FTPW – True North Missionaries Journal

Were Not Our Hearts Burning

After almost a year’s worth of meetings – some monthly, some weekly, some daily, some were even hourly – and a year’s worth of preparation, physically, emotionally, mentally, financially, and spiritually; #IgniteTNC2014 is finally done.

When we started planning for the 20th True North Conference, a lot of us Full Time Pastoral Workers (FTPWs) were thinking the same thing, I think we bit off more than we can chew. We were combining two ministries, CFC- Youth and Singles For Christ. Have 2/3 days combined and the other day separate from one another. And because it is the 20th year anniversary for both ministries here in Canada, we wanted to be grand about it.

We wanted sessions that showed the history of God’s faithfulness through the years but at the same time looking forward to the next 20 years and more. We wanted more competitions so everybody can enjoy themselves. We wanted workshops that really equipped the participants to go out into the world and bear the good news that Christ has risen. We wanted a set design that matched the massive celebration that we were planning. For us, it was go big or go home.

For all its worth, in my personal opinion, it went above and beyond that. Yet the whole conference went by so quickly. For those who went, and for those who joined us via livestream would also agree. I arrived in Vancouver on July 1. A significant time before the conference itself, yet now as I’m leaving to go back to Toronto, it feels like it was just yesterday.

I’m still trying to process the whole experience, which is a year’s worth, but here is a reflection on the only picture I took the entire weekend.

When we were still trying to figure out the logo design – it took us forever to finalize one. We wanted a logo that would transcend time but at the same time speak of this significant moment of CFC-Youth and SFC Canada.

This logo came out.

Designed by Canada's First FTPW, Butch Baria — Designed by Canada’s First FTPW, Butch Baria

We were floored by its simplicity and transcending beauty. A heart that was aflame from the love of God. To put it simply, it was perfect.

Of course, turning this into a proper set design would be quite a task. For the most part, I think the Logistics Team hated us for wanting a free standing logo that towered over everything, which lit up and flickered like a flame. But when they were finally able to piece the huge thing together (S/O to Theo, Genesis and Tito Edwin Rigor), it looked amazing.

But the logo stands testament to what everybody has felt (and still feels up to this moment) during the duration of the conference – and for the year-long preparation that it took.

Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us? – Luke 24:32

This scene comes to mind, Luke 24:32. When the disciples suddenly realize that it was Jesus who was resurrected from the dead that they were talking to all along. They thought he was dead with a certain finality. Yet he was more than alive. His presence set their hearts on fire. They knew he was alive because of that experience.

To those of us who have been in the community since the early years up until now, don’t our hearts burn after every worship, after every camp, every household, every CLP, every gathering we have whether it is a fellowship or something as big as a conference. Isn’t that a reminder that Jesus indeed walks with us in all the things we do specially in the community.

While the Ignite True North Conference is done, every moment that our hearts burned for the days that led up to it, during the entirety of the TNC, and the days the after – our hearts are truly ignited and burning for the Lord because He was, is, and forever will be with us.

United as one we will go forth. Ignited to the ends of the Earth. So let the Fire fall.

Reminded.

Today ends my 5 day trip to New York City. Time well spent with family. It’s been years, eight to be exact, since I last saw my aunt’s family who lives in New York City. This was planned way before I actually went for Full TIme Pastoral Work, that my family already booked their work off since last year.

Right before the trip, I already had doubts concerning its timing considering its right in the middle of the True North Conference season preparation. But now as I travel back to GTA and catch up with all the things that have been happening since I left, I am reminded of that this trip was the reason why I am in the mission in the first place.

I am called to be a missionary – a family evangelizer – through the community of Couples for a serving in its youth ministry, CFC-Youth. God called me to answering the call of the vision of CFC of families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth and take a very active part in it. While my calling takes me far away from my own family who lives in Calgary, and I am based in the Greater Toronto Area. I must never lose sight that the mission of building the Church of the home always starts and ends in my own home. It is through them that God called me to mission work, it is through them that I draw strength in mission, it is through them that my own intentions are purified, it is through them that my inspiration is placed upon. It is through them that my missionary zeal and passion is tested. It is through them that my faith, hope, and joy is tested; and more importantly affirmed.

