketones in the blood
and urine. She could have fallen into
a coma. Everything was too much for
metoabsorb.Myhusbandjustheldmy
handwithoutsayingaword.
Itwashardenoughtoseemydaughter
lying in bed so clueless on how serious
herconditionwas.Thethoughtthatshe
wouldbeinjectinginsulinfortherestof
her life made it even worse. The agony
didnt end there. When her two older
siblings found out about it, they were
also deeply hurt. As a mother, I could
feel the pain of my children a hundred
times more. I knew that I only had my
husband to lean on but he was going
through intense pain as well as mani-
fested by his silence, a characteristic
that is very far from his normal person-
ality.
It was the start of unending questions
uddressed to me by dlerent eole
Why do bad things happen to good
people?, Will you continue to be ac-
tive in CFC now that your daughter
needs special attention?. Of course,
Sulve herself hud her shure of questlons
Why me, Mom, why not other kids?,
WillIhaveashortlifespan?,Willmylegs
be cut o vlll l be bllnd vlll l stlll llve u
normallife?Thesearejustafewofthe
questionsthatpiercedmyheart(notto
mentionmyownsetofquestions).
The answers started to come when we
felt the love of the CFC FFL community
for our family. We were aware of the
numerous ruyer requests oered for
Salve, the much appreciated text mes-
sages,phonecallsande-mailsfromour
brethren, the visits to the hospital and
ut home the nunclul usslstunce ln
cluding free glucometers) handed over
to us by people whom we do not even
knowpersonallyandofcourse,thefund
raisingexclusivescreeningofthemovie
Narnia,sponsoredbytheKFLDistrictof
Puslg for the benet of Sulve ve were
strengthened by the dlerent tulks we
heard from FFL sponsored activities
such as the Seniors Retreat, the Gen-
eral and Seniors Assemblies, Leaders
Conference, WYC, Youth Fest/Camps,
SHARING

I
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55
household meetings and other activi-
ties.Thepresenceofourdearbrothers
and sisters, relatives, friends, co-work-
ers and neighbors contributed greatly
to the healing process. So now, the
next questlon ls Are we okuy
Well, the ailment is already there the
pain of injecting, the attacks (she just
had two serious ones lately), the strug-
gles to stay away from complications
alloftheseremain.Whatmakesthesitu-
utlon dlerent from whut lt wus exuctly
a year ago? We have Faith, Hope and
Loveinourhearts.AsCouplesforChrist
commemorates its 30th year, Salve cel-
ebrates her 13th birthday and 1st year
battle with the Big D. Is there really
reasontorejoice?Yes!Iamproudtosay
that my daughter has become a better
personbecauseofhersickness.Shehas
becomeclosertoGodandallofusand
shehasremainedtobethebabyofthe
family,inthetruestsenseoftheword.
Looking back, there was a point when
nothing seemed to go right anymore.
It was tough and painful for Ricky and
Iandourthreedaughters.Wejusthad
toholdontoourfaithbecauseitwasall
wehad.Everythingispossibleforone
who hus fulth Murk vlth lt cume
ourhopethatthesituationwouldntlast
forever. I am truly glad that faith and
hopeareattachedtoeachotherandwe
were able to embrace both words be-
cause we had so much love for one an-
other.Werecognizedthatourpainand
sucrlces brought us closer together
andhelpedusgrowasafamily.
If creative evangelization would have
a tagline, it would be If theres a will,
theies a way By ueinition cieative
evangelization is inuing new anu
unique ways of preaching the word of
God.Therearetimeswhenthetriedand
testedways(suchasCLS,prayermeet-
ings,etc)mayseemun-invitingthatwe
inu ways to make the evangelization
targets more accepting of Gods word.
Sometimes,itwouldbeaparty-likeat-
mospherefortheopeningoftheCLSfor
singlesoravibrantbandconcertforthe
youth. The kids become more recep-
tive to valuable lessons taught through
amusicalplay.Wehavedabbledintoso
many creative ways such as praise and
fashion, concert tours, TV, magazine,
radio, etc. All of it has made our com-
munity life colorful and more exciting.
People outside community have seen
that Christians are fun, beautiful and
normal!
Throughout the many years I have
served in special events for our com-
munity, I saw how powerful Gods
hand truly is by way of creative evan-
gelization.Iveseenpeoplegettouched
through praisefests, musical plays and
community concerts through the tears
of joy, testimonies and lives changed.
EvenpeopleIservewithandwhowork
tirelesslybehindthescenesaremolded
and touched by Gods hand, making
them more beautiful people and my
friendsforlife!Noartistordirectorcan
outdo the countless times the Master
has shown us that it is HIS Work, not
ours!
Ihavebeenblessedthatdespitemyun-
worthiness, God uses my creative gifts
to bring people to Him. As an artist, I
iealize that the utmost fulillment anu
expression of my artistry is when I al-
lowGodtouseitasHismedium,itthen
becomessomuchmorethanart.Ipray
that all artists would discover God- for
everyartistyearnsforanexpressionof
his or her artistry, I have realized that
whenyouofferittoGod,Hebreatheslife
into it, and you and the people around
youwillneverbethesameagain!
Touching
Lives through
Creative
Evangelization
By Maricar Gatchalian-Urgino
CFC FFL Manila, Philippines
56
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL
BULOL
ADVERORIALS

I
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Weareanevangelisticandmissionarycommunitycommittedto
becomefamiliesempoweredbytheHolySpirittorenewthefaceoftheearth.
58
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL
TARLAC
At the height of the top leadership
conlict of Couples foi Chiist in
we in Tarlac approached our bishop,
Bishop Florentino Cinense, with guid-
ance and assistance from our Spiritual
Director,Fr.MelvinCastroonAugust4,
2007,placingourselvesatthedisposal
oftheBishoppendingresolutionofthe
conlict at the Beau 0fice 0n August
6, 2007, Monday, we the council mem-
bers, sans our Gawad Kalinga head,
wrote Frank Padilla, who would later
be designated Servant General, of our
allegiance to CFC FFL Tailac is the iist
provincetobechristenedCFCFFL.
Fr. Melvin Castro, Chancellor of the
DioceseofTarlacwasalreadyourSpiri-
tual Director before the split. He sided
withusinaverynaturalwayhiswork
asExecutiveSecretaryoftheEpiscopal
Commission on Family and Life at the
CBCPandourmissionofrenewingthe
family and defending life complement
eachother.Anotherinstancethatbound
usevencloserinarestorationmassin
earlyAugust2007attheChristtheKing
Church,GreenMeadows,themasspre-
sider,ArchbishopAngelLagdameo,the
CBCP President then consecrated us,
CFCFFL,toMaryMediatrixofAllGrace.
Atthattime,Fr.Melvinwaspresidentof
the Confraternity of Mary Mediatrix of
AllGraceatCarmelChurch,Lipa,Batan-
gas. Until now we join Fr. Melvin in an
annual September pilgrimage to the
Lauy Be is an active playei in the ight
againsttheRHBill.
Taken during
21st Anniversary Celebration
of CFC-FFL Tarlac, June 5, 2011
at the College of the Holy Spirit
Gym.
From left to right :
Linda Gatbonton, Hermie
Capulong, Dan Capulong,
Rose Tongol, Fel Tongol(CORE
TEAM), Pol Bautista, Kat
Ferrer(SFL Coordinators), Marie
Espino, Tony Espino(Provincial
Coordinator), Mila Reganit and
Boy Reganit(CORE TEAM).

Bishop Florentino
F. Cinense
delivering his
homily at the
21st Anniversary
Celebration.

