CFC Wife Serving in HOLD Ministry

When we joined Couples for Christ last July 1991, life for me became very challenging and exciting. We
were ordinary members that grew in our own spiritual search but never thought that God had other
plans for me and my husband Vic in answering to His call in serving His people. Whatever responsibility
that was given to us, we readily accepted and tried to do it with the best of our abilities and of course
with a lot of prayers. As the community blossomed into the family ministries, wives of CFC leaders were
asked to lead in opening the new ministry for women ... "Handmaids of the Lord". As an obedient wife
and servant, I supported the first Christian Life Program of the Handmaids in Cebu and was given the
opportunity to talk in CLPs and other teachings related to HOLD. Then, it led on to other service and
before I knew it I fell in love serving HOLD and the sisters with whom I have come to establish beautiful
and lasting relationships. What I learned from CFC helped me in serving HOLD. Vic was always ready for
advice when needed. He enjoys sharing his time including being my personal driver and instant service
team. He will never miss the yearly ILC and other gatherings of HOLD. For him the talks are so enriching
and enable him to understand women in their different roles be it in their good and bad situations. At
times, when our schedules are in conflict he does not see it as a disservice to him and to CFC. As for us,
we are serving one God, we go where we are needed for His greater honor and glory! Our relationship
as couples became stronger for we were made aware by the unhappy stories of the broken women who
have experienced a painful marriage and love life. I found myself so blessed by the Lord that my
husband was not the "macho man" who enjoyed hurting women to which some of our HOLD sisters
have been victims. With my service to HOLD, I have learned to empathize with women who are hurt,
devastated and lost self-worth but have always sought God for refuge. In all these years sharing my
time, talent and treasure with the HOLD, Mama Mary has given me Her masculine courage in
overcoming my fear and enhanced my feminine heart in the midst of difficulties, trials and anxieties.
My service brings me to far and distant shores by land, air and sea traveling alone but because of
always seeking Him, it strengthened my prayer life. I am confident that with God my heavenly Father
and Mama Mary they will always cover me with their mantle of protection.
HOLD is God's gift to me and my spouse. It is a great privilege to be called and be used by Him as an
advocator and follower of our Mother Mary in molding stronger women for God!

TETET K. ABARQUEZ
Hold Coordinator, Central Visayas

My husba -id and I were serving as CFC unit leaders in 1993 when we are asked to launch the
Family Ministries in our sector. With only two households in our unit and with very little
guidelines to go by (manuals were still being developed at that time), we started with Kids for
Christ and Youth for Christ. We put Handmaids of the Lord at the back burner in the meantime.
In 1994, we became chapter leaders of a new chapter. In preparation for our first Christian Life
Program for couples in our assigned area, we held an Evangelization Rally. As we went around
giving out flyers and announcing the CLP, we came across some women who were either
widows, wives of overseas workers, single mothers, separated from their husbands or unmarried.
We were not prepared to have them in the CLP nor have a separate CLP for them so we told
them to wait for further announcements.
Several days before the CLP Team training, someone who had become a HOLD member in an
earlier Cl ,P informed me that about 25 such women had signed up for the CLP, with more to
come. Little did I know that she had been enthusiastically going around distributing info sheets
and inviting them to attend the CLP. Being reluctant to launch HOLD so soon in our area, this
member's zeal humbled me and the response to her evangelization efforts made me realize that
there were women in search of God and in need of a community that could help them in this
regard, as well as give them spiritual support. After discussing the matter with my husband; I
formed a service team for the first HOLD CLP in our area with the assistance of our then HOLD
Coordinator, Penny de Leon, with me as the Supervising Team Leader. Thus began my now
almost 14-year service in HOLD.
Like many CFC wives, I was initially hesitant to serve in HOLD, for a number of reasons. Time
was a problem I was busy with my work in the office, in addition to which I had to help my
husband as a CFC leader and at the same time exercise my responsibilities as a wife and
homemaker. Being used to serving with my husband which gave me the comfort of being able to
move from place to place in our car, I was also apprehensive about going alone using public
transport, especially since our area of assignment was far from our house and quite perilous at
that time. Then there was the fundamental question of how I will relate with women whose
circumstances and concerns in life were different from mine.
Surely, God did not promise that His disciples would have an easy life, and so I took all these as
His challenges to me. With His grace, I was able to manage my time such that none of my
different roles and responsibilities suffered in any way. In lieu of my husband, I was blessed
with a kasambahay who volunteered to accompany me to every CLP session though she was not
a participant. In so doing, she paved the way for me to go farther and further in serving God in
and through HOLD. Listening ears and a heart filled with love and compassion were all that I
needed to serve women whose life experiences were different from mine. It was simply difficult
to turn away from them and leave them in their sorrows. To top it all, God gave me a husband
who is very supportive of my service in HOLD he has let me do what I am called to do
wherever this may take me, and when his schedule permits, he drives me to and/or from my
place of service, as well as provides me with needed resources. He has also joined me in some of
my mission trips and even served as a volunteer worker in the 1998 HOLD ILC in Baguio. All
these confirmed the message that the. Lord gave me when I was discerning the matter that 1 had

nothing to be afraid of because I will be doing His work and therefore He will always be with
me.
Serving in HOLD has been an enriching and rewarding experience for me. Primarily, it has been
a source of spiritual growth. Because I am doing God's work, I have become more prayerful as I
need to always be in touch with Him for guidance and direction, for strength and empowerment.
Prayer and meditation on His words in Scripture have not only drawn me closer to God, but have
also made me more and more in love with Him as He has revealed Himself more and more to
me. Each moment with the Lord is truly amazing grace. Spiritual exercises of HOLD such as
retreats and being part of the HOLD PFO Core which develops teachings for the ministry have
also contributed to my spiritual growth.
Secondly, serving in HOLD has allowed me to use my God-given gifts for His purpose and my
time productively. Since I resigned from office work in 2000, I have never been idle nor bored
because I have been occupied by what I am doing for the ministry as a Cluster Head, Regional
Coordinator and member of the PFO Core.
Third, my service in HOLD has enabled me to better serve as a CFC wife. I am able to share
with our CFC members, especially the wives, relevant HOLD teachings, sharings and
experiences. By so doing, I have inspired some of them to also serve in HOLD. In the same
manner, I am also able to share with HOLD relevant teachings, sharings and experiences that I
gather during CFC prayer meetings/assemblies. Being a CFC wife serving in HOLD made it
easy for me to involve them in GK when my husband was a GK Project Director about 4 years
ago.
Fourth, being a HOLD leader has its own rewards. I am childless, but God gave me numerous
Handmaids to be my spiritual children. I have been able to go to different places in the
Philippines for mission work, for the HOLD ILC, or simply for rest and recreation through the
Handmaids on Tour (HOT) program. The biggest reward and source of joy for me, however, is
seeing broken women transformed into beautiful daughters of God, and more and more authentic
Handmaids becoming empowered leaders of their own ministry.
I truly believe that my service in HOLD is God's call to me, and only He can take it away from
me.

EDYTHE AVENDANO
South A

EMBRACING THE HANDMAIDS

Canyl Bustos
Nuh-uh! No way! I shuddered at the mere thought of serving the HOLD. A major
shake-up in our local (Maryland) CFC structure occurred in 2002. This in a whirlwind
left my husband, Rod, and I with an unexpected CFC chapter service barely a few months
after we arrived to settle here in the US from the Philippines, and just when we were
looking forward to a break in service. That reorganization orphaned the HOLD in the
chapter. From what I knew back home, the wife of the CFC chapter head, by default,
takes on the HOLD service in the chapter. I kept dodging the HOLD service and justified
my posture by citing age (okay, I was 40 - but, hey, it surely felt like I was just 30,
especially since our [my husband and I] last 2 service in the Philippines were in the SFC
and YFC!), our young family, the lifestyle adjustment that came with our move, and the
fact of my service with my husband in the CFC chapter. Then, of course, there's the
horrifying issue of my inexperience and inability to minister to women whose life
circumstances I expected to be way beyond the realm of my experience and limited
wisdom.
I did spend a lot of $ on long distance calls to my mom, Luz, for bits and pieces of HOLD
insights and wisdom when it became obvious to me that a HOLD service - albeit a
temporary one until another sister can be identified and anointed - was inevitable. (I
praise God for the perks of having a HOLD-serving mom!) My mom nagged me about
attending the then forthcoming HOLD conference in Chicago. Even this I tried to evade.
But just as in Jonah's case, the Lord found me, and He surely enough found ways to
make me go to the HOLD conference and have my first real taste of how awesome it is to
be with the HOLD sisters!
One particular segment in the conference dealt about healing, and the speaker exhorted
the leaders to pray over their members. I realized that meant me, as I was supposed to be
the leader of our chapter delegation. With fear and doubt in my heart (I didn't know my
HOLD sisters that well then yet), I individually approached a couple of my HOLD
chapter sisters who were seated close to me, and prayed over each of them. Thug!
Wham! Bam! It was like something you'd see in fiction movies! It was like their hearts
literally fused into mine! I very powerfully felt how each sister felt medium, heavy,
and some even XXL loads inside of them as I hugged each after I prayed over them
separately. It was extremely overwhelming that I continued to cry even as the speaker
resumed her talk and was even cracking jokes already. Then it happened. Again, like in
the movies where the whole scene almost blacks out and only the main character remains
in view, for a second or two, I felt as if I was the only one in the hall. A strong, powerful
voice drowned the speaker's and spoke to my heart to say, "Embrace My Handmaids! I
love them!" The message was very clear and very compelling. Without really
comprehending, I suddenly seemed to understand. I was to serve God's Handmaids, and
it was a command!
Now, many years after that fateful Chicago HOLD conference, I constantly praise God
for giving me the wonderful privilege of serving in HOLD. I love the CFC wives dearly
and love being with them, but being with the HOLD allows me to experience a different
dimension of life in the Lord. The view from the CFC mountaintop may be different
from the HOLD's, but the experience with each is just as astounding and breathtaking as
the other. With HOLD, it is almost like being high school again in an exclusive girls'

school, where many confidences and feelings are more freely shared, where laughter is
almost unbridled, where one feels no need to sparingly shed tears... We share many
unguarded moments when we can simply be. Serving in HOLD has helped me
appreciate the fullness of the truth of my identity as being, simply, God's child.
Fellowshipping with the HOLD is a blast! It is something that I highly recommend for
every CFC wife to experience. Listening to God's word to us specifically as women is
also something that the CFC wives probably should seek more opportunities for. The
HOLD teachings are not really very different from what we have in CFC, but the greater
opportunities to hear God's message and the Spirit's inspiration from a fellow female
being are precious in molding us women to be better Christians, I believe.
We women have all been gifted with talents and abilities some even more than our male
counterparts (I sense many a woman's head a-nodding!). I believe the reality is that the
occasions for expression of these do not come as often in CFC as they do in HOLD. In
HOLD, we women are privileged with more opportunities to glorify our God by being
worship leaders, speakers, guitarists, singers, dancers, household/unit/chapter leaders, and
more. Now, that's fabulous!
Some CFC wives might be harboring the same doubts I had at the start when I was
initially called to serve in HOLD. How do we juggle our time, considering we have our
families to take care of, jobs to hold, and that we are also serving in CFC with our
husbands? I don't. God does. How do I help lead the women of HOLD when their life
circumstances might be far removed from mine? I don't. God does. By the stroke of
God's miraculous hands, things get done. That is the beautiful part of being a CFC wife
serving also in HOLD: I get to experience God's presence and mighty hand in many
more concrete ways I probably wouldn't have otherwise.
God asked me to embrace His Handmaids. I thought I did as I began serving in HOLD.
The reality, however, is that the Handmaids embraced me, and I thank the Lord for this
very precious gift!

