Our Love  Story

Gerwin and I first crossed paths in our freshman year of high school. Though we shared classrooms, our interactions were few and far between, except for that one memorable moment when we were paired for a Christmas carol dance. He later admitted that his crush on me began around the third grading period and lasted through our sophomore year. As for me, I would occasionally list him among my “top five crushes” whenever classmates passed around slam books. But beyond that, we lived in separate worlds, he was devoted in sports, while I was focused on academics. Our paths didn’t intertwine romantically during those high school years, and it wasn’t until after graduation that our story truly began.

During our first year in college, one of my closest high school friends was turning 18 in November. I wanted to surprise her with a greeting from her high school crush—Gerwin—so I reached out to him for the first time since graduation. That was our only interaction until, unexpectedly, he called me on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve that year also, spending hours on the phone with me. I was thrilled. But soon after, my phone was stolen and we lost contact. He thought I was ignoring him, while I simply had no way to reach him and I didn't memorize his phone number. Thankfully, Facebook came along during our second year and we reconnected. From then on, we talked endlessly, until our phones overheated and batteries had to be swapped. We never ran out of things to say. And then on his 21st birthday, I surprised him at his school with a cake and gift—our first reunion since high school.

Life shifted when I had to stop school for family and financial reasons, while he became busy preparing for graduation. The distance grew, and I asked that we stop talking. But one Friday after work, he appeared outside our office building, asking me to go with him. I was hesitant, even defensive and planning to use my automatic umbrella and alcohol spray on him, but instead of anything strange, he brought me to Quiapo Church. There, he asked me to be his girlfriend. 

Who would have thought that years later, he would bring me once again to a church—not just to ask me to be his girlfriend, but to be his wife and lifelong partner.

Walking this road together has not always been smooth. We’ve encountered trials and setbacks, but each moment unfolded according to His divine plan. God crafted our love, directed our path, and the Foundation that holds us steady today.

Isaiah 60:22

“When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”

This verse reminds us that even the bumps and delays in the journey are part of His timing and what He builds cannot be shaken.