Dance
Numbers during
21st Anniversary
Celebration. KFL
doing NOBODY
and
SFL dancing
Waka-Waka.

Rev. Fr. Melvin Castro, CFC-

FFL Tarlac spiritual director
and executive secretary of
Episcopal Commission on
Family and Life.
2FD2EOHDV+HVHUYHGDV
Provincial Area Head for 4
years, now Luzon Coordinator.

Pro-Life Posters are displayed

in prominent areas of all the
parishes in the Diocese of Tarlac
with our name CFC FFL printed
on the lower portion.
ADVERTORIAL

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60
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SHARING
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
2001, December:
Number of Members
hits 1,235,886
Due to the massive
evangelization work of
Couples for Christ, their
membership reached
the number of 1,235,886
in 2001, with every CFC
memberactingasafaith-
ful evangelizer. This his-
toric number did not yet
includemanyotherswho
throughtheyearsentered
but left CFC, to serve in
theirparishesorinother
religiousgroups.
2002, February:
Send|ng o| 0rst |ong-
term missionaries to
Southern Africa
On February 19, 2002,
six young men and wom-
en from the Philippines
went where many would
dare not - to Johannes-
burg,SouthAfrica.Armed
only with faith and com-
pletetrustinGod,thesix
youthlefthomeandfam-
ily behinu to fulill theii
missionofbringingGods
word to the youth of the
Africancontinent.
The six, the youngest of
whomwas23andtheold-
est almost 28years old,
heard Gods invitation to
serveanddidnothesitate
to say Yes! They were
the iist to stait the iie
among young mission-
aries like them to go on
long-term mission to a
foreignlandtospreadthe
loveofGodtotheirbroth-
ersandsistersinChrist.
When I was younger, I al-
ways bragged about how
muchIliketoseearainbow.
Yes, the rainbow that can
make me smile every time I
seeitinaclearbluesky.And
nowthatImolder,itgotme
thinking. What do rainbows
really symbolize? I read in
one of the Scripture read-
ingsweeksagothattherain-
bow is actually a symbol of
GodscovenanttoHispeople
- in simpler terms, it sym-
bolizesHispromise.Awhile
ago, when I was having my
prayer time, I was struck
when I read something like
}esus is the fulillment of
that promise. And so now,
as I ielect on it I think its
kind of safe for me to claim
thatarainbowcanalsosym-
bolize Jesus. True enough,
when I see a rainbow in the
sky,Ismile--justlikehowI
smileeverytimeIgettoen-
counter Jesus experiences
with the people around me
-strangersandfriendsalike.
Whenitrains,wemoreoften
than not inu ouiselves in
a gloomy atmosphere. Just
like in life - its when were
inmuchtrouble,whenwere
toomuchstressedwithwhat
weredoingandwhenweare
challengedgreatly,butcome
tothinkofit.Doyouthinkall
thesedownerswilllastfor-
ever?Ithinknot.Foraslong
asarainbowshowsupafter
therain,IbelieveGodprom-
isesthesame.Foreveryfear,
doubt or concern we may
have,IjustknowthatGodis
always there to give a hand,
topullusupandtosprinkle
uswithHislove.
We may sometimes inu oui
selves saying Thats unbe-
lievable! and so welll just
result to what we think we
can do, but dont you think
thats funny coz theres al-
ready Someone out there
whocandosomethingoutof
nothing and who can actu-
ally make the unbelievable
believable?
I personally believe that we
are called everyday to hope
and trust even if theres no
reason to hope and when
everythingseemstobesim-
ply unbelievable. Only by
then will we appreciate the
beautiful gift of faith - the
gift of faith that opens the
doors of joy and peace -
something that I myself can
attest to, something that I
want to share with you, and
something that will forever
remind me of the rainbow
(Jesus) that never failed to
putasmileonmyface.
Praise to You Lord, Jesus
Christ!
Editors Note: Raine wrote
tbis relection on Horcb
tbe Ieost of St }osepb
Sbe is currently on ber irst
yeor os o Cormelite novice
Sbe is one of tbe irst mem
bers of CIC Sinqles for Iomily
onJ life to responJ to tbe coll
for reliqious life
I Trust and I Choose
to Believe
By Raine Eguico, CFC SFL Metro Manila
ADVERTORIAL

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ADVERTORIALS

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CFC-FFL
TAIWAN
Westriveforholinessoflife,aswecommitto
renewthetemporalorderthroughourworkwith
thepoor,ourworkforjustice,andourworkfor
life.
CFC - HANDMAIDS
FOR FAMILY & LIFE
ANTIPOLO
WeareaservantoftheChurch,workingto
renewherchildrenthrougheverygeneration
andthroughouttheworld,untiltheLordreturns
onceagain.
WearepartofthelargerfamilyofCFC-FFL,aworldwide
familyofmanydifferentnationalitiesandculturesbutall
sharingbrotherhoodandsisterhoodinChrist.Wedesire
tomoveforwardtogetherinourlifeintheLord,providing
love afiimation fiienuship suppoit anu healing We aie
committedtothegoodofourbrethren,alwayslivingthe
truthinlove(Eph4:15).
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CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
2002, November: Frank & Gerry Padilla
oppo|ntment to the Font|0co| Counc|| |or the
Family
InNovember2002,HisHolinessPopeJohnPaulIIappoint-
eu Fiank anu ueiiy Pauilla as membeis of the Pontiical
CouncilfortheFamily.Thisappointmentcameasanoppor-
tunitytohelpfurthertheworkofGodtomorecountriesall
overtheworldthroughCouplesforChrist.
FJitors Note Fffective September Eis Eoliness
Pope BeneJict Xvl reoppointeJ our Servont 6enerol Ironk
PoJillo onJ bis wife 6erry os members of tbe Pontiicol Coun
cil for tbe Iomily for onotber term of ive yeors
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CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
2005, April 25:
CFCs Vatican recognition becomes
permanent
In 2005, Frank and Gerry Padilla attended the meeting of
the Pontiical Council foi the Family wheie CFC ieceiveu
permanentrecognitionfromtheVatican.Outof10layCou-
ple members, the Padillas were the lone representatives
fromAsia.
Itwasagoodtimetomeetandstrengthenrelationshipsfor
CFC with various members of church hierarchy who were
inattendance.TheyalsometwiththePresidentofthePon-
tiical Council foi the Laity Aichbishop Istanislaw Rylko
with the Piesiuent of Pontiical Council foi the Family Cai
dinalAlfonsoLopezTrujillo.
Aichbishop Rylko afiimeu CFC saying that oui vatican ap
proval is a sign of authenticity, that the church endorses
us.HelookedattheVitalityandhopeinherentinecclesial
movements of which CFC is one Be also afiimeu that the
thirdmillenniumisthemillenniumofAsia.
Caiuinal Tiujillo afiimeu that the most uynamic move
ments today are those that work with family and life. He
saidthattoday,morethanever,familyandlifearethecenter
ofourdestiny.
The highlight of the visit was the audience with the Holy
Father,JohnPaulII.

