Marielle Ignacio DeTorres

The night before Gio and I got engaged in May 2022, he was insisting that we go to UP the next day. He said that he really wanted to see it because I have been talking about how the campus is my second home and how I grew closer to God when I was there.

And so we journeyed from Cavite to QC, commuting in the usual summer heat. I took him to ride the MRT for the second time, then we ended up in a taxi going to campus. We even had to climb out of the said taxi to walk from Philcoa to UP because of the bad traffic. Nothing was moving.

So there we were, tired and sweaty, walking in the heat, and I thought perhaps he was feeling unwell. He was unusually quiet, and I was starting to get nervous. We walked around the oval, quickly passed by the chapel for a prayer, then continued on to Ilang-Ilang and CBA.

When we got to the Main Lib park, Gio started saying that he is so happy to have made this trip, to have met my family, and how he loves them very much. My faith was shining, he said, and that the amazing girl he met online is the same girl who was standing before him now.

He went down on one knee and said: “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow in faith and love with you and our families. Will you marry me?”

Shookt, surprised, and shaking, I asked him, “Are you sure?” Not once. Not twice. But three times. 😂 Maybe this was my way of processing it all. Maybe I was also asking myself to confirm my own answer.

But then this guy was just beaming. And so, I said “Yes! And I love you very much too!!!”

Our witnesses: a bored Main Lib guard and the 2 UP students who ran away the instant Gio knelt in front of me.🤣

On our way back to the condo, Iya and Edmond called and said that they were free to meet for dinner if we were in the area. An hour later, we were celebrating with a sushi feast! 🍣

It’s really funny and sweet to look back on it now, and I thank the Lord everyday that He has prepared our Yes to each other, even when we were oceans apart.

The Lord truly works in mysterious ways, but I can confirm that when we let Him write our love stories, nothing can stop His will and His power to change the course of our lives in an instant. 👏