As I go back to Canada, which is a few hours away, I take away with me a renewed conviction and affirmation that I am in the right path. When I said YES to the Lord, I did not only say yes to the renewal of families I will be serving – but more importantly, I also said to the renewal of my own family.

Come Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth. Come Holy Spirit.

Happy 32nd Anniversary Couples For Christ!

The Giver!

I will serve the Lord when He gives me “X”!

X = Being a favourable situation, person, object, grades, timetable, salary, co-workers, bosses, etc

How many times have I heard this in one-on-ones, in a random sharing, or when conversations focus on a person’s ” game plan” for his/her life. In fact most of the time I fall into this trap myself. I will serve the Lord when He has fixed my family’s finances. To give a talk when He has prepared for me the right conditions: no rain or snow, someone picks me up and takes me home, food is available, ample time for me to prepare preferably two weeks in advance, etc. When He gives me a good salary so I can save up for my future family.

While all of this is well and good, it is easy to fall into a trap of taking comfort in the gifts and blessings. That when these comforts are taken away, and for sure they will be, that our service suddenly stops because our parameters for service are taken away.

The gifts that the Giver gives are blessings and comforts that He bestows on us for us to better know and experience Him. The Giver is in fact infinite, and therefore His gifts can come in an infinite number of forms. His blessings can come in the form of a sunrise, in fact any person can sense God nature of how wondrous it is. But it takes a different kind of sensitivity to see the gifts in our day-to-day struggle. When deadlines are choking us. When our bosses are breathing down our necks in order to deliver our company’s needs. When our family members are sick. When relationships are tested. When moths come out of our wallets.

It is when our parameters of service change that our focus on the Giver allows us to be sensitive enough to see that the gifts He is giving us has changed. It is when we recognize these gifts that we come to know and experience Him better. Our focus then lies in the Giver of gifts, and not on the gifts themselves.

Our yes to Him is our yes to Him not because we say yes to what He gives us, but because it is Him we say yes to. Our service then becomes definite, purposeful, and unstoppable because the focus is on the Lord and on nothing else.

I will serve the Lord because He has given me “X”.

X = Himself

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Come Holy Spirit.

Consume us. Refine us. Purify us.

Fix our eyes on You.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

The Three Apostles

Yesterday I found myself in the Oratory of Saint Joseph in Montreal. A year after I said yes to becoming a Mission Volunteer, a month after I became a Full Time Pastoral Worker – finally ticking off all the major areas where CFC-Youth is present in Canada. And while the whole basilica is beautiful inside and out with amazing architecture, art, and history on it’s side plus the Holy Eucharist being inside it; you can never really go wrong. And while the hundreds of pilgrims were doing there thing, I found myself glued to three fixtures that were grouped together. It was the three statues of Saints Jude Thaddeus, Mathias, and Peter.

For the longest time, I’ve had an affinity to these three apostles. In fact, it’s safe to say that they have been my friends since day one.

Saint Jude

Saint Jude Thaddeus, the forgotten apostle, because his name was close to that of the traitor is in fact the patron of hopeless causes. Out of the three he was the latest I befriended, but had an immediate click with. He found me at the time when I was preparing for my licensure examination for Chemical Engineering in Manila. I had to cram 5 years worth of knowledge, formulas, concepts in Math, Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering in 6 months for a three day exam – I deemed it impossible. Doubt, laziness and a host of other things crept up that led me to breaking down quite a few times before and during the exam. But praise God, Saint Jude prayed for me and I passed. In the bigger picture, I do consider myself a hopeless and lost cause. Yet here I am, a missionary for one of the biggest lay organizations of the Catholic Church.

Saint Mathias

Saint Mathias was the outsider who found himself cast into the inner group. When Judas was gone, they needed somebody to fill in his place – and in a stroke of luck (literally, his name was casted from a lot of a hundred or so), he became part of the twelve. Being the non-canadian for the first batch of Mission Volunteers in Canada, and the only non-canadian trainee for full time pastoral work from Canada – one can say that I am in fact an outsider. Me being a Mission Volunteer was not in my plans when I moved here, but through God’s grace and calling – I’ve taken a step further in Full Time Pastoral Work.