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SHARING
Renewing
Our Family,
Defending
Life
By Lorie Eguia,
CFC FFL District of
Paraaque, Metro
Manila, Philippines
Narcing and I have 6 chil-
dren4boysand2girls.At
the onset of our marriage,
we had thought of having at
least 4 children. We agreed
that we would not use con-
traceptives or any form of
aitiicial family planning
method. We know that hav-
ing 6 children is Gods plan
forus.
The 4 boys came one after
the othei The iist thiee
boys were all born within
lessthantwoyears.Oursec-
ond son Kristian, was born
when my eldest, Allan, was
just1yearand1monthold,
so my OB-Gyne suggested
that I use pills. I decided
againstitasIknewfromthe
start that contraception is
againstGodsteachings.
Starting the family was very
tough as we were just rent-
ing a small room in Sample,
Nanila Naicing hau no ixeu
income anu coulu not inu
household help that would
staylong.Myparentsoffered
to take care of the 2 boys in
our province in Batangas,
about two hours away from
Manila. We agreed to the
arrangement. Narcing and
I would visit them every
weekend with the laundry
intowsothatwhilewashing
the clothes we were already
withthekids.Everytimewe
would come back to Manila,
my heart would break and I
always found myself crying
over having to leave them
behinu 0ne othei uificulty
wehadtofacewashowour
eldest son was very sickly.
A month or two would not
passwithouthimbeinghos-
pitalized until he reached 3
yearsold.Wewereveryfor-
tunate that one of his god-
mothers would always offer
to advance payment for the
bills.
We found ourselves in an
evenmorechallengingsitua-
tionwhenthenexttwoboys
came. My brothers and sis-
ters, who were living in the
same house that we were
in, would help us by alter-
natelylookingafterthem.A
time came when I was even
tempted by the thought of
having my welltouo ofice
mate adopt one of the boys.
We could hardly make both
endsmeetwithbothourin-
comes and I was afraid that
we could not give our small
boys the basic necessities
they neeueu But I was iim
with my faith that we will
raiseourchildrennomatter
what.Andwediligentlyob-
served the rhythm method
offamilyplanning.
When our youngest boy
was eight months old, we
were able to transfer to an
old apartment offered to
Narcing by the owner at a
lower rent. We could have
all 4 boys stay with us be-
cause the elder two were
starting pre-school. We
could already breathe well
in that bigger space. Narc-
ing opened a lugaw [Trans.
rice porridge] store in front
of the house to help pay
for our expenses and at the
sametimelookafterthekids
together with my brothers
whowerestayingwithus.
Godstartedtoputorderinto
ourlifewhenHecalledusto
joinaChristianLifeProgram
in the school where our 2
sons were studying. From
then on, the love of God for
our family was manifested
throughthecommunity.Fac-
ing the struggles of raising
the family became lighter
with our lives anchored to
God and with the commu-
nitybehindus.
When my youngest son was
almost 5 years old, I was
again with child. This, we
prayed and claimed, togeth-
erwithourbrothersandsis-
tersinthecommunity,tobe
girl. Indeed, she turned out
tobeourlittleprincess!
We loved and served the
community faithfully with-
out ifs and buts. We were
already living in Paraaque
and our service was still in
Pasig.Evenifthefaregoing
back and forth was the only
moneythatwehad,itwould
nothinderusfromattending
the household prayer meet-
ings and assemblies. God
wouldnotbeoutdoneinHis
faithfulness and generosity.
He would send someone to
bring us back home or give
us pamasahe [Trans. fare],
pabaon[Loosetrans.allow-
ance;asinforschool]forthe
kidsandulam[Trans.viand
formeals]forthefamily.He
was very consistent! That
was why when God called
Narcing to serve full time
forthecommunity1995,we
had no second thoughts in
sayingYes,Lord!
Narcing working full-time
and myself serving as our
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69
familys main breadwinner
became another story of
miracles on how we were
able to survive our daily
sustenance, our childrens
schooling, etc. I availed all
types of loans in the ofice
for the tuition fees. I was
humbledbymakingpromis-
sory notes to my childrens
schools.Ourfamilygotused
to wearing hand-me-downs
with the thought that those
weregiftsfromtheLord.We
weredetachedfromourown
dreams and plans and open
to letting God work in our
lives.Heusedopportunities
and people to be the vessel
ofHisloveforourfamily.
Another test of faith and
proofthattheLordistrueto
all His promises was when
Narcing had to undergo a
heart bypass operation. All
expenses were paid for by
theLordthroughtheloveof
people He sent to support
us.
Despiteallthestrugglesand
challenges our family had
experienced, God continues
to use us in our small ways.
Oureldest,Allan,wasamis-
sion volunteer for years for
the youth; our second son
Kristian, is now a mission
volunteerforSFL;ourthird,
Michael, had been a Cam-
pus-BasedYouthheadinhis
school; our fourth, Julius, is
a mission volunteer for YFL
and a cluster servant, who
recentlyresignedfromwork
tofollowinhisfathersfoot-
steps to become a full-time
missionaiy 0ui ifth chilu
Sarah, is a YFL chapter ser-
vant in one of the parishes
oftheDioceseofParaaque.
Our6thchild,Bea,whocame
outwhenIwas42yearsold,
is now 11 and in KFL. With
the familys imperfections,
we know God wants more
from us. He shares with us
His precious possession -
theCross,whichwecarryin
our daily lives and keeps us
closertoHim.Heblessesour
respective work and con-
tinuously sustains us day to
day. Arent these the best of
blessings?
FollowingtheLordandserv-
ing Him is tough with lots
of challenges, with frustra-
tions and hurts but with
perksandsurprises,too.Our
family is not inancially se
cured, but our security is in
theLord.Inandthroughthe
community, we feel and see
Godspresenceinourlives!
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES

2005, May: Establishment of CFCs Pro-Life
Ministry
Although Nay is consiueieu as the oficial biithuay
of the PioLife Ninistiy it is uificult to pinpoint the ex
actdateitbegan.
Andthetruthisthatthestirringsofpro-lifeinthecom-
munitybegan17yearsago,havingbeenborneoutofthat
fatefulUnitedNationsInternationalConferenceonPop-
ulation and Development in Cairo, Egypt in September
1994.Asa responsetothat,theArchdioceseofManila
headedbythenJaimeCardinalSincalledonitsfaithfulto
learnthetruthsbehindtherealagenda,particularlyon
sexeducation.Acartoononabetamaxtape(remember
those?)graphicallyillustratedwhattheU.N.intendedto
teachouryoung,andthatsignaledthebeginningofwhat
isnowthebattleforlife.Amongthosecalledwereour
own members, who, prophetically enough, are reliving
todayalmostexactlytheeventsthen.
Then,in1995,theBeijingConferenceonWomensolidi-
ieu the neeu to ietuin to an authentic feminism uigeu
onbyPopeJohnPaulIIsmessagetowomentobringout
thefemininegeniusanduseitforthegoodofsociety.
Between then and now, the communitys response has
been to form, initially, FEED of Family Enrichment and
Educationtohelpdevelopandsustainloveandrespect
for life, and then in 1996, Teodora: In Defense of the
Authentic Woman, which played a critical role during
congressional hearings defending the pro-life position
in the earliest versions of the Reproductive Health Bill.
At some point all ieligiousafiliateu oiganizations weie
shut out from the hearings, leaving only Teodora and
another,KanlunganngBuhay,toactastheonlypro-life
defendersinCongress.
Through all this, our Servant-General Frank Padilla has
been both key and instrumental to bringing Pro-Life to
the foiefiont of the ight
Andinthespiritofgenuineservice,manyofthosewho
serveinthisministrydosoanonymously,withoutneed
foi iecognition oi afiimation as the iewaiu foi a job
well done is the knowledge that the work has made a
differenceinthemanylivessaved.
Yeais latei touay CFCFFL once again ieafiims what it
coniimeu in that PioLife is an integial pait of the
lifeandmissionofthecommunity,trulyaCoreValue.
FJitors Note Bebbie onJ ber busbonJ Ironcis ore mem
bers of CICs Prolife Core 6roup os tbe Noturol Iomily
Plonninq CoorJinotors
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The community started in
Novaliches way back in 1990,
then called Big North, with
humble beginning of just a few
promising couples.
Ten years produced a growing
membership raising quality
leaders passionate speakers.
Another 7 years allowed many
to witness the growth in all other
ministries; almost replicating the
number of members that CFC
had at that time.
The Big North was at its peak
of its service, when suddenly,
the split in the community
became inevitable in 2007.
When this happened,
North C Sector, one of the sectors
of Big North, registered an
80% movement of members from
CFC Global Foundation, Inc.
to CFCFFL, while the other
2 sectors did not make a
signifcant movement of members.
This North C Sector that followed
their calling to Couples for Christ-
Foundation for Family and Life,
reorganized themselves to
become the District of Novaliches.
Since then, it has massively
increased in number through the
many Christian Life Seminars
conducted; with all ministries
experiencing spiritual maturity.
The YFL ministry has 1,268
members as of this date, while
the other ministries are having
remarkable numbers as well,
but the District of Novaliches
has not been lax in sharing the
Good News to even more.
Going on mission is also being
actively undertaken by the
district, in the hopes to raise
home-grown mission volunteers
and full-time pastoral workers
that will help the community, in the
coming years.
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SHARING
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES

