Dr. Ligaya A. Acosta, Director, HLI-ASIA, March 6-15, 2008.

Brunei Darussalam, officially the State of Brunei: Abode of Peace, is a country located on the northern coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia.  Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the State of Sarawak, Malaysia.

The country is an absolute Islamic sultanate, headed by the sultan, or king, who serves as the supreme ruler.  As such, Islam is the official religion, of which the sultan is head.  Other faiths practiced are Buddhism (mainly by the Chinese), Christianity, and some indigenous religions in very small communities.  Though a minority, the Catholic community here is vibrant and growing fast.

Brunei is relatively small, with a total area of only 2,226 square miles.  It has an estimated population of barely 391,450. The official languages are Malay (Bahasa Melayu) and English, although an important minority speak Chinese. The climate is equatorial with high temperatures, high humidity, sunshine, and heavy rainfall throughout the year.

Though it is a very small country, Brunei is amazingly wealthy with a GDP of about $9 billion, and an income of approximately $24,000 per capita, derived mainly from crude oil and natural gas production, as well as from overseas investment supplements.  The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes rice production and housing, as well as the schooling of children.  Residents don't pay any tax.

A RISKY ENTRANCE

As I arrived in Brunei on a hot sunny morning, my big travel bag was suddenly pointed to by the Muslim Guards at the airport for opening in a routine, random search.  I had to make a frantic call to the Lord in my heart to send St. Michael the Archangel to defend me in battle.  The same bag contained pro-life books and materials, including a significant number of copies of HLI's Pro-life CD Library, which I intended to give away.  Prior to coming, I was sufficiently warned against bringing materials which may be considered "offensive" by authorities, like religious articles and books.  However, I still decided I had to bring sufficient materials to leave as weapons in the battle for life and family.  The Lord was quick in His reply, as the guard, after touching my bag, decided not to open it, and let me go.  I said my quick "Thank you" to God and heaved a sigh of relief as I went out of the immigration area to find Rev. Arin Sugit, a newly ordained deacon in the Diocese of Brunei and my main contact for the mission, already waiting for me with a smile on his face.  We proceeded to the diocesan office, where I was received by a most accommodating and fatherly bishop, His Excellency, Cornelius Sim.  After the usual introductions, the bishop made a slideshow presentation on his diocese.

The Diocese of Brunei is small, with only three parishes under the Apostolic Vicariate in Brunei Darussalam: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait (KB), and Seria.  There are only three priests serving the entire diocese, including the bishop himself, thus, they often have to import priests to assist them, mostly from the Philippines and India. 

My talks were held only in the evenings, usually extending way past the scheduled ending time. Fasting was part of the routine, thus even the bishop had to postpone dinner until after the talks, which almost always ended at midnight!

The diocese advertised my series of talks through a poster it conspicuously placed at the entrance of the church, and the talks were mentioned in the Masses.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL OF LIFE

My first talk was called "The Myth of Overpopulation and the Fight for Life in Asia."  The 200-capacity Diocesan Function Hall was less than filled, but after the talk, it was clear that the Holy Spirit touched the hearts of everyone who heard it.  Many of the attendees came to thank me after the talk.  The most heartwarming story was of a couple whose wife was soon expecting their fifth baby.  Before the talk, the couple-especially the wife-had been apologetic and ashamed of her being pregnant again.  After the talk, she was obviously beaming with pride for being a co-creator of life with the Lord! 

The second night showed a big improvement in attendance, as many more people came, and the hall was filled to capacity.  People who came the first night became instant advertisers of the talks.  It was heartwarming.  God was definitely working.  My second topic was "Pills, Condoms, and Other Stories," which is an exposé on the horrible killer effects of artificial birth control and abortion and the fallacy of reproductive health.  Again, people's eyes opened wide.  They were hearing the truth for the first time and seeing real pictures of aborted babies for the first time - not just blood or a glob of tissue - but defenseless human beings, killed by their very own mothers!  Many more people came to thank me after the talk; the most notable among them was a childless young couple who said they felt guilty during the entire talk - the husband was in the business of selling contraceptives!  What would they do, they asked?  I shared the story of a friend who was in a similar situation who made the most difficult decision of giving up his executive post in a drug company that manufactured and sold contraceptives, which afforded him a new car each month. God in His mercy gave him another job, not as lucrative in terms of finances, but definitely more fulfilling.  I told them it would not be easy, but, as I myself experienced, the Lord would definitely give them the grace and joy to bear even the most difficult of situations.

My last night of talks brought the most people.  The attendees from the first two nights were definitely effective advertisers!  The hall was filled over capacity.  Some people were standing at the back.  And, as in the first two nights, people were paying strict attention to the discussion.  It was heartwarming that even though most, if not all, of the people came directly from work and hadn't had dinner yet, no one slept or left early.  The enterprising youth group saw an opportunity for business and made pasta and pizza to sell to the participants.  When asked how much they earned, they proudly announced, "We ate our profits!"

The topic for the last night was "Natural Family Planning."  I started with a video entitled "Natural vs. Artificial," which caught the participants' interest.  I also had to summarize the past nights' discussions for the benefit of those who missed those talks.  Everyone was facinated with learning the natural cycles and discovering the body clock God had installed in every woman.  However, I emphasized the Church's teaching that when NFP is used for selfish reasons or the wrong ends it is still immoral.  "Children are a gift from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children born in one's youth.  Blessed are they whose quivers are full. They will never be shamed contending with foes at the gate."  (Psalms 127:3-5)

TEACHING THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH

Sunday afternoon was spent with the youth aged 12-18.  It was inspiring to have many parents come with their children, even if it was previously announced that the session was only for the youth.  The youth themselves confirmed my talks when they revealed that, yes, they are discussing sex in school and are taught about contraceptives and sterilization.  It was a shock to the parents that their children are actually receiving sex education.  Before my talks, some were saying that this is not allowed in a Muslim country, but the contrary was proven.  A biology teacher who attended the talks also confirmed this fact.  Truly, the culture of death is pervading everywhere, and the people are not even conscious about it, as the deception is so subtle.  Thus, they need someone like HLI to open their eyes to the sad reality.  The session ended with a beautiful "Pledge of Chastity," which all the young participants took to the delight of their parents.

From the capital city, I was brought to the parishes of KB and Seria, where I gave one talk at each location on the topic, "Threats and Challenges to the Asian Family."  As always, the splendor of the Gospel of Life shone through.  Some of those who attended in KB, in fact, still drove to the town of Seria the next evening, hoping to learn more, and they were not disappointed.  They clamored for more, but time was short.  The parish priest promised that he would invite HLI again in the future.

ENCOURAGING PRO-LIFE ACTIVISM

As an immediate result of the mission, the bishop called for a special meeting of a select group to discuss the next steps, foremost of which was the creation of an NFP team, as well as the future visit of HLI.  The response was extraordinary and, though originally meant to last for only an hour, it lasted more than two.  Everyone was very enthused about the meeting.  They expressed how disturbed they were with the issues and wanted to get involved in the next steps. In his opening statement, the bishop said that it had long been his plan to organize such a group.  He was grateful for my visit, which paved the way for its realization. 

Indeed the Brunei Mission was another show of God's amazing glory.  There truly is power in the Gospel of Life, and we just need to courageously proclaim it always.  How blessed I am indeed to be a chosen instrument in fulfilling the great mission of Human Life International!