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I will gather you from all the countries

(Ezk 36:24)

        The Christian Life Program, which is headed by Mike and Ellen Pavlich, may have established some kind of a record. The participants come from six different nationalities: American, Australian, Canadian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean. In addition, the service team, which consists of the household of Mike and Ellen assisted by the Chapter household, comprises three nationalities: American, Filipino and Singaporean. Therefore the participants and the service team taken together come from seven different countries.

        I have always believed that it is part of God’s plan for the CFC Jakarta Expatriate Chapter to bring couples from various nationalities into the Couples for Christ community in Jakarta so that when they go back to their respective countries or are assigned to another place, they can serve as the “seed” for a new CFC community in that area. This has already happened in Taipei where Marlou and Leah Castillo were transferred after they had joined Couples for Christ in Jakarta. If God wills it, the same thing may happen in Ohio where Seb and Tess Mauricio have returned after a brief stint in Jakarta. I am confident that when Mike and Ellen return to Colorado or Texas, or any place in the United States, the Lord will call them to start a community of Couples for Christ in their parish.

        Whenever I reflect on this subject, I always see a picture of small sparks flying out from Jakarta to many places in the world. These sparks initiate fires, which in turn become a conflagration. Jakarta is an ideal place for this purpose because of the large number of expatriate professionals working here and the fact that there is a separate parish for Catholic expatriates.

        When a small group of Filipino expatriates conducted the first Christian Life Program in Jakarta over five years ago, it attracted mainly Indonesians. As God’s plan would have it, Couples for Christ started growing first among the Indonesians in Jakarta then in Pangkal Pinang and Lampung. There are now over 600 couple-members in Indonesia, including those in Medan, Batam, and Central Java, and the Lord continues to strengthen and raise servant-leaders from the local communities.

        In 1993 new CFC members from Manila arrived in Jakarta and the decision to conduct Christian Life Programs mainly for expatriates was made. With a service team consisting of only five couples, the first English CLP was held in September 1993. This was followed by several other CLPs including one in Bandung, a city about four hours from Jakarta. But these CLPs attracted mainly Filipinos and very few non-Filipino expatriates attended.

        This year, with strong support from our CFC Director, Rouquel Ponte, a decision was made to conduct a strategic CLP aimed mainly at non-Filipino expatriates. Mike and Ellen, who attended the first English CLP in 1993, were chosen to head it. The CFC Center in Manila sent Jack Burgoyne, the CFC country coordinator for Australia and India, to give the orientation talk and the other talks of the first module. And the special CLP has made history!

        The presence of seven nationalities in one CLP calls to mind what the Lord said through the prophet Ezekiel over 2,500 years ago: I will take you from all nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. Then you shall live in the land that I gave your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36:24,28). Indeed God has taken individuals from seven nations and brought them together in Jakarta so that they may be His people and He may be their God.

        The prophet Ezekiel was among the 8,000 Judean exiles that were brought to Babylon after the capture of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. While in exile the Jews had forgotten about the Lord, living in sin and spiritual lifelessness. And yet they longed to return to their own land, the land that God gave to their ancestors. Ezekiel was raised by God to prophesy and give hope to the exiles that one day they would return and be God’s people once again.

        Ezekiel’s words had come to pass. The exiled Jews had been brought back to their own land and they had rebuilt their temple. But God’s word is alive! It continues to accomplish the purpose and succeed in the thing for which it has been sent (cf. Isaiah 55:11). It continues to happen again and again, drawing people together that they may praise and serve God.

My brothers and sisters, we are the new people of God; but sin keeps us away from His kingdom. Through the Christian Life Program, God uses us as His instruments to gather “spiritual exiles” from all nations and bring them back to the Promised Land – His kingdom here on earth. God continues to reveal Himself to people of all nationalities, fulfilling His promise that He will be their God and they will be His people. And with seven countries represented in a single CLP, the fulfillment of God’s word cannot be more evident!

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