2006, June: CFC established
in 153 countries on its 25th
anniversary as prophesied
over a decade earlier
2007: Number of countries
hits 160 with CFC Turks and
Caicos Islands
Pentecosthasalwaysbeenagreat
symbolofGodsendingoutHisdis-
ciplestodothemissionHehimself
started. Through the Holy Spirit,
Hehasgiventhempowertoreach
asmanypeople,despitedifferenc-
esinculture.
OnPentecostSundayin2007,God
truly sent the Holy Spirit as our
community reached CFCs 160th
country - Turks and Caicos Is-
lands. A CLP took place in Grace
Bay, Providenciales, one of the six
majorIslandsofTurksandCaicos.
Itwas4:45PMwhenitstarted.
The service team composed of a
couple from Australia, one from
the Philippines, one Servant from
Qatar, and two couples from the
US, Mars and Sylvia Dela Cuesta,
andJoeandMoninaDuran.
22 persons graduated from that
CLP. Our community there was
abletoformahouseholdof5cou-
ples, 2 Handmaids, 4 Singles, and
6Servants.
Just as how the Lord showed His
greatness in the opening of our
160th country, He continues to
createPentecostexperiencesfor
all of us, as He brings us to more
and more places. Truly, our mis-
sionistotheendsoftheearth.
Trusting
Gods Plan,
in His Own Time
by Nory Reyes
CFC FFL Mississauga, Canada
My husband and I became members
of CFC in October 1997. From then on,
each time we were asked to become
household leaders, we would turn the
offerdown.
In 1998,I got pregnant. It was my 5th
pregnancy but with our 6th child be-
cause we had twins before. Every time
I have a baby, my husband and I pray
onlyforswiftrecoveryandgoodhealth
for our new born child and myself. We
neverbargainGodtogiveusaboyora
girl.However,itwasdifferentthistime
around,asGodhadenteredourlivesin
anewwaythroughouractiveservicein
the community. We dared to pray this
time foi a baby boy uou ueinitely an
swered our prayers. He is turning 13
yearsoldthisSeptemberourlastchild
andtheONLYboy.
In the year 2000, we received a sched-
uledinterviewletterfromtheCanadian
Embassy. We wereveryexcited,as this
wasourfamilysdream.Thismustalso
be the reason why we were not that
responsive to become leaders in our
chapter. Our interview took only 15
minutes befoie the Immigiation 0ficei
denied our application. I broke down
intearsbecausewewaitedforthatop-
portunity for 2 years. My husband told
methatmaybeGodhadadifferentand
betterplanforus.Itwasalsothenthat
herealizedhowweturneddownevery
opportunityofGodsinvitationtoserve
Himwithourcommunity.Thiswaswhy,
during the next scheduled CLP, we vol-
unteered ourselves as facilitators and
became household leaders. We were
eventually tapped to become Kids Co-
ordinatorsandsoonTeamLeadersofa
CLP.
We were thoroughly enjoying our re-
sponsibilities until a big blow came in
November2006whenIwasdiagnosed
with cervical cancer, stage 1B. It was a
very sad day for all of us in the family;
Iwasworriedaboutmy6childrenwho
werestillveryyoungthen.Myhusband
and I were wondering why this had
to happen to us. Later on, after much
crying and even more praying, we ac-
knowledged this as an opportunity to
showourfaithfulnesstoGodandputall
ourtrustinHim.
I went for my operation and braced
myself for everything that followed -
28 days straight of Radiation Therapy,
6-days of chemotherapy and 3 days of
SHARING

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77
Brachytherapy. I almost gave up the
ight Non my bettei half was always
with me throughout this time. He de-
voted all his time for me - consoling,
lifting me up, telling me stories that
warmed my heart and made me laugh,
encouraging me, and looking after our
kids. At the same time, he was always
present in all activities of our commu-
nity and told me once that he missed
me a lot every time he attends gather-
ings and prayer meetings. He always
prayed for me. Our only son, Clarence,
leadtheprayersoftheHolyRosaryev-
ery night. It was a family prayer that
made us stronger, closer, united, with
moreloveandcareforeachother.After
severalmonths,MonandIacceptedthe
ChapterServantLeadershipofCFC-FFL
Palmera Chapter, Cluster 6 in the Dis-
trictofNovaliches.
Five years have passed. I always look
back at those moments and cherish
how GOD loves me, how He made me
stiongei anu moie coniuent of Bis
love. I am a living witness to all of His
miraclesandgreatness.Iappreciateall
Hisgifts,bigorsmall.Iacceptedallthe
trialsbecauseIknewthatHeisalways
withus,listeningtoourprayersandan-
sweringallourpleas.
WearenowbasedhereinCanadawith
our 6 children. His works are truly
amazing, He arranged our lives in His
own plan and time. We thank all our
brothersandsisterswhoalwaysprayed
and continue to care for us. Trusting
God made me, made our whole family
stronger.
CFC-FFL
MILESTONES
2007, August: Crisis in CFC, split and establishment of CFC FFL
In2007,CFCFounderFrankPadilla
wroteanopenlettertohisbrethren
articulatingtheeventsthathadtak-
en place, which led to the eventual
splitinCouplesforChrist.
In it, he acknowledged that CFC
[was] in deep crisis, because CFC
[had]lostitswayand[was]indan-
ger of straying away from its very
mission, and even away from the
Churchofwhichitisapart.

A number of talks were conducted

with the bishops, top CFC leaders
and even the general membership
for everyone to have a better un-
derstanding of the situation. How-
ever,asCFCindifferentpartsofthe
world witnessed top leaders acting
inunheardofways
Anattempttoresolvethecrisesled
totheelectionofanewsetofCouncil
members. Unfortunately, even the
newly-elected leaders, remain[ed]
at the centei of the ueep conlicts
and divisions among leaders, and
haveconductedthemselvesinways
that intensifieu such conlict anu
division,ratherthanbeingcatalysts
for healing, reconciliation, peace
andunity.

The purity and original intent of

God for the life and mission of CFC
[was] lost. And what need[ed] to
happen [was] simple: we must be
led back to God, restored to the
fullness of our covenant, and giv-
en back the pure and original CFC
(Lam5:21).