My service with handmaids of the Lord started in December 1998 when my husband was
designated as CFC Area Head for Vancouver. With it came my assignment as Hold Area
head as well, I did not know it was a "buy one take two" deal. Just coming from serving
Singles for Christ for almost four years, there was so much fear and doubt on this new
assignment.
Trusting in the Lord, I was team leader for HER 1 and gave the healing talk. It was here
that Jesus touched my heart through the commitment and overwhelming love of our
handmaids. This opened my heart and started my journey with our handmaids.
Jesus continued to immerse me in the HOLD Ministry. In 2002, I became HOLD West
Region Head for Canada and member of the Hold Council. In 2004, I became National
Hold Head for Canada. This is going to be my 10 th year in Handmaids, yes, with it came
blessings upon blessings.
Blessing #1. My prayer and personal relationship with Jesus deepened. Handmaids
by nature are very prayerful and trusting in our Lord. Prayer became a preoccupation
rather than just a timed activity. Also, prayer became a heart to heart encounter with
our Lord, where I found myself expressing and sharing my feelings, thoughts with
God. I fell in love with Jesus on a more spiritual perspective, trusting and depending
on Him more and more.
Blessing #2. Trusting in God, I gained confidence in giving talks. My very first
experience to talk in a national Hold conference was in 2001 in Montreal. I learned
that it was the spiritual preparation that matters most, as Jesus just filled me with His
words when I surrendered myself completely to Him. Today, Jesus continues to give
me opportunities to be His messenger and instrument of love .
Blessing #3. I became more patient, compassionate and generous. Handmaids by
nature are generous. They are the first ones to respond and give to the needy. I have
drawn strength from the powerful sharing of our handmaids on how they overcome
their brokenness. When my husband underwent surgery and I fractured my right arm
at the same time, in our physical disability, the handmaids were among those who
faithfully took care of us, driving us to the doctor for check-up, cooking and helping
us at home.
Blessing #4. God expanded my territory of evangelization. One of the primary
reasons my husband and I were requested to go to Nigeria in 2001 was my service in
Hold and previously in SFC. From Nigeria we met our brothers and sisters in
Frankfurt, Germany. Then God's bonus came! As a child, my mother taught me the
novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague and I always had the longing to visit His shrine
in the Czech Republic. From Frankfurt, we were asked go to Prague to lay the
groundwork for a CLP. A dream come true!
In 2004, they needed someone to conduct HER 3 for the first time in Zurich
Switzerland, and off to the Swiss Alps we flew. They asked my husband as well to
give talks in MER 1 & 2. Our brothers and sisters sent us to the major cities Berne,
Lucerne and Geneva to conduct other CFC/Hold teachings and Men/Women' s
Forum.
In Canada, as we served in the Western Region, Jesus brought us to Whitehorse in the
Yukon Territories in 2004 and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories in 2005 to

conduct the very first CLP's, where a good number of participants were handmaids.
Never in my life could I imagine myself going to these very far areas in Canada.
Blessing #5. My service in HOLD further enriched my service in CFC. I grew in
loving, relating and reaching out to our CFC wives. Serving in Handmaids never
conflicted with my service in CFC. Instead it complemented our work in CFC.
Nick, my husband fully supports my service in Handmaids. Our Hold Ministry has a
comprehensive Pastoral Formation and this I shared with CFC. I invited CFC wives
to join our HER 1, 2 and 3 which gave them healing and greater appreciation for
their spouses.
Blessing #6. My love and devotion to our Blessed Virgin Mary grew even more. She
became not only my Mother and Intercessor, but also my Inspiration and Mentor. Our
ILC' s and Marian conferences continue to instil in my heart her virtue of humility and
holiness. I learned to consecrate to her every assignment, relying completely on her
guidance and direction. She has never let us down.
Blessing #7. My service in HOLD is greatly instrumental in my decision to become a
Full-time worker together with my husband in 2002. It meant giving up a lucrative
job and simplifying our lifestyle. Again, our Lord manifested His hand as we were
never in want.
My journey with the Handmaids continues in whatever capacity our Lord will send
me. Holding hands with our Blessed Virgin Mary, may Jesus give us the grace to
bring more women closer to Him.

