When God Says It’s Time – Part 2
It’s been a year and four months since Rod and I got engaged. It feels surreal even up to this date that I could still recall every single detail of that special moment. Allow me to share my “kilig” with you in the midst of the pandemic that we are experiencing.
I knew in my heart that this day will come anytime but I keep on ignoring the idea because as a girl, ayaw natin mag-assume Besides, there were many reasons not to push through with our Japan trip:
- We made a promise na hindi na kami magta-travel na kaming dalawa lang because we were aware of all kinds of temptation. Things happened kaya we ended up na kaming dalawa lang.
- Corona Virus.
- Last February 10, I brought myself to the ER due to rashes all over my body, on and off fever, cough, and cold. Thank God it was not dengue nor CoVid! It was a viral exanthem.
Our close friends reminded us and warned us to reconsider our trip which we appreciated a lot! For things beyond our control, it is very important to turn and humble ourselves to the Lord, and so we did. It was during the first Friday mass and vigil when I received His blessing to proceed. I felt a certain kind of peace. Little did I know that God was answering Rod’s prayer.
Fast forward. Rod and I had a long discussion to include Ningle Terrace take us the whole day. But in a relationship, most of the time, compromising is needed. We arrived before lunch and explored the area for a while, took pictures, until the batteries of our gadgets got emptied and we needed to stay somewhere. Fortunately, there was a small cafe nearby. “Hintayin nating mag-gabi para makita natin yung mga ilaw ah?”, sabi pa nya. Kumain kami, nag-charged, naglipat ng photos, etc. Libang na libang pa akong ka-chat kapatid ko at si Maan. Medyo kinabahan pa ko kasi may time na sinabi ni Rod, “parang tumatalon yung puso ko dahil sa kape at zykas (gamot nya sa allergy)”.
Hanggang sa gumabi na at -6 degrees celsius lang naman, pero it feels like -10! Nakakamanhid at nakakapaso ng mukha, paa, at kamay. God knows gusto kong pagbigyan si Rod sa mga peg nya na picture and video kaya lang sobrang lamig talaga at kagagaling ko lang sa sakit. Napapasimangot na ko ng sobra. Sabi pa nya, “Baby, please be patient.”
The next thing I knew, nawalan ng tao sa area na gusto nyang magpa-picture kami. He set up the tripod and camera and when I was about to pose, he took my hand, led me to face him, and said, “Baby, mahal na mahal kita……” and right then and there, I knew he was going to propose. I didn’t understand anything that he had said. Hindi ako makapaniwala! Lumalabas sa bibig ko ang mga tanong na “talaga ba?”, “sigurado ka ba?”, at “seryoso ka ba?” At nasigurado ko nga ang lahat nung lumuhod sya at may singsing na hawak. “Oo naman”, sagot ko sa kanya. I gave him the warmest embrace!
We stepped down from the stairs to get our things and to our surprise, we were welcomed and congratulated by other tourists. Two of them recorded a video and shared it with us. I asked Rod, “Nagpaalam ka ba kay Nanay?”. He was really ready because he immediately showed me their photo which was taken at Tatay’s tomb. That’s the time I broke down to tears. I called my immediate family, I thanked Nanay for trusting Rod, and also thanked Rod’s family. They were crying too!
If there is one lesson to ponder upon this magical moment, it will be to “seek God and His will in everything”. Here’s a quick timeline prior to Rod’s proposal:
- February 7, 2020 – God said yes to me. I asked God if we are going to push through with our trip and he gave me extraordinary peace which I took as a yes. God’s “yes” was not only meant for our trip in Japan but also His yes to my forever with Rod.
- February 8, 2020 – He bought the engagement ring.
- February 9, 2020 – He asked for my hand from my family.
I mentioned in Part 1 of When God Says It’s Time that I had no idea and expectation that this was going to happen the soonest. It seems to me that God unveils His plan and makes things happen when you depend and surrender to Him. God works when we allow Him to take the wheel since He is the author of our love story. He dictates the perfect time. It is always Him and everything is for Him. How great and majestic is His Name!
That is why (kaya pala)……
- My sister, Nichelle, and Maan knew about everything that was why they kept on checking on me that day. Nichelle even lent me a dress.
- Rod insisted that we go to Ningle Terrace in Furano, Japan.
- Many to mention incidents.
I pray that every girl reading this will be graced with a beautiful and God-authored love story. May God increase the faith of every man and grant them traits like that of Isaac, Boaz, Tobit, and Joseph. More importantly, may all of us seek God and ask His will for us. God will make everything beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We continue to trust, believe, and surrender.
As a bonus, I’d like to share our engagement video. Click here.