On July 13, the Restoration Move-

ment was launched by some con-
cerned CFC leaders to bring CFC
back to Gods plan but the CFC
Council responded negatively to
this movement anu intensiieu its
attacksonthoseparticipatinginit.
Left without any other option, that
same movement was brought to a
newdimension.

The events that followed led to the

fuithei ueining of CFCs iole anu
purposeintheCatholicChurchslay
community:
-CFCisanevangelisticand
missionarycommunity,servingthe
universalChurch.
-CFCisafamilyliferenewal
movement,withwomb-to-tomb
supportenvironments.
-CFCisanintegralpartofthelife
andmissionoftheRomanCatholic
Church.
Touay we inu ouiselves membeis
of CFC Foundation for Family and
Life and all its Family Ministries
moreimmersedintheworkofevan-
gelization,renewingfamiliesinthe
HolySpiritanddefendinglife.
leoJ us bock to you 0 lorJ tbot we
moy be restoreJ qive us onew sucb
Joys os we boJ of olJ
lom
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL ST. ANDREW,
PARANAQUE
CFCFFLSt.AndrewCathedralchapterislocatedinthehumbletownofLaHuerta,ParaaqueCity.
ThemembersliveinthevicinitybarangaysofDonGalo,LaHuerta,SanDionisioandTramo,astheysay,
theParaaquebayan.
ThemembersofourchapterarealwayseagertoattendtoeveryspecialoccasionthatCFCFFLcelebrates.
Tosupportanddevelopthespiritualneedsofourmembers,likeourBaguioconferences,CLS,MERandthe
activitiesoftheyouthandkids,weholdouryearlyfundraising.
Asofthisyear,ourchapterleadersarealsoleadingtheCommissionontheFamilyoftheCathedral.
MayourLordJesusChrist,togetherwiththeHolySpiritandwiththeintercessionofourBlessedMother
Mary,enlighten,strengthenandprotectourservantgeneralandalltheeldersinourcommunity.
HAPPY30THANNIVERSARY,brothersandsisters!
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OBLEFIAS
HOUSEHOLD
WethanktheLordforblessingour
communityCFCFFLwith30years
offruitfulministryofstrengthening
thefamilyanddependinglife.
Ourhouseholdisablessingforus
andanoasiswherewedrawour
spiritualstrength.GodblessCF-
CFFL.
0ca anu }ocy 0bleias Bonji anu
JojiBonjibod,DemyandMerlyn
Galinato,TonyandMariEspino,Ray
andAnnieCargullo,KitandCalet
Pasimio,RayandLuzRegenio,Tom
andLinaTanjuatco.
GREETINGS FROM EDMONTON ON
OUR COMMUNITYS 30th ANNIVERSARY!!!
Everyyear,CFCFFL-EdmontonparticipatesintheMarchforLifeactivityoftheArchdioceseofEdmonton.
Thesearephotosfromour2010and2011participationshowingJoseph&MargedeCastro(FMCoord)
anddaughtersMeg(YFL)andMyr(KFL)andsonJosiah;Joey&JoyTujan(HS)anddaughtersJyll(YFL)and
Joule(KFL),FrancisSinday(YFLCoord),Louie&AngieUntalan,amongotherCFCFFL-Edmontonbrethren.
AreaServantisDeckGibas.
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ADVERTORIAL
Beingpartofthecommunitysince1994hashelped
usinourformationbothindividuallyandasafamily.
Godcontinuoustouseusinservice,Nonaservesin
HFL,oursonsCedricandChristianinYFLandmein
SvFL(mytwodaughters,Naomi&Cerissethough,
servedasleadersintheformerYFCandwereactive
Torchmembersintheirteenyears).Asaglobalcom-
munity,thearenaforserviceissoimmense.Physi-
caldistanceisnotahindranceasNonaandmysons
serveinthePhilippinesandIinSingaporewereIam
currentlybased.Ourfamilycontinuestogothrough
lifestrialsbutitisGodsdivineguidancethatallows
ustowaverthroughthem.
AsCFC-FFLcelebratesits30thanniversary,mayGod
continuetomanifestHispresenceineachofour
brethrentobeabletotouchotherpeopleslivesand
leadthemtoChrist!
CAMMAYO
FAMILY
ADVERTORIAL

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Age Is But
A Number
By Mary Grace Hermano-
Pingoy, CFC FFL Chicago,
Illinois, USA
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SHARING
This is the uplifting story of the old-
est member of CFC-FFL USA, Paciencia
Stype,orSisterPacyassheisendear-
inglycalled.AnactivememberofHand-
maids for Family and Life Indiana, Sis-
terPacyjoinedin2001andhasbeena
blessingtotheIndianacommunityever
since.Onewouldbesurprisedtohear
she is almost 93 years old and still go-
ingstrong!Notonlybecauseshelooks
much younger than she really is, but
when Sister Pacy walks into the room,
itslikethepartyhasstarted;hersmile
isbrightandherlaughisinfectious,and
allwhoencounterherareblessed.
Sheleadsaveryacivelieandoneofher
favorite pastimes is to travel the world
andgoonpilgrimagestovisitholyplac-
es.Besidesthat,herdailyroutinecon-
sistsofmorningprayer,dailymass,and
service and still after all these years,
quality time with her husband every-
day.
She met her husband, Mike Stype, in
Indiana soon after moving from the
Philippines in 1970 after her beloved
iist husbanu uieu of Cancei Nike has
alsobeenahugeblessingtotheIndiana
community. Though he cannot partici-
pate in most meetings because he has
developed deafness in his ears, he still
takes time to share his talents by mak-
ing rosaries by hand for members and
volunteeringtoupdatetheCFCmember
directory.
Mikesatdownwithusandsharedtheir
story of how he and Pacy met and fell
inlove.Mikesaid,Irememberpraying
a speciic piayei to uou to meet some
onethatIcouldlove.Pacysmiledand
said It just so happened I moved into
the same apartment complex where
he lived. Mike added, She didnt even
notice me. We met at a community
dinner.Mikewasanengineersonatu-
rally became the honorary handyman
of building. After time, her television
bioke anu he came to ix it foi hei then
her piano, and then her dining room
table.Itwasthroughthesethingsthat
wefellinlove.Pacytoldusofhowshe
wouldaskforsignsfromtheLordlikea
lowei anu at that moment Nike woulu
senu hei a bouquet of loweis Foi
them, God spoke loud and clear. As I
satandwatchedthemsharetheirstory,
I was deeply moved at the strong love
anddedicationthatexistsbetweenPacy
andMikeevenafteralltheseyears.
As one could imagine the pair are a
greatexampletoalltheCouplesinIndi-
ana.SisterPacyshares,Itsabeautiful
experiencetobepartofCFC-FFL.They
arealwaysreadyifyouneedanythingat
anytime,theyarereadytohelp.Youre-
allyfeelthelove.
I asked her for advice to the younger
generation of couples rising up after
her. She looked me right in the eyes
and said, YesAlways try to love and
tounderstandeachother.Theloveyou
have?Expressit!Donttakeitforgrant-
edifyouloveher/him,sayso!Itsnot
enoughtojustdothingsforoneanoth-
er;youhavetosayitaswell.Communi-
cationiskey.Maketimeforeachother
andyourchildren.Andmostofall,keep
Godatthecenter.
She explained that our priority in life
should always be Jesus; otherwise we
are not really living. She said further,
The highlight of my day is going to
mass. Even if I dont feel well, I force
myselftogotomass.Whenyougettoa
certainage,ifyoudontfeellikegetting
up, its just laziness. I want to be able
to receive Him everyday I told the
Lord-AslongasYougivemethehealth
tohelpotherpeople,allthemoreIwill
givewhatIcan.
Aside from her vibrant spirit and
prayerful disposition, Sister Pacy also
contributes to her community through
her musical talents. She is a beautiful
pianist. My gift to others is music
becausethatswhattheLordgaveme.
Her father was in the army, but also a
musician and always taught Pacy to
share her gifts. Ever since she was a
littlegirl,shehadthisgiftofplayingthe
piano and she knew it came from the
Lord.Andnowatherripeoldageof92,
shestilldoesntjustchoosetokeepthat
gifttoherself,butshecontinuestouse
it to glorify her God. She spent many
recentyearsvolunteeringtoplaythepi-
anoforAssistedLivingandRetirement
homesmultipletimesaweek.Itwasnt
just that she was bringing joy to the
heartsoftheelderly,dancingwiththem
and singing with them, but it was that
she was sharing the joy of Christ with
them. So often someone would pass
away and it would be hard for her, but
sheknewthegiftofmusicthatshegave
them was transformed into the love of
Christthatshewascalledtoshare.
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ADVERTORIAL
Thankyouforour21wonderful
andfruitfulyearsincommunity!
...asformeandmyhousehold,
wewillservetheLord.
Joshua24:15
Pancho and Marilyn Lopez-Tan
CFC-FFL MATI,
DAVAO ORIENTAL
HAPPY30THANNIVERSARYCOUPLESFORCHRIST
FOUNDATIONFORFAMILYANDLIFE!
Amiust haiuships uificulties anu challenges to oui exis
tenceandgrowth,wecontinuetothrive,existandgrow
innumbersandterritories.
CFCFFLspresenceinthispartofthecountry,hasspurred
newandgreatermeaningtorenewaloffamilies,andthe
callofthetimesspearheadedbytheChurch,thedefense
of life,asourcommunityhadgainedthetrustand
coniuence of the chuich hieiaichy in oui pio life auvo
cacy.
WithGodswillandprovidence,weshallprevail!