A CFC WIFE, YET A HANDMAID TOO

Didi Galsim
My husband, Dwight, and I joined Couples for Christ in 1988. With his schedule as an
airline pilot, it was only by God's grace that he finished the CLP. And with the kind of
schedule that he had, we could not be given any service in the community. I had no
problem with this for I was very much content to remain an ordinary member being taken
care of by my CFC leaders.
This was not to last for long, however. One day, in 1993, I received a call from a CFC
Unit Leader who asked me if I could facilitate in a CLP in Paranaque where they had the
first group of Handmaids. I did not know much about this new ministry but as I agreed I
felt the faint stirrings of excitement in my heart. I facilitated in this CLP and I became the
Household Head of this first group of Handmaids in our sector. Then I became a Unit
Head, Chapter Head, ... and so on. ... I was on my way to an exciting love affair with
God and His special women, a love affair that would become more and more intense as I
grew in service in HOLD.
The ministry prospered fast and needed more leaders to serve the growing number of
Handmaids. As a Chapter Head I had to tap more CFC wives in the sector to serve in
HOLD because the Handmaids themselves were not yet ready to take on leadership. Not
being in CFC leadership (most of them did not even know me personally), I had doubts
that they would heed my call. Praise God, it was not my call that they heard but God's.
They came forward and were used powerfully by God to take care of His Handmaids. I
honor these CFC wives, not only in my sector but all over the world, for HOLD would
not have been the strong, vibrant ministry it is today if they had not given God their
wholehearted service. Most of them have continued serving in HOLD up to now. I honor
their husbands who so willingly supported their wives, who would not otherwise have
been able to give their all to HOLD service.
I, myself, have enjoyed the full support of my husband in my HOLD service. He has
allowed me to give a large portion of my time for this. He has always been there to keep
on affirming my capabilities as a leader as God hones my talents, talents that I did not
even know I had. He has been so generous to God, not only sharing me with HOLD, but
also our material resources for His work. And so God, who cannot be outdone in
generosity, has continued to bless us abundantly.
This service has taken me to different places provinces and countries abroad. God has
given me the boldness to just go, even alone, wherever He sends me. By land, by sea, or
by air I go. This has often been a cause of worry for my husband even as he lets me go.
During one particular trip, I was to travel alone by train to different places in a country
abroad notorious for thieves. This time he would not allow me to travel by myself. He
took a vacation leave and followed me. While on mission, he tried to help. A Handmaid
was tearfully pouring out her difficulties in service to me and by way of comforting her
he told her how I would cry to him at night whenever I had problems with HOLD. He

was surprised when this made the sister cry even more. Between sobs she said that unlike
her I was so fortunate to have a husband to cry to. My heart went out to her as I was hit
with the full realization of how it is to be without a husband.
It is true that HOLD service has been a great blessing for CFC wives. Through this work
we have grown in our love relationship with God. We have learned discipleship and
servant leadership. We have been given the opportunity to be leaders in our own right.
But our husbands have been blessed, too. As we relate with these women whose lives
may be different from ours, we have become better wives. We have come to appreciate
and love our husbands more, thanking God everyday for them
But after all these years serving God in HOLD, the sweetest blessing for me is this I am
a CFC wife, yet at the same time I am also a Handmaid of the Lord. I have come to
realize that being a Handmaid of the Lord has nothing to do with marital status. It is all
about giving your all to God, waiting on Him as His maidservant, doing all that He says.
It is all about living out as Mary did her fiat that I have made mine, "Behold I am the
Handmaid of the Lord. May it be done unto me according to thy word."
And so I am happy and proud to declare that, yes, I am a Handmaid of the Lord.