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FIC-cafe / INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON INITIAL FORMATION (IMIF) / “Mini-IMIF” for Ghanaian Delegates Moderated by Henry, WillyBastiaens  
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Henry
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Registered: 30-06-2008
Posts: 181
Maastricht, November 24th  2008

Opening Address



Dear brothers,

On behalf of the General Council I wish to welcome you all to this special meeting  on Initial Formation. Special welcome goes to Ghana delegates: Bros. Isidore, Raphael, and Felicio, who are in this time the main target of the meeting.  I hope you have been able to take a good rest yesterday after traveling  a long way from Ghana, so that today we can start our business as has been planned. As you have understood that this meeting is a special arrangement meant for Ghanaian formators, so that they are able to catch-up with what has been experienced by their fellow FIC formators from other provinces when they had their encounter in  August / September 2008, in Indonesia.

When we were having IMIF in Indonesia, we were very sad after realizing that you Ghanaian delegate was not able to participate in the meeting.  In fact we had been constantly waiting and waiting  until the second week of the meeting. We were finally hopeless when it came to the third week and yet you did not appear. Since then my mind had been preoccupied with thinking of finding ways for Ghanaian formators  to have the similar experience as what other formators do. Discussion and decision  on the matter then was taken by the GC, after which all expected facilitators were approached, and thanks God that everything went well, every body seemed to be very supportive. Finally we are here now, three formators from Ghana, accompanied and fully supported by your fellow Ghanaian - Methodius - who is at the moment  member of the GC, and your ever faithful “founding brother” of Ghana Bro. Martin Bouw. We are all now ready to go through the similar process as what other formators did in Indonesia. 

Dear brothers,
As you might have understood that the intention of having the meeting on Initial Formation is to realize the resolution of the General Chapter 2006, based on Proposal 11B,  that the present General Council is expected to organize a study seminar on Congregational Spiritual Sources for formators from all the provinces with the following purposes:
a.    to intimately get to know and promote the FIC characteristics/spirituality;
b.    to get the same vision and conviction in the area of initial formation programme;
c.    to find ways and means how to impart the congregational spirituality to FIC candidates;
d.    to compose a team to work on FIC sources in a way that FIC characteristics/spirituality can be more articulated, and to ensure adequate and continuous attention to the work of formation in the Congregation;
e.    to suggest ways and means for mutual cooperation among provinces;
f.    to find ways of promoting vocation.

It was also suggested by the chapter that the participants of this gathering should be those brothers who will be directly involved in the works of initial formation for a longer period of time, and if necessary a member of the Provincial council could be a participant. You can see now that the present participants are also from those mentioned in the proposal: Raphael and Felicio are brothers who directly involved in works of initial formation, and Isidore is representing the member of Provincial Council, while Methods is from the GC.

The Structure of the Meeting

This “mini-IMIF” is designed for two weeks. The first week of our encounter will  be dedicated fully to dig up and  explore, from the many sources we have, the values/virtues/characteristics/spirituality of our congregation. The main purpose of  the exploration is not to come to a new formulation of our spirituality, but to get in touch with the original dreams of the Founders and the values they had promoted. Meanwhile we also want to find out which spirituality is really lived out in the course of time by the brothers  and thus still alive in our congregation, and which one has actually been  left out by the brothers as they are maybe considered “out of date”. I am of the opinion that the true characteristics/spirituality of the congregation is the one which is not just formulated in some sources but at the same time also lived out and translated into concrete daily actions.Those which are not practiced and lived out in the course of time, although they might be  written in some sources, they are not the true characteristics of the FIC congregation of today.

The second week of the meeting will be spent fully for a workshop on the integration of spirituality and sexuality. In the course of the second week we are going to deepen the very important dimension of human life, that is the longing for connectedness. Bro. Johan and Sr. Claudia will be the facilitator of the workshop. General Chapter 2006 suggested that the subject of sexuality and spirituality gets more explicit attention in the efforts made to deepen our lives. The workshop will bring us to among others the understanding of the precious gift of life in us, the friendship, intimacy, affection, vows of celibacy, and the integration of the vow of celibacy with elements of FIC spirituality.