MATRIMONIOS
PARA CRISTO
FelizTrigesimoAniversario,
QueDioslesbendiga!
Eoppy tb Anniversory
moy 6oJ bless oll of you

ADVERTORIAL

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86
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COVER STORY
ADVERTORIAL

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88
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SHARING
Agoodbrotherofmineonce
toldmeNothinghappensto
thelifeofabelieverwithout
the permissive will of God.
This has been the perfect
mantra with which I can as-
sociatemyliferightnow.
Back in 2004, I was diag-
nosed with Multifocal Giant
Cell Tumors on my spine;
and I have been battling the
disease ever since. I have
hau ive majoi suigeiies
numerous radiation thera-
pies,physicalrehabsessions
and it has been interesting
to say the least. My family
and I have been through a
lot, and without help from
them, friends and God, I
would have given up. What
I found interesting was the
transformation this disease
hasmadeinmylife.
When I was diagnosed with
this uisease my iist thought
was Why me, Lord? It was
hard for me to accept it be-
cause I tried to take good
careofmyself.Ididnotdrink
orsmoke.Ididnotdodrugs.
I was a young man with a
beautiful wife and two very
youngkids.Ididnthaveany
vices-Iatealotbutthatwas
it,nothingreallyexcessive.
Afterbeingdiagnosed,there
weredoubtsandtimeswhen
I felt helpless, especially
when the MRIs and scans
didntlookgood.Thetumors
seemed to be getting bigger
and bigger, and multiplying.
ThereweretimeswhenIfelt
like nothing was going right
for me, and my family was
starting to suffer because of
my suffering. During these
timesIstartedprayinghard,
I tried looking beyond the
surface and did my best to
understand and get a per-
spective on why this was
happening and what could
be the reason behind all
these.
Thats when I started to
slowly understand the per-
missive will of God. He did
not cause these things to
happen to me, but He al-
lowedit.Ibelievethediffer-
entemotionsIfeltsorrow,
sadness, loneliness, help-
lessness were part of His
plan to help me understand
who I really am, to help me
experience what it is to be
human, to purify and pre-
pare me for the good things
to come. I am pretty sure
God was with me the whole
timeofpainandsuffering.
After a few years things
started to get better, my
body recovered from the
surgeries, the treatments
started working and a new
uiug speciically uesigneu
for my type of tumor was
discovered. This was the
timewhenIrealizedandun-
derstoodtheplanofGod.By
letting me experience sor-
row I understood real joy,
by experiencing sadness I
understood real happiness.
When my sorrows turned
to joy it was the type of joy
Ihaveneverexperiencedbe-
fore.Whensadnessbecame
happiness it was happiness
I never experienced before.
It seemed like everything in
my life was magniieu I have
learnedtoloveandappreci-
ateeverythinginmylife.
The love I had for my wife
and kids before is nothing
compared to the love I have
forthemrightnow.Ibelieve
my faith is stronger than it
haseverbeen.Icansaythat
I am living my life to the
fullestandIcansayitisbe-
causeofHispermissivewill.
Making me feel the negative
emotions really made me
appreciatethepositiveones.
Now I am thankful for each
day He gives me. I continue
to be faithful to Him, act
according to His will, sing
praisestoHimandreallybe
grateful for even giving me
the opportunity to live this
life. For letting me experi-
ence the joy of having my
wife, my family, my friends
andespeciallymykids.
Iwouldliketothankmyfam-
ily,friends,CFCFFLMichigan
and Budd Lake-New Jersey
family (especially brother
Arnel (who told me about
the line above)) and our
NewJerseyhouseholdheads
Randy and Rose. Thank you
all for the prayers, support
and the never ending inspi-
ration.
It is really an honor to be
able to share my faith and
my love for God with each
andeveryoneofyou.
AccorJinq to BoneTumororq
6iont cell tumor occounts for
to percent of oll primory
bony tumors Host potients
present witb slowly proqres
sive poin witb or witbout o
moss Symptoms orise wben
tbe lesion beqins to Jestroy
tbe cortex onJ irritote tbe
periosteum or wben tbe
weokeninq of tbe bone couseJ
by tbe tumor couses poin Jue
to imminent potboloqic froc
ture Treotment of qiont cell
tumors is by surqery only
EditorsNote:
Triston is boppily morrieJ to
lyJes onJ is blesseJ witb
enerqetic sons Notbon onJ
Nicbolos
The
Permissive
Will of God
By Tristan Valdenor
CFC FFL Michigan, USA
DONORS
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Friends Of CFC-FFL
Jess&MilaDuran
Jun&MarieVillar
Jun&NidaCarandang
Lito&EllendeGuzman
Abe&FeVeran
Rudy,Rita&RowenTamse
Edgar&HelenCaintic
Tony&MarieEspino
Jun&LinaEguico
Mon&MaeSamaniego
Jun&TessCalimlim
Noel&GraceGamba
Frank&GerryPadilla
JeromeandTessProtacio
PatandGraceOconer
XavyandDesPadilla
FelandRoseTongol
NoeFabroa
Tony&CecilleQuilantang
Dong&EmyGallevo
Dave&RhiaMacasadia
Jun&BabyLigeralde
Paul&DenicePrice
Jun&EmySiccion
RoseRamos
TonyEspiritu
Ryan&AiAcosta
Mel&HazelAcosta
CristyQuerido
Domingo&IreneFlores
Mina,Kevin,Abbyand
AaronRamirez
Jack&PeggyBurgoyne
Danny&TesNieves
Nonoy&MelbaTrono
FredCatbagan
BelenE.Repolona
VergelQ.Paras
Delio&LolitDionisio
ElmerM.DeLosReyes
Rosalio&JoannaRemo
Rolly&BabyBuenaventura
Romy&BaybeePrincipe
Diom&SusanCaguinguin
Lito&CharlieAlzate
Chito&MaribelLiban
Joel&EdnaDelaCruz
Jun,MalouandMMDomingo
Ed&ImeeDonadilla
Rene&AngieTiamzon
Ador&EstieSingson
Demy&SylviaChavez
Tom&LinaTanjuatco
Enteng&CeriesMedina
0scai }ocy 0bleias
Ed&MarichuMondigo
Rez&AnnaNegapatan
Reg&ChitQueddeng
Pons&NethCabanlit
Alfonso,Jr.&CarmelitaLeong
ZenaidaTorresDellosa
Alex&MitaCoronado
Bobby&MiriamRibo
Warren&LisaGalarceandkids
Cering&NelDatorandkids
Romy&MelyRabinoandkids
Cesar,Letty&CJAmposta
Jun&SusanReyesandkids
