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Here I am. You called me.

(1 Sam 3:8)

        After three years in Jakarta as a Director at the ASEAN Secretariat and then two years in Bangkok as a United Nations Regional Adviser, I decided that it was time to go back home. My job in the United Nations of advising governments in the Asian-Pacific region entailed a lot of traveling. As a result, I spent a large portion of my time away from the family. Thus in December 1991, I brought the family back to Manila. Having settled back in Manila, I was eagerly looking forward to a slow and quiet life and to doing only occasional consulting work for the Philippine government and the United Nations. That was my plan. Little did I know that the Lord had other plans.

         Barely two months after we had returned to Manila, in February 1992, Jean and I were invited to attend a Christian Life Program that was to be held at the chapel of the place where we lived. Since I had plenty of time and the chapel was just a short walking distance from our house, we accepted the invitation. We completed the program in May 1992 with perfect attendance and were assigned to a household. After just over a month, our household head was replaced by Jun Dimarucot. Jun and Angie had just returned from Jakarta where Jun worked for over two years. During the course of our household meetings, we learned that, together with a small group of Filipinos who were all members of Couples for Christ, Jun and Angie helped establish the first CFC community in Jakarta and that there were already a number of Indonesian members. They mentioned, however, that they were unable to attract Filipinos and other expatriates to join the CFC community.

         Jean and I felt challenged by the fact that no expatriates had joined the CFC community in Jakarta. We started talking about it. We knew that there were many expatriates in Jakarta and we had plenty of friends among them. While we were there, Jean was very active in the Philippine Women’s Association and the ASEAN Women’s Circle. I was active in the Tennis Group and the Jakarta Chapter of the U.P. Alumni Association. We said to each other that we could surely invite some of our friends to attend the CLP and join Couples for Christ. And the more Jean and I talked about it, the more we became attracted by the thought of going back to Jakarta.

  God’s plan started unfolding very quickly. A few months later, an opening for a position at the ASEAN Secretariat was announced. The position description was tailor-made for my experience and qualifications. My desire to live a slow and quiet life gradually vanished into thin air. Instead, Jean and I became more and more excited about the prospect of inviting friends to the CLP and helping establish a community of Couples for Christ among the many expatriates living in Jakarta. I sent my application.  By January 1993, I was back at the ASEAN Secretariat. Jean and the children followed as soon as the school in Manila was over. We had been in Couples for Christ for only seven months when we moved back to Jakarta.

         As soon as I arrived in Jakarta, I started calling the numbers of the Filipino CFC members that were given to me by Jun and Angie. Somehow, however, they were always out whenever I called. I did not meet any of them until that Saturday evening, 16 January 1993, when I attended the anticipated Mass at St. Canisius Church. After Mass I met Boy Granados, Ed Bacay and Jun Famatigan.

  The anticipated Mass of 16 January 1993, the very first Mass that I attended in Jakarta upon my return, was of great significance to me because it was during this Mass that the Lord confirmed to me his call. He did it through the Responsorial Psalm. The response was: Here I am, Lord! I come to do your will! I uttered the response in fervent prayer and I became even more certain that it was indeed God’s will that we return to Jakarta.

         Shortly thereafter, Jean and I finally met all the other Filipino members of Couples for Christ: Domy and Melen Gregorio, Noy and Muggsy Dy-liacco, Noni and Lilah Dijamco, Ruben and Emy Sumo, Titos and Nilda Vea, and Jojoff and Misty Escobal. Domy and Melen were then already about to leave Jakarta. Jun Famatigan also returned to Manila after a few months and Noy and Muggsy soon moved to Singapore. Thus by September 1993, there were only five couples left, namely, Noni and Lilah, Titos and Nilda, Ruben and Emy, Jojoff and Misty, Jean and myself, and two half-couples (their families lived in Manila), namely, Boy and Ed.

         But the Lord had prepared everything for us even before we arrived! At our very first household meeting in Jakarta, we learned that a decision had just been made to group all the Filipinos together in one household. Earlier they were in various households with the Indonesian members. However, it had become increasingly apparent that the language barrier was inhibiting vocal prayer, group discussion and personal sharing during household meetings. Accordingly, the decision to group the Filipinos together was made. This emboldened us to propose to the group that we immediately conduct a Christian Life Program in English aimed specifically at the expatriate community. But since there were very few of us, and because we were aware that most of us were new and without much experience, the response from the group was not very enthusiastic at first. But Jean and I persisted and in the end, God’s plan had to happen.