Why are we  to explore  Spiritual Sources?

According to the previous survey done by Bros. Petrus Suparyanto and Guido Sukarman in February/March 2006, it was found out that the congregational sources (except FIC Constitutions) do not really play  a significant role in introducing the candidates to the FIC spirituality/characteristics.

The candidates get in touch with FIC characteristics first of all through the testimony or subjective witness of the brothers and through the daily life and habits of the community. In other words the candidates are introduced primarily to the practical level of the spirituality, which is actually just the expression of the inner drive and values of FIC spirituality. They do not really get to the conceptual dimension of spirituality, which is the FIC inner drive.

Based on those above survey, the chapter 2006 was of the opinion then that we need to find out and  in turn to make use of every congregational and provincial sources that contain FIC spirituality in forming the candidates. By so doing we hope that the spirituality of the congregation will be better understood by the candidates.


Conclussion

This encounter is not meant to give the participants much “theoretical knowledge”  about initial formation program to be applied later in your respective province. We also do not have intention to solve all the problems on initial formation in the congregation. What we would like to achieve in this meeting is (1) to become more aware of  our formation works, especially in the area of spirituality of the congregation; (2) to gain clearer mind about the way to lead the candidates, and (3) to become more committed to our work as formators. And especially for Ghana Province this meeting is a   recognition from the congregation that you have an important role in the congregation particularly in the area of initial formation, and you are expected to play that role accordingly.

Dear brothers,  finally I wish you all the best and fruitful meeting. May the Holy Spirit guide us on this journey we are making together. I do hope that our being together as one congregation here become a true source of inspiration for one another and all our brothers back home. 



Maastricht, 24 November 2008



Bro. Martinus Handoko, FIC
General Superior
24-11-2008 18:46:18
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Martinus Handoko
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Registered: 05-12-2006
Posts: 25
MINI IMIF FOR GHANA

Dear brothers,

The "mini" International Meeting on Initial Formation commence today 24 th November 2008. The above meetings organised purposely for the Ghanaian delegates Bros. Raphael, Felicio, and Isidore who were not able to attend the major one organised in Indonesia for formators in the five FIC provinces. It is expected to last for two weeks, from 24th November to 6th December.

At a temperature of about negative four (-4C) degrees in Maastricht this morning in a snowing weather, we started the two weeks programme with a very touching prayer service on the theme "God is Love" prepared by Brother Guido Sukarman. What was so touching for me in the prayer was the connectedness of the purpose of our workshop and the environment in which we were, the Beyart. Here we were among our old brothers reflecting on the vision and the original intention of our founders Mgr Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken. This for me an ideal place for such a reflection and therefore a big compensation for the major one I missed in Indonesia. We could physically see brothers in their nineties still struggling to express those values our founders stood for and that are a challenge to me.

We had a warm welcome from the Dutch Provincial Superior Bro. Theo Broelman who expressed his delight to have us in his province to make up what we have missed in Indonesia and sympathised with us for coming at the time the winter has just started. He however wished us well. This was followed by the introduction of the programme for the two weeks by Bro. Guido.

In his opening address, the General Superior Bro. Martinus Handoko re-iterated the importance of the workshop as not only for the fulfilment of the General Chapter resolution but among others, he said it was an opportunity for us as FIC formators to deepen ourselves in the history and the original intention and vision of our founders, to be aware and promote the FIC charactersistics and spirituality and how to impart this into our candidates, to compose a team to work on the FIC sources in a way that FIC characteristics/spirituality can be more articulated. He promised to be with us through out the two weeks and this is encouraging enough for us the participants.

Some expectations of the workshop are expressed by the participants which was followed by the sharing of our experiences in the work of formation. We each listened keenly to the brother sharing his practical experiences in the work of his formation, his joys and challenges. It was consoling to hear brothers going through similar experiences in their daily work as formators and this was very encouraging.
The feeling of I am not alone.

