Seeing 2022 with fresh eyes of faith was possible because of God. He opened my eyes to witness more of His glorious works not only in my life but in my family and friends' lives. I am grateful for seeing victory despite the difficult circumstances, basking in God's undying love, receiving His amazing grace, experiencing stability and growth, and enjoying the gift of salvation, joy, miracles, and new beginnings. I was able to see this verse come to life:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Seeing Victory

The difficulty in acquiring my Japanese Driver's License still persisted until the end of February last year. I wanted the suffering to end so badly so I could concentrate on wedding planning. I was on the brink of giving up. But the encouragement and support that I got from my family, friends, and of course, my ex-fiancé and driving teacher motivated me to enroll in another driving lesson at Kyoto Driver's Licensing Center and take another test. When I let go, ignoring the costs and focusing on the prize, I passed!

The victory came from God. He brought me to this challenging situation to show me that it is neither about my ability to drive nor my driving test skills. This was all about testing my faith and seeing His power to make everything happen at the right time, place, and condition. 

Seeing God's Love

Engaged and set to plan my wedding in January, I was carrying a mixture of emotions. Before the end of winter break, we were able to form a wedding committee that consisted of me and my three teacher friends from different prefectures in Japan-- Kyoto, Hyogo, and Tokyo. As one of our first investments as an engaged couple, we were able to buy a good camera that has live-streaming features. Using this, we did a mini winter shoot for our DIY electronic wedding invitation and Facebook group page. Wedding services were so expensive so we planned to do it all without hiring a wedding planner and supplier. We also wanted to save the rest of our money for our wedding in the Philippines.

Come February, my then-fiancé and I finished our marriage registration at the city hall. We had to prepare a lot of papers in Japanese but we received help from a kind Japanese friend and finished everything at the right time. We also had our Marriage Preparation sessions with our church pastor and his wife and my Connect Group leader from Lifehouse Church Kyoto. We learned a lot about each other and God's purpose for our marriage. It was also during this time that we encountered another fire coming from an old house beside my apartment during the wee hours of the morning. It was bigger than the fire last December. My veranda was right in front of the window of the house. There was only one little parking space in the middle. We prayed to God for protection and thank God it didn't happen again. 

Even though we wanted our first wedding in Japan with our families, the pandemic still became worse and the borders remained closed. We hired a photographer, who was an acquