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A memorable visit to Southern California! |
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March 1, 2009 : Typical Southern California weather, sunny and yet cool, our Couples for Christ from all areas gathered to welcome 3 special special guests – Bro. Joe and Sis. Babylou Tale (CFC International Council), and Bro. Ricky Cuenca (CFC country coordinator) who were all visiting for a GK planning meeting and yet all graciously gave us a full afternoon of inspiring talks and sharings. Conversation of hearts
Bro. Ricky started the tone with reminding everyone on God’s call to live and grow in holiness, most specially this Lenten season. He emphasized on the importance of conversation (of hearts) – turning away from sin, going to the opposite direction and making a 180-degree turn towards the kind of life God wants us to be in. He also pointed out on the significance of the sacrament of reconciliation and how we are reunited once more to God in mercy and love every moment we come to Him to ask for His forgiveness.
CFC TRADEMARK : Loving one another!
“We are a dynamic community!”, was Bro. Joe’s opening salvo as he spoke about the new Vision and Mission of Couples for Christ, explaining and emphasizing the importance of every aspect of this newly fortified thrust. He said that for more than a quarter of a century already, the core charism of CFC has and will always be family renewal. That all those years, we all have been threatened for so many times and for so many reasons but because of God’s transforming love, “we are now so powerful that made us who we are now yet so different from who we were before.” A call to “Love one another” should be our community’s trademark of all time as we move forward in Christ. He also reiterated that moving forward does not mean just plainly moving ahead going nowhere or stepping back, but rather straining forward in Christ alone.
God’s perfect timing
Sis. Babylou shared to all the joy of being in a deep relationship with God and how He clearly made His presence felt when they experienced a difficult trial when Bro. Joe got infected by a lethal malaria insect when they were in Singapore for a mission last year. It was God’s ever-reliable and ever perfect timing that snatched Bro. Joe away from death - from the discovery of its early symptoms to its final diagnosis up to their safe, worry-free trip back home to Manila.
Bro. Joe further shared how our CFC community has kept him inspired to continue on to serve all these years and expressed his warmest thoughts on the future of Couples for Christ and all its family and social ministries. He also invoked all to memorize by heart the expanded CFC Vision and Mission. Bro. Eric Villanueva (CFC USA National Council), encouraged everyone to recite the expanded vision & mission at the start of every assembly. A fun game of whoever could memorize and recite the expanded CFC vision and mission was played that afternoon and Bro. Randy Muyargas of CFC East bagged the prize (a CFC 2009 calendar)!. Bro. Joe concluded his inspirational talk and sharing by reminding all to be in constant prayer as we are all called to be a community of intercessors as commanded by Christ in John 21:15-17. He also thanked all the leaders of our CFC Southern California area, with special commendation of thanks to all household heads and those who continuously serve in Christian Life Programs, Pro-life advocates and Gawad Kalinga supporters.
Thank you for inspiring us and visit us again soon!
Glory to God! |
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