Tony&NethCoandkids
Fred&EsmerOritandkids
Nilo&CoraToledoandkids
LilianToleda
LizaM.Bernardino
NadjaMuto
Ed&MelanieYamba
Danny&TessAclan
Edwin&ZaidaMontesclaros
Len&MarieCamacho
Celso&MelyCruz
Nat&MayetteValbuena
Oscar&LuluSychua
Belin Susan Pensoy
Cesar&CandiVillarosa
Joe&AnieDeLeon
Jun&LilybethDelaCosta
andFamily
George,JoyceandJustinSantos
Ray&LudySalvador&Family
Rico,Maribel,Neenaand
PhilipRegalado
Greg&DoloresPangilinan
Rey&JulietEscalon
Ed&Em-emRana
Getty&RhollieEscobia&Family
Roy&EspieLandrito
Jun&HelenBanaria
NancyHernandez
AileenAlbano
NatalieCansicio
VirgiePalencia
JosieSantos
RhodaSantos
EvangelineP.Tuazon
DeliaEmpleo
SusanCruz
MuntilupaSouth
-InangAwaParish
MuntilupaSouth
-OurLadyoftheAbandoned
Parish
Anonymous
DONORS
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89
Friends Of CFC-FFL
Jess&MilaDuran
Jun&MarieVillar
Jun&NidaCarandang
Lito&EllendeGuzman
Abe&FeVeran
Rudy,Rita&RowenTamse
Edgar&HelenCaintic
Tony&MarieEspino
Jun&LinaEguico
Mon&MaeSamaniego
Jun&TessCalimlim
Noel&GraceGamba
Frank&GerryPadilla
JeromeandTessProtacio
PatandGraceOconer
XavyandDesPadilla
FelandRoseTongol
NoeFabroa
Tony&CecilleQuilantang
Dong&EmyGallevo
Dave&RhiaMacasadia
Jun&BabyLigeralde
Paul&DenicePrice
Jun&EmySiccion
RoseRamos
TonyEspiritu
Ryan&AiAcosta
Mel&HazelAcosta
CristyQuerido
Domingo&IreneFlores
Mina,Kevin,Abbyand
AaronRamirez
Jack&PeggyBurgoyne
Danny&TesNieves
Nonoy&MelbaTrono
FredCatbagan
BelenE.Repolona
VergelQ.Paras
Delio&LolitDionisio
ElmerM.DeLosReyes
Rosalio&JoannaRemo
Rolly&BabyBuenaventura
Romy&BaybeePrincipe
Diom&SusanCaguinguin
Lito&CharlieAlzate
Chito&MaribelLiban
Joel&EdnaDelaCruz
Jun,MalouandMMDomingo
Ed&ImeeDonadilla
Rene&AngieTiamzon
Ador&EstieSingson
Demy&SylviaChavez
Tom&LinaTanjuatco
Enteng&CeriesMedina
0scai }ocy 0bleias
Ed&MarichuMondigo
Rez&AnnaNegapatan
Reg&ChitQueddeng
Pons&NethCabanlit
Alfonso,Jr.&CarmelitaLeong
ZenaidaDollosa
Alex&MitaCoronado
Bobby&MiriamRibo
Warren&LisaGalarceandkids
Cering&NelDatorandkids
Romy&MelyRabinoandkids
Cesar,Letty&CJAmposta
Jun&SusanReyesandkids
Tony&NethCoandkids
Fred&EsmerOritandkids
Nilo&CoraToledoandkids
LilianToleda
LizaM.Bernardino
NadjaMuto
Ed&MelanieYamba
Danny&TessAclan
Edwin&ZaidaMontesclaros
Len&MarieCamacho
Celso&MelyCruz
Nat&MayetteValbuena
Oscar&LuluSychua
Belin Susan Pensoy
Cesar&CandiVillarosa
Joe&AnieDeLeon
Jun&LilybethDelaCosta
andFamily
George,JoyceandJustinSantos
Ray&LudySalvador&Family
Rico,Maribel,Neenaand
PhilipRegalado
Greg&DoloresPangilinan
Rey&JulietEscalon
Ed&Em-emRana
Getty&RhollieEscobia&Family
Roy&EspieLandrito
Jun&HelenBanaria
NancyHernandez
AileenAlbano
NatalieCansicio
VirgiePalencia
JosieSantos
RhodaSantos
EvangelineP.Tuazon
DeliaEmpleo
SusanCruz
MuntilupaSouth
-InangAwaParish
MuntilupaSouth
-OurLadyoftheAbandoned
Parish
Anonymous
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SHARING
I remember that during my childhood,
myfavoritegamewasbahay-bahayan
[Trans.Playinghouse].Ilovedportray-
ingtheroleofanuninthefamily.Wear-
ingawhitelinenclothfromheadtotoe,
Id consider myself beautiful with that
attire. In my high school and college
years,Iwasnotreallythatreligiousbut
Iusedtovisitouruniversitychapeldur-
ing school days even for a while. And
whatIprayedmostaboutwasformeto
inish my stuuies anu to have a happy
simplelife.
IdidnotbecomeanunbutGodsgrace
allowed me to become a Pediatrician
andgiftedmeaman,Elie,tobeafather
toourfourpreciouschildren.Hehadno
vicesandwasverylovingandcaringto
us. We lived happily and brought our
childrentoSundaymasses,evenduring
theirinfancy.
All in
Gods Grace
by Julita Aguila, CFC FFL District of
Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines
When our eldest son was twelve and
our youngest son was turning four
years old, an unexpected trial came
intoourfamilyinahotsummermonth
before Holy Week. An enlarged lymph
node developed at the back of my hus-
bands right ear which turned out to
be a metastasis from a cancer of naso-
pharynx (malignant tumor mass at the
back of the throat). A doctor friend of
minetoldmethatwehadtowaitforsix
months to know the prognosis of the
illness whether it was good or poor. I
wassodevastatedatthattimebecause
I was thinking of our family, especially
ouryoungchildren.
ThatwasthesecondtimeIprayedhard
to uou foi healing the iist time was
when our eldest son almost died of
dengue shock syndrome when he was
seven years old). I remember praying
asifJesusandMamaMarywerejustbe-
sidemeasIsurrenderedtheirillnesses.
I stormed heavens saints and angels
aswell,toprayforthisfamilytrial.Our
family did not lose hope and I told my
husbandthatwehadtofollowthedoc-
torsinstructionsinthemanagementof
hisillness.Godissogood!Lookingback,
the Spirit of the Lord truly had been
there preparing me in my decisions on
howtogoabouttellingmyhusbandthe
pros and cons of his illness. God even
led me to tell my husband the story of
Jobthatthoughhelivedarighteouslife,
healsounderwenttrialsandintheend
becamevictorious.
My husband underwent two chemo-
therapy sessions for three days in the
hospital, one month apart. He did not
losehishair,insteadInoticedthatIwas
theonewhohadfallinghaireverytime
Iwokeup,probablyduetostress.While
in the hospital, in our couple prayer
time, one early morning, we promised
to serve the Lord and join any Catholic
community when we get home. After
thesecondchemotherapy,theenlarged
lymphnodeatthebackofhisearscom-
pletely disappeared with the amaze-
ment of his attending physicians. His
doctorscheduledhimforRadiotherapy
(LinearandBrachytherapy)inaperiod
oftwomonths.
Afterchemotherapy,hewasdischarged
atthehospitalandwejoinedoneChar-
ismaticcommunityinaparishnearour
place but uue to conlict of scheuules
wewerenotabletopursueit.OneSun-
daymorningafterthemass,wenoticed
abigbannerofCouplesforChristsinvi-
continued on next page >>
SHARING