Saint Peter

Saint Peter, the rock, was not whom Jesus loved the most. In fact the gospels say that it was St. John whom Jesus loved the most. Saint Peter was the one who loved Jesus the most. He was the first one who would always jump out into the water to meet the Lord even if it meant walking on water and almost drowning. He was the one who wanted to serve the Lord first in all things, but he was also the first one to deny him – he did so three times in one instance. But the Lord did not give up on him, he in fact was called to something greater – to be the rock of the Church – our first pope. More often than not, I have denied the One whom I love the most – yet still He calls me. He still loves me and gives me more chances than I deserve.

The Three Apostles

I could go on and on about how I can relate to these apostles, but the amazing thing is that they were grouped together somewhere in a church thousands of miles from where I was born. And to see them together, praying for me all this time brings me to tears and above all – amazed that God loves me so much to take three of His best to pray for me and lead me to where I am.

They all went to the ends of the world to proclaim the Risen King, and here I am in Montreal – the last of the big mission areas of Canada that I haven’t been to an affirmation of the mission in the Three Apostles.

Saints Jude Thaddeus, Mathias, and Peter, Pray for us. Amen.

Uncomfortably Comfortable

To finally be living the dream is an awe-inspiring thing. When the Lord of the universe has made sense to the past 25 years of my life. Today I am living the dream, training for the best job in the world – a full time pastoral worker for CFC-Youth. I came into the training with high hopes and confidence that the Lord has truly prepared me for the task ahead. Having been in the community for the past 15 years, I thought I had the means and know how in order to deal with whatever training had in store for me.

Lo and behold, I am humbled by the very fact that God’s plan for me is greater than my own prideful outlook of myself. 12 days into the training, I am reminded that I know nothing, own nothing, and can bring nothing to the table that will compare to what God has brought forth ever since time began. A much needed reality check that God has called better and greater people to the mission before, today, and for sure – tomorrow. I am but a humble servant responding because of an unwavering and unconditional love that He has blessed me with.

A state of being uncomfortable is where I am at because the call entails transformation of being worthy of that very call and love. God is slowly and surely chipping away at hindrances that cause me stumble, and cause others to stumble because of me. He has redirected my direction from a “me” driven path to a path pointed to Him alone. And while each day is a struggle of clawing, crawling and limping my way towards the One who called – it is a very beautiful struggle. I am comforted by the fact that it is Him who put me here. That it is Him who is with me every step of the way.

Time Has Come!

Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. After 25 years of crawling, stumbling, walking, running, and whatever action I had to do in order to go through life – today is when it all makes sense. I know where I came from, what I did right, and what I did wrong. I don’t know what tomorrow holds. Or what life has in store for me in the coming years. I have no clue, no idea, of what will happen to my life – to my family. But I am where I am supposed to be today. Right here, right now – a plane on the way to Manila.

After being in the community for 15 years (2 in KFC and 13 in CFC-Youth), most of the people I know would say that this has been a long time coming; that I should’ve taken the plunge to Full Time Pastoral Work for CFC-Youth after graduating in College. But having served mostly in Davao, more than a year in Manila, and a few months in Canada – each chapter – brought something new to the table. Allowed me to learn the things I needed to learn with respect to the mission, to those I work with and for, to me, and to my God. Reflecting on the moments, situations, and experiences that have brought me here on a seat on this plane – puts everything into God’s perspective. There is no such thing as a coincidence, but a beautiful plan that has been put into motion since time began. A victory etched in eternity, and I am but a speck inching my way to bring others to that victory.

Time has come for me to take the plunge. There is no going back. There is no need to go back. To drown in His love, a sea of blessings, an ocean of infinite goodness is something I’ve waited for all my life.

Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. This is where I want to be.

Kevin Muico (Calgary), along with Evony Evangelista (Winnipeg) and Kyle Beley (Hamilton) are Mission Volunteers on their way to Manila, Philippines to train as Full Time Pastoral Workers for CFC-Youth in the next three months. Let us keep them in our prayers that they may abound in God’s love and greatness. To come back to the True North with a greater passion and love of God that will bring forth a tsunami of God’s love in their new mission areas.