In conclusion we the delegates from Ghana are very grateful to the General Council for giving us this opportunity, and appreciative to the brothers and the facilitated who avail themselves to lead us in this workshop. We ended the day by joining the brothers in the Beyart for an Eucharistic celebration at 17.30. In attendance to day at the opening were the General Superior, his vice Bro. Methodius, Bro. Guido Sukarman, Bro. Maarten Bouw, the Dutch Provincial Superior Bro. Theo Broelman and the three delegates from Ghana.

Reported by Bro. Aabeisie Isidore Nelson

Last edited by Martinus Handoko (25-11-2008 19:28:19)
25-11-2008 19:24:04
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Martinus Handoko
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Registered: 05-12-2006
Posts: 25
MINI - IMIF FOR GHANA 
(25th - 26 th November 2008)



25th November began as any usual cold winter morning. We could still see snow outside the meeting hall on top of roofs of the houses around us. After Bro. Maarten Bouw led us in the morning prayer in the chapel, we moved immediately to the hall for the first session with the theme "Being Truly Human". In a power point presentation, he explained "Being Human" to mean, among others, remaining connected to our humanness and to reality, accepting ourselves as we are, accepting our histories, accepting others as they are, and to work towards the greater love and understanding of others.

He delated on a number of attributes of being human to include also belonging, healing, freedom, celebration, community and forgiveness. Expanding on forgiveness, Bro. Maarten stressed that it is a process by which we start to accept and love those who have hurt us. It is to try to understand and accept them as they are and to experience our mutual humanity. It is the final stage of liberation. Forgiveness makes us believe that each of us can evolve and change, that human redemption is possible.

After break we came back to clarify and share a few thoughts on the topic. We freely discussed some elements in the presentation that we feel form the core values of our lives as human beings. In the next two sessions we devoted the whole time exploring an important area of FIC life: Community Life.

Just like the previous presentation. community life  also has certain elements that make it a community. These include building trust, charting a vision, commitment, expending of gifts, mission, sharing, openness, belonging, communion, and so on. He stressed on the painful reality of community living: a place we discover our weaknesses and fears, inabilities to get on with others, our mental and emotional blocks, our insatiable desires, and the monsters within each person.

During the discussions that follow, participants pointing out interesting discoveries about community life that ensued during their reflection. Forming a community is not easy. It involves moving from myself to community, a death-resurrection experience, and like moving from the desert to the promised land. We realised also that for a community to stay alive, members should clarify their expectations, fears, desires, and even their excitements. It is also a place where members discover their gifts and abilities. A strong point that came out was that a community that shares its experiences is one that grows. We left the meeting hall with a feeling of satisfaction at having to deal with one of the significant elements of our life.

We joined the entire community of De Beyart at 17.00 h for mass and that brought us to the end of the second day. The way Day Two progressed to the end will give you a gist of how tide our schedule is. So do not be deceived by the word "Mini-IMIF".

The morning prayer of Day Three was led by Bro. Raphael on the theme of the day: FIC ORIGIN. Our driver for the day was Bro. Theo Broelman, the Provincial Superior of the Netherlands.

In his presentations, he traced the rich history of our founders: Fr. Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken, pointing out essential elements like their family backgrounds, education, what inspired them, the difficult beginnings, their differences and their successes. The discussion session after this presentation was very inspiring. Apart from absorbing the materials in a significantly new dimension, participants realized how very close they have ever come to our dear founders. We saw God's hand at work in them at the time. How a young man with a rich father would opt for the simanary, or how a young priest would decide on serving poor and dirty children instead of staying in a parish remains a mystery. The two founders, though different, maintained the courage to continue this venture inspite of difficulties.

The discussions continued to the level of those dreams and ideals of our founders that are still significant, especially to our province of Ghana. One important ideal is the apostolate. We made it clear to ourselves that our success should not be based on good academic results only, but should border on values, something we call "God-fearing education". Values help people to pass through life wholistically, not just skills or knowledge. Also, the two ideals of apostolate and prayer, which were the greatest source of difference between our founders, are still very relevant to us. Even though it appeared like a devil between our founders, we feel they were opportunities presenting themselves. We still struggle with them in our provinces, but the two are relevant in ensuring that we stay within the spirit that brought us this far.

