JOSE PAOLO MUNGCAL
I was a 12-year-old attendee of a Youth for Christ (YFC) camp thirty-one years ago. My father, then a leader in Couples for Christ (CFC), excitedly registered me among a hundred teenage participants, of whom I was the youngest. I did not enjoy or understand the camp, leading to my life’s inactive launch of YFC.
Years later, however, after meeting my crush at one YFC gathering, I became active and continued transitioning to Singles for Christ (SFC) by attending the SFC Christian Life Program.
By coincidence, which I believe only God can make happen, my crush also attended the same CLP. Abi, by God’s design, then my crush, became my girlfriend and, in His appropriate time, my wife.
Abi and I raised a family of three, soon-to-be four children. In God’s perfection, all these were made BEAUTIFUL!
Early Struggles
Reminiscing our journey, Abi and I were in our third year in SFC in 2006 when my Daddy invited us to be his sharers for a talk he would give at the Tobit Weekend in Baguio. Entitled ‘Extravagant Love,’ my father first called Abi to the stage, saying, ‘I will be very happy if my first sharer becomes my daughter-in-law one day. Please welcome Abigail Souza.’ All CFCs in attendance at the Baguio conference were smiling.
Fast-forward… Abi and I left Baguio after the talk that day. At Sunday Mass communion the following morning, I proposed marriage to her after receiving the host, and she answered ‘yes’!
I hurried home that night to tell my dad the good news. He was already asleep, though, tired from driving from Baguio to Quezon City and not feeling well. I again missed telling him the news the following morning, as he was still asleep when I left for work.
Thirty minutes after I left home, my phone rang. It was my Mom calling. There was silence for a few seconds. When she finally spoke, my heart stopped. ‘PJ, wala na ang Daddy mo!’ (Your father is gone!)
I hurried back home. I was still able to bring Daddy to the hospital. But on the following day, he died due to a brain aneurysm.
At the snap of a finger, my greatest joy turned into my greatest sorrow. All of us in the family felt lost and devastated because of Daddy’s passing.
During these dark moments, I felt most blessed to be part of the community. The love and support of community brothers and sisters, “titos” and “titas,” eased the pain of our family loss, even if just a little bit!
Moving On
Abi and I joined CFC in 2009. After a few years, we started being active, attending household meetings and prayer assemblies.
For a time, we could not attend the yearly Baguio conferences. The place brought fresh memories of my Daddy last alive, and it was too much for me to bear! Eventually, with the help of patient and inspiring leaders who journeyed with me through the pain and helped me courageously overcome my fears, I found my way back to the conferences. These gatherings have been integral in molding me to become the spouse, father, and servant leader I am today.
Looking back, I could not help but thank the Lord for that fateful Tobit Weekend of 2006. The Lord allowed Abi and I to be present as sharers in that conference. We were not supposed to be there, as it was a CFC event, and we were not yet a couple. I did not know it then, but I now know. That last talk on ‘Extravagant Love’ was Daddy’s parting gift – a piece of light, his final gift to me!
In his talk, Daddy shared how he had to work as a helper on a poultry farm and as a construction worker to finish his studies. He endured all hardships until, one day, he became a successful engineer. He knew he came from nothing, so he thanked God for everything by giving his all to the community and the poor until his last breath. His story gives my wife and me the inspiration and light to overcome the struggles in family and service in the community.
Legacy
When Daddy gave the ‘graduation’ talk in Christian Life Programs, he constantly challenged the CLP graduates to serve in far, difficult places if they loved the Lord. At that time, Daddy was actively serving people experiencing poverty in Gawad Kalinga.
In fact, during the second night of his wake, a group of people approached me and handed me a bagful of coins. As I inquired about it, they identified themselves as coming from a poor community, the GK site where Daddy served.
They said that the money was intended for a jeep rental to the wake, but they decided later to walk the far distance instead so they could offer the money as thanksgiving to our family for all that Daddy did. My heart and my eyes swelled on hearing that.
When I watched the video of Daddy’s last talk on ‘Extravagant Love’ during our leader transition in CFC, I could not help but cry.
In our early years as household leaders, we served a household of couples our age who lived within accessible surroundings. But when chapter headship came, we were given a household of poor couples in GK, just like those Daddy had the privilege of serving.
Daddy’s humble example of serving the underprivileged inspired Abi and me to relate to the poor couples we were asked to love and care for.
So, THANK YOU, Dad! For the inspiration and light you continue to give me, even now, long after you are gone. Thank you for bringing me to and raising me in this community. Thank you for your example of the EXTRAVAGANT LOVE of the Lord in serving the community and the poor. I AM TRULY PROUD, HONORED, AND HUMBLED to be called SON OF WINSTON MUNGCAL!