         The first Christian Life Program in English was held at the St. Stephen’s Parish Hall from 4 September to 16 October 1993. Noni and Lilah were appointed Team Leaders while Jean and I served as the Assistant Team Leaders. The other members of the service team were Jojoff and Misty, Ruben and Emy, Titos and Nilda, Ed Bacay and Boy Granados. We invited friends, prepared the CLP schedule, reproduced the CLP materials and hanged the streamer announcing the CLP. During the CLP sessions, each of us had to perform multiple tasks of arranging the altar and chairs, servicing the registration table, singing in the music ministry, preparing and serving the food, giving the talks while also serving as facilitators. We did all these without a CLP Team Manual. In fact, we did not even know then that CFC had such a manual for the use of the service team! During the first CLP, we had to rely heavily on our own recollection of events and on the notes and participants’ handouts that Jean very carefully collected and compiled when we attended the Christian Life Program.

 By the grace of God, eleven-and-a-half couples finished the program and joined Couples for Christ. They were: Jun and Ronna Abad, Yossy and Dewi Adhidharma, Romy and Beth Bato, Marlou and Leah Castillo, Gerry and Lolit Cua, Fritz and Duday Gaston, Vic and Rita Lapaz, Jess and Chris Lucas, Reynold and Ann Ong, Mike and Ellen Pavlich, Willie and Virgie Pineda, and Jovy Jovellana. This was the beginning of the CFC Expatriate Chapter in Jakarta. From one Household, it grew into a Unit and in 1995 into a Chapter with a special status, perhaps the only one of its kind in the international community of Couples for Christ. This was made possible by the fact that in Jakarta, unlike in other cities, there was a separate parish for expatriates.

 After a year, Marlou and Leah moved to Taipei where they later helped establish a CFC community. Jess and Chris became household leaders while Fritz and Duday became YFC Couple Coordinator before returning to Manila in 1996 and 1997, respectively. Romy and Beth, Mike and Ellen, and Vic and Rita became household leaders; Reynold and Ann, the SFC Couple Coordinator; Willie and Virgie, the Chapter Servants; and Gerry and Lolit became Unit Leaders.

         Jean and I were appointed as Team Leaders for the second CLP in English. It was held at St. Stephen’s from 9 April to 28 May 1994. Six couples and two servants completed the program and signed their covenant. They were: Pert and Isabel Anwar, Bonnie and Linda Blando, Eric and Eileen Gallardo, Bert and Ditas Lara, Loy and Dayday Nadal, Alex and Connie Nartates, Edwin Corpus and Ben Vallejos.

 A major blessing from this CLP was the conversion of Pert. Through the CLP, Pert was encouraged to attend the catechism class of Fr. Van. He was later baptized as a Catholic, taking the Christian name, Stephen. Another blessing was the marriage of Ben and Vangie Vallejos. Ben related subsequently that they had attended other programs that were somewhat similar to the CLP but in none of these previous programs was it discovered that they were not yet properly married, although they already had several grown-up children. After the CLP, the CFC community helped Ben and Vangie to be properly married in the Catholic Church.   

 A number of those who attended the second CLP have become servant-leaders in the community. Bonnie and Linda, Bert and Ditas, and Alex and Connie have become Unit Leaders. Eric and Eileen have become Household Leaders while Loy and Dayday have become one of the YFC Couple Coordinators.

         The third CLP was held from 18 September to 10 December 1994 and was led by Ruben and Emy. It was significant for two reasons. Firstly, it was the first to be held at Atma Jaya in Central Jakarta where the Expatriate Parish Chapel is located. The first two CLPs were held in South Jakarta. Secondly, it was the first to use the 13-week format, with one talk each week. The first two CLPs used the 8-week format with two talks per session, except for the Orientation and Talk 9. As a result of the big harvest from the third CLP consisting of twenty-two couples and one single, the Expatriate Unit became a Chapter in early 1995.