The day ended again with a Eucharistic celebration, and we retired for the day with great satisfaction that we have dealt almost totally with the ideals of our founders. We feel these ideals are alive in Ghana, and we resolve to deepen the understanding and practice of these values wherever we are. May the spirit of our founders truly inspire us in this direction.

We have only the evenings to rest. Inspite of this Brothers Isidore and Felicio can still manage to take a walk in the cold winter weather, Raphael, however, is afraid that a cold which he brought from Ghana could get worse, and so is waiting to get over it before. We are thankful to God for the good health, and we hope to end the Mini-IMIF without casualty.

Recorded by Bro. Raphael Besigrinee.
27-11-2008 20:09:39
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Martinus Handoko
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Registered: 05-12-2006
Posts: 25
MINI-IMIF ENCOUNTER AT DE BEYART - THE NETHERLANDS
27th  - 28th  NOVEMBER 2008

All too soon the week is almost ended. I know you have read the write-up  by our two brothers, Isidore and Raphael. They kept us abreast with what is taking place at the Mini-IMIF encounter at De Beyart - Mother House. It has being a very exciting moment for us as we unfold the week with sharing and reflections with our brothers here in The Netherlands. We had so far dealt with areas such as: Being truly Human, the FIC Origin, the FIC Spiritual life and Apostolate by brothers Maarten Bouw, Theo B, and Frans School respectively.

Today, the 27th of November we started another day with a prayer morning service led by Bro. Isidore to kick start the day. At 9:00 am we gathered again at the conference hall to begin the day's activities this time around with Bro. Frans School on the topic of FIC Spiritual life and Apostolate. After the welcome and a brief introduction he began with his power point presentations. He took us through what he called Three Pillars of our religious life as brothers FIC : community, apostolate, and spiritual life. The question is how to integrate those three in actuality of our life.
when the presentations were over we had some questions for individual reflections based on the central values in the life both Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken. They are, among others, trust in God and trust in Mary, the prayer life and a strict observation of the holy rule/constitutions.

We came back after the break at 11.30 for a whole group sharing of the questions. The sharing was very inspiring as we listened to each brother shared, it was a moment of coming face to face with values and ideals our founder and co-founder stood for, and how they lived them out in their own situation and circumstances. In the afternoon we continued with the sharing still around the same theme: FIC Spirituality and Apostolate and comments and remarks on the sharing on our experiences in the initial formation. We closed the day at about 5:00 pm and for our prayer service.

On the 28th November, we started the day with a prayer service organized by Bro. Felicio. The theme for the reflection was: protecting their heritage. After the prayer we met at the reception of De Beyart to start the day's activities, which was the congregational walk through the Maastricht the 'home town' of our congregation. This was led by Bros. Wim Luiten and Theo Broelman. This exercise took us to some parts of Maastricht where Mgr. Rutten lived and worked with the brothers. This was meant to enable the brothers have a first hand information and at the same time to have a feel of how all began. It is interesting to how to see this aristocrat and idealistic young man with all the privileges and confort around him could seek and find meaning in life in those needy and poor children.

In the afternoon at 2:30 pm we visited the FIC historical Museum to interact with the material culture of our congregation. The brother in-charge did a wonderful job. He systematically took through the growth and development of the congregation. When I looked back it was a day well spent in spite of the tiredness.

Dear brothers I will end it here for now and we promise to keep in touch.
Fraternal greetings,
Bro. Felicio
29-11-2008 14:00:51
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WillyBastiaens
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Registered: 14-03-2005
Posts: 145
REPORT FROM BRO. ISIDORE
(29 November / 1 December)


