Married Christian life often begins with a beautifully simple vision: a good marriage, healthy children, stable careers, and a peaceful retirement. For Bal and Lourdes Quiambao, their initial plan was straightforward: to raise their family well, provide for them, and eventually settle down in their own home.
Yet, as with all stories of deep faith, the Lord’s plan proved to be infinitely grander, and far more challenging, than their own modest design. Their journey, a testament to surrender and divine providence, became a powerful living witness to the theme: Christ Heals! Rise, Pick Up Your Mat and Go!
The Weight of Unexpected Burdens
Bal and Lourdes’s faith was forged in the fire of multiple challenges, beginning with the Asian financial storm that led Bal into early retirement. This transition eventually brought them to a new path in the early 2000s, landing Bal a post in a foreign country where the public practice of faith was severely restricted.
Despite the very real risk of deportation, the couple felt the Holy Spirit’s promptings to serve. They helped establish the Couples for Christ community in that desolate field, witnessing God’s growth where it seemed impossible.
This spirit of radical obedience would be the foundation they needed when the ultimate trial arrived. A few years after, they moved to UAE for a new opportunity for Bal and continued to serve faithfully as leaders of CFC there.
Bal and Lourdes’s faith was forged in the fire of multiple challenges, beginning with the Asian financial storm that led Bal into early retirement. This transition eventually brought them to a new path in the early 2000s, landing Bal a post in a foreign country where the public practice of faith was severely restricted.
Despite the very real risk of deportation, the couple felt the Holy Spirit’s promptings to serve. They helped establish the Couples for Christ community in that desolate field, witnessing God’s growth where it seemed impossible.
This spirit of radical obedience would be the foundation they needed when the ultimate trial arrived. A few years after, they moved to UAE for a new opportunity for Bal and continued to serve faithfully as leaders of CFC there.
The true test of their faith came in 2014. Due to company downsizing caused by a slump in oil prices, Bal suddenly lost his job in the UAE. This was not merely an inconvenience, it was a devastating financial collapse. With all their children in college and the burden of securing a housing loan in the Philippines, the couple faced a massive debt totaling 8-10 million pesos. The financial pressure was so immense that collection agencies relentlessly pursued Bal, calling him day and night to remind him of his obligations. It was, in his own words, a “very traumatic experience.”
Rising Through Surrender and Community Love
Facing the prospect of financial ruin and the potential disruption of their children’s education, the couple turned to the only plan that remained: God’s. Bal and Lourdes found themselves echoing the universal cry of a weary soul: “Lord, what is your plan for our family?” It was in this moment of greatest poverty that God’s love became most evident, showing them that healing often arrives through the hands of others and small miracles.
At a CFC anniversary, they received a statue of Our Lady of Banneux, known as the Lady of the Poor. This tangible symbol reminded them that even when they felt utterly destitute, they were embraced by Christ’s mercy and the Love of the Blessed Mother.
God’s providence came through unexpected streams.Lourdes’s small business of selling rosaries (My Beads of Faith) received orders. Some of their children earned scholarships and varsity slots that lightened the tuition load. And family members, friends, and some fellow brothers and sisters in the community provided assistance.
Their path to restoration was also anchored by the community. Through a connection with a priest in the vicariate, Bal was eventually given the opportunity to apply for a new job. After a competitive process, he secured the role “by God’s grace.”
The Timeless Lesson of the Greater Plan
In looking back at their years of service from raising children while serving in CFC to pioneering ministry in difficult regions, Bal and Lourdes recognized that God was always preparing them for the next step. Each trial and unexpected detour were not mistakes, but a part of His unfolding narrative.
Seven years into his new work, Bal and Lourdes have finally seen the abundant harvest. Their children thrived both professionally and in their faith, and the couple continued to passionately serve the Lord as Singles for Christ coordinators.
Their story offers a profound, timeless lesson for all who walk the path of faith. Life will inevitably derail our carefully laid plans. But the healing we seek is often found not in fixing the past, but in the courage to surrender the map and trust the Guide. Like the man who was told to pick up his mat, Bal and Lourdes moved from the paralysis of fear and debt into a renewed life of Hope and mission. They did not just receive healing; they embraced God’s bigger, bolder plan—proving that when we surrender our small vision to Him, He reveals a future far more blessed and purposeful than we could ever imagine.
Credits:
Written by David Quiambao | Edited by Angeli Arellano | Photos by CFC Digital Missions Team | Graphics and Layout by Jay Lucena