          In February 1995 it was decided that the Chapter was ready to go on mission to Bandung, a three-hour drive from Jakarta. A mission team was formed. Mike, Boy, Jean and I went to Bandung to talk with the parish priest. We learned that there was no separate parish for the expatriates but that a Mass in English was being held every first and third Sunday of the month in a seminary chapel attended by about a dozen expatriate families. We made arrangements to announce the holding of a CLP during the English Mass for the expatriates. Titos and Nilda were appointed to head the CLP team. But as God’s plan would have it, although three couples completed the program, only one couple and one handmaid signed the covenant to join the CFC community.   

           In 1996 the CFC National Council of Indonesia decided to assign to the Expatriate Chapter the re-evangelization of the Indonesian parishes in South Jakarta. This was another milestone in the short history of the Expatriate Chapter since it further revealed God’s plan for the Chapter. It was being called to devote some attention to helping strengthen the Indonesian community in Jakarta. By this time, a number of expatriate members were already capable of giving talks in Bahasa Indonesia.

   The first CLP in the Indonesian language to be conducted by the Expatriate Chapter was held in Bintaro in South Jakarta from 13 October to 30 November 1996. Eric and Eileen were appointed team leaders. Six Indonesian couples, two handmaids and one servant completed the CLP. A few months later, the Chapter conducted a second CLP in Bahasa Indonesia at St. Stephen’s parish. Seven couples and two servants completed the program and a new Unit was formed composed mainly of Indonesian members.

            In 1997 a decision was made to conduct a CLP for singles. Since the schedule of the single expatriates in Jakarta was not dependent on the schedule of the international school, it was agreed that June to August would be ideal for the first Singles for Christ CLP. Reynold and Ann led the service team of the first SFC CLP that yielded a harvest of 37 singles and one couple. This was another important milestone since with this harvest the formation of separate SFC households became possible. 

           This month the Expatriate Chapter celebrates its fourth anniversary. Since September 1993, the Chapter has conducted a total of 12 CLPs for couples and one CLP for singles. The total harvest consists of 95 couples, 12 servants, 13 handmaids and 64 singles. The Lord has been very generous and the Holy Spirit has been working very powerfully.  From only 12 persons in 1993, the CLPs have produced a total harvest of 279 persons, an increase of over 2200 percent in four years, or an average growth of over 550 percent per year.

   Being expatriates, members soon leave Jakarta to return home. But a few CFC members from the Philippines come to work in Jakarta and are integrated into the community. As of September 1997, the Expatriate Chapter has a total active membership of 92 couples, 54 singles, 11 handmaids, and 8 servants, or a total of 257 persons. The membership consists of 12 nationalities: 156 Filipinos, 74 Indonesians, seven Americans, four Indians, four Malaysians, three Singaporeans, two Sri Lankans, two Canadians, two British, one Dutch, one Australian and one New Zealander.

           The Lord continues to reveal His plan for the Expatriate Chapter. Recently, the CFC National Council agreed to request the Expatriate Chapter to assist CFC Central Jakarta in conducting a Special CLP in English aimed mainly at top Indonesian executives. Four Indonesian couples are expected to complete this Special CLP in October.

   The Holy Spirit also continues to work powerfully through the Expatriate Chapter. During the Orientation talk of the current CLP on 21 September at Atma Jaya, a total of about 154 persons attended consisting of 46 couples, 57 singles and 5 handmaids. With God’s blessing, this could be the biggest CLP harvest ever in Indonesia!

   When God called the young Samuel to his service, he responded, “Here I am. You called me.” Eli, the priest, advised Samuel that if the Lord called again, he should say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Then after Samuel told Eli everything that God had revealed to him, Eli advised Samuel, “He is the Lord. He will do what he judges best.” (1 Sam 3:7 ff.)

   My brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the fourth anniversary of the CFC Jakarta Expatriate Chapter, we should remember that we have all been called by God to serve him in the community of Couples for Christ. We should continue to discern God’s will for us, and knowing, we should respond openly and positively. Like Samuel, we should say, “Here we are Lord. You called us. Speak to us. We are listening.” And when we hear his message, we should respond, “You are our Lord and God. Do to us what you judge best.” And then we should give thanks to God for calling us.

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