Dear Brothers,

You did not here anything from us at the week end. That does not mean that there was no activity at all. We are still in good health and hope you all are fine also.
Fraternal greetings to you all from De Beyart. I wish to update you on the progress of the above workshop taking place in De Beyart in the Netherlands. We know that most of you have keen interest in the programme and we do not want to do a disservice to you.
On the 29th November, Saturday, we started the morning session with "Gathering up the Findings of Explorations". This exercise was meant to examine whether the participants have grasped what had been given to them for the first week. This was facilitated by Bro. Guido Surkarman. A paper was presented to each participant to write down the essential points that they have acquired under listed headings which were the daily themes for the week long presentations. After about thirty minutes time each participant was given the chance to share what he had written down under each of the themes. It was encouraging to the facilitators because it was clear to them that the participants had understood all that was delivered. The facilitators were hopeful that the formators would internalise what they had gathered and be able to pass it on to their formatees.
The above exercise was followed by an input by our General Superior Bro. Martinus Handoko on the theme; Ways and Means of Imparting/Developing Values, which I would call the methodology of the teaching in formation. It was indeed a very important lesson for me who have not done any formation course. Though my former formators used some of those methods I did not understand why they did that until now.
Bro. Martinus presented very simple and practical ways formators can help candidates to acquire all the values they need to be FIC brothers. These are also to expose the candidate to other options in his choice of vocation and to help him make a correct discernment.
The afternoon was free and we could take some time off for ourselves.

On the 30th November we travelled to Den Haag after lunch to have our lesson on St. Vincent De Paul's spirituality. This time the weather was a little better, about three degrees C. On arrival the brothers, some members of the St. Vincent De Paul Society, and some FIC associated members gave us a very warm welcome in a typical Dutch tradition. This was followed by an inspiring prayer service on the said theme. We actually moved to Den Haag for this particular input because the Den Haag community and some members of the St. Vincent De Paul society members who are so connected to this community wanted to take part.

In the morning of 1st December we started the day with a prayer service followed by the input by Bro. Aloysious v.d. Broek.  In his presentation he recalled how our founders were inspirited by St. Vincent De Paul and sighted our option for the poor, our motivation in the places where we started our communities and the sort of schools we started as been motivated by St. Vincent. Our congregation was even to be named after St. Vincent under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary but was changed by the Bishop at that time the other way round. He lamented how this tradition had virtually disappeared in the FIC spirituality and was very excited that the General Chapter 2006 brought it up. We were inspired by the St. Vincent Society members when they shared with us the work they do for the poor and the neglected in their society. The feeling of empathy, love of neighbour, being voice for the voiceless and as our founder puts it "the poor are our masters", and others
were all the feelings going through each of us. We acknowledge that the poor and neglected who attracted our founders to start the congregation are still very visible in us and they need us and so it is the spirit that is stirring us to revisit this important spirituality. We were much encouraged by the full participation of our general councillors in this workshop and the immerse contributions they made though some of them took part in the one in Indonesia.

Thanks, and look out for tomorrow's experience on "Longing for connectedness".
Reported by Bro. Isidore Aabeisie

Last edited by WillyBastiaens (05-12-2008 09:14:04)
03-12-2008 11:22:46
   
WillyBastiaens
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Registered: 14-03-2005
Posts: 145
REPORT FROM BRO. RAPHAEL
(2 and 3 December)


Dear brothers,

Fraternal greetings from Maastricht, and especially from Bros. Isidore, Felicio and Raphael. Slowly we are getting to the end of our encounter, and even though the program is very tide we want to keep updating you on the progress of the meeting. We are still healthy and active in the meeting. Here is the next report:

Today, Tuesday 2nd December, 2008 opened a new chapter in the ongoing MINI-IMIF. Two facilitators, in the persons of Bro. Johan M, FIC and Sr. Claudia SSpS, were welcomed into the group to facilitate the workshop on "Longing for connectedness". They led us in the Morning Prayer service after which Bro. Johan introduced the topic for the day.  He started off with the word "Passion" as the driving force of human relationship. He explained the word to mean the urge to do something in life for the good of others and society, a strong desire to serve others, even if it means to suffer in the process. This he said is to be Fully Alive!, ending with the statement of St. Irenius: The glory of God is the human being fully alive.  This was followed by an exercise.

We were to answer the following questions:  Where do I stand now regarding my different relationships? What are my fields of relations? What does relationship mean for my life? The sharing that ensued was very fascinating and enriching, and the points emerged included the following: I relate with different people at different levels, including fellow brothers, family members, friends, classmates, fellow teachers, etc. These relationships are all important because they help us to grow, make us complete, support us, encourage us, energize us, and make us more alive as humans. Some relationships even burden and wound us, but all help to make us who we are. This exercise concluded the morning session.