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91
tationfortheCLPinfrontofourchurch
and this was the start of our journey
with the Lord in our beloved commu-
nity.
I remember our only daughter, nine
years old at that time, usually joining
usinourCLPs.Withmyhusbandsdis-
colored face due to the radiation that
he was undergoing that time, he still
managed to carry on and attend the
sessions. It was during the third ses-
sionthatIsharedtotheteamleaderthe
condition of my husband, in such, they
prayedoverhim.AfterourCLP,ourfour
children joined the kids ministry, then
theyouth,andnow,thesinglesministry.
When we became members, we prac-
ticed in our home the teachings we
learned.Wehadourfamilyprayerswith
thanksgivingandpetitionswhereallof
ourchildrenparticipated.Ouryoungest
son(4yearsoldthattime)wasmostof
the time asked by my husband to pray
over him. Although my children knew
that I was a doctor, when they got sick
theyusuallyaskedustoprayoverthem
and they got healed easily. At their
young age, God taught them how to
trustHiminmanyways.
Three months after my husbands ra-
diation therapy, unexpectedly, he was
senttoFranceforabusinesstripbyhis
ofice theieby the oppoitunity to visit
batheandprayattheGrottooftheOur
Lady of Lourdes. A few weeks after his
return to the Philippines, a repeat bi-
opsy in the area of the previous lesion
showed no evidence of cancer cells or
malignancy. God indeed was my hus-
bands Great Healer! As the days went
on, we saw not only the physical heal-
ingofmyhusbandbutalsothespiritual
and emotional healing of our family.
One of the favorite verses of my hus-
bandisForIknowwelltheplansIhave
inmindforyou,saystheLord,plansfor
your welfare, not for your woe, plans
to give you a future full of hope from
Jeremiah29:11;andhetrulybelievedin
this. Our CFC community then became
our very way of life and we learned to
developagoodrelationshipashusband
and wife, with our children and with
other people, but above all with the
Lord.
In 2007, we were deeply affected by
the crisis that happened in our com-
munity,everyoneprayedanddiscerned
for Gods perfect will for our family in
this very important discernment we
hadtoface.Trueenough,Godledusto
CFCFFL,andweareveryhappytohave
stayed here, the community that main-
tainstheoriginalcharismofRenewing
FamiliesandDefendingLife;thatmade
ourfaithinGodstrongerfromthevery
start.
In the last week of March of this year
was the 16th year when my husband
was diagnosed to have cancer of the
throat. This year is also our 16th year
in CFC. I praise and thank God that
since the Big C affected my husband,
itturnedouttobearedemptivesuffer-
ing for our family. Every time that our
children would graduate from Grade
School up to College with lying colois
we witnessed my husband cry for joy
forGodwasindeedcontinuallymaking
miracleshappeninourfamilylife.
Today, all our children have graduated
fromcollege.Oureldestson,EJandour
onlydaughter,Joy,bothdecidedtoserve
the Lord as Full Time Lay Missionaries
ofCFC.Oursecondson,John,isnowin
histhirdyearproperinMedicine,andis
stillservingasaYFLMissionVolunteer
and our youngest son, James, recently
graduated from Nursing school and is
pursuing his studies also in medicine
proper.Hetoohasmanagedtocontin-
ue serving as a YFL Cluster Servant in
ourdistrict.
Lastsummer,whileotherchildrenwere
enjoying their summer vacation, our
very own children enjoyed theirs serv-
ing the Lord on mission trips 3 to 4
weekslonginLuzon,Visayas,Mindanao
andInternational(Singapore).Wemiss
them a lot during those times when
they are sent out for mission but our
only consolation is that they are serv-
ingGodintheirfullcapacities;andwith
thatwetrulyareproudparents.
At present, every waking moment is a
moment of praise and thanksgiving for
thecontinuousextensionofGodsmira-
cleseeingmyhusbandstilllivinghappi-
lywithourfamily,healedofhisillness,
still able to attenu to his ofice as an en
gineer,abletoserveasalayministerin
our Parish, able to perform his duty as
aUnitServantinourchapterandmost
especiallyabletotestifytoeveryonethe
goodnessandgreatnessofourLord.
Now I can say that although I did not
become a beautiful nun, God gave me
a beautiful marriage vocation and as
much as I can, I have kept our family
closer to Him. As Joshua had said, As
formeandmyhousehold,wewillserve
theLord(Joshua24:15).
FJitors Note }ulinq or lolo Boc os sbe
is fonJly colleJ by most of ber potients is
tbe peJiotricion for most of tbe cbilJren
of CICs younq morrieJ fulltime loy mis
sionories
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Praise, honor and glory to God for Thirty Years of faithfulness.
May CFC FFL continue to spread Christs mission a million fold.
FamilyMinistriesHouseholdVienna,Austria
NikeNitz }aiamillo Beng0ie Eva Ronalu}osie Santos
Kim/MalouNavarro,Jun/MyrnaPanganiban,Jun/JingSilverio
Last June 18, 2011, a momentous occasion was held
through the partnership of De La Salle University (DLSU)
and Couples for Christ - Foundation for Family and Life
[CFC FFL} when the 0rst-ever Iheo|ogy o| the 8ody
Congress was held here in the Philippines.
ThemorningsessionswereheldatthepackedYuchengcoAuditorium
whiletheafternoonworkshopswereheldsimultaneouslyatseminar
roomsinthesamebuilding.Thewholedayeventwasattendedbylo-
calandinternationalmembersofCFCFFLandtheTheologystudents
of DLSU. The speakers, facilitators and sharers came from DLSUs
Theology and Religious Education Department and CFC FFL and its
Pro-Life Ministry, with the special participation of religious and lay
volunteersinvolvedintheworkforFamilyandLifeandtheLivePure
Movement.
This event was paiticulaily signiicant as BLS0 commemoiates its
Centennial Anniversary this year which coincides with Couples for
Christs30thAnniversary.
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ADVERTORIAL
CFC-FFL
PALAWAN
Thehomeofthe7thwonderoftheworld
saysHappyAnniversarytoCFC-FFL,
thelighttotheworld.
ADVERTORIAL

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CFC Handmaids for Family and Life is now 18 years old, and we would like to thank the
Lord for the power to enable us women to deliver life, to receive life, to carry life, to nurture
life and to empower life through Jesus Christ and CFC. Thank you CFC for being part of our
spiritual growth.
Jesus, the strength of our hearts, thank you for your
faithfulness and love for us through the years.