We began the afternoon session with an input on the power of the human sexual energy, the force that brings people close to each other, the cosmic allurement, or the energy of love. This brief presentation was again followed by an exercise on how we express our life energy, what makes us enthusiastic about being FIC and how we feel the beauty of the FIC Congregation. The feelings that were expressed in the sharing were not only stimulating but also full of revelations on our own motivations for being FIC. We felt that concentrating only on our assigned apostolic areas is not only inadequate but lack the passion we need to have as followers of Christ. It was as revealing as it is enlightening to discern how FIC has provided the ground for us to live our humanness, and that in serving others we should feel energized rather than get bored. The discussion was so captivating that we did not notice time had passed.

Today, 3rd December, 2008, we woke up to see snow once again through the windows, and we each knew that we were starting a LONG day: we were to have an extra session after supper, something never known before in our mini-IMIF. We had to reinforce ourselves to face the day. The day as usual begun with a prayer, and straight away, we plunged into the day's business. Psychosexual and social-spiritual Development was the topic to start with. Alternatively, Sr. Claudia and Bro. Johan traced the development of the two areas that simultaneously go on within each person, and how the psychosexual development affects the social-spiritual side. This presentation was followed by a few clarifications and a lengthy discussion on how these developments have affected some of us, and how they have influenced our lives.

This was followed by a presentation by Sr. Claudia on the topic "From Imprisonment to Liberation". She said growth, and especially the road to freedom, brings with it some hurts and pain, and also that we belong to a wounded humankind, and there is a way we can cope with these hurts to achieve healing. Healing is only possible if we can let go of defences and reclaim our true selves. She also discussed three psychological disorders we need to overcome in order to achieve freedom. They include Addiction, Co-dependency and Attachment. Four ways to attain recovery include telling the truth of the problem, letting go of defences, breaking the addiction cycle and abstinence.

The most interesting and absorbing moment for us came after Bro. Johan's presentation on Homosexuality. He asked the question whether Ghana Province would accept a candidate with homosexual orientation. A homosexual is just like any other person with a sexual orientation because this is his love-force that determines who to love. We think a homosexual could be a good religious or priest if he is rightly motivated. However, in the Ghanaian situation, it is difficult to accept such candidates because societal pressure and influence has created prejudices against them. I had the feeling there were still unexpressed sentiments on the topic but we had to end the session and go for Eucharistic celebration.

The evening session was a video show entitled "As it is in Heaven". It is about a young man called Daniel who has searched his whole life for the kind of music that will change people's hearts, and at the same time, free him to love. At the end, he not only healed himself but also the members of the choir he was in charge of. This brought the day to a tired end.

Bro. Raphael Besigrinee reporting from Maastricht

Last edited by WillyBastiaens (05-12-2008 09:14:45)
05-12-2008 09:12:36
   
Martinus Handoko
Member

Registered: 05-12-2006
Posts: 25
Dear brothers,
The "Mini-IMIF" for Ghanaian formators which was started on November 24th has been concluded on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 with deep feeling of joy and gratitude. We were all  happy for the fact that everything went well as planned, and above all that Ghanaian formators have been able to go through the similar process as what other formators did in Indonesia.

During the closing ceremony Ghanaian formators, represented by Bro. Isidore, expressed their gratitude to the General Council for giving the opportunity to have this encounter on initial formation. He said that they got a lot from the meeting for their own benefit as well as for their work as formators. They also thanked all the facilitators for spending  time and energy by giving some input and sharing of experiences for the second time. After going through the two weeks encounter they realized how much they would have missed in case they were not given the opportunity to have this meeting.

Although they were not able to participate in the IMIF in Indonesia, they however feel fortunate because this Mini-IMIF took place in the Netherlands, where they can see directly the origin of the congregation, especially when they were doing the congregational walk and visiting the museum at De Beyart. Somehow, they said, this can compensate what they have missed for not being able to come to Indonesia.

We closed the gathering with prayer service prepared by Bro. Martinus Handoko, followed by having lunch together with facilitators at La Chine Restaurant, Maastricht.

Martinus Handoko
08-12-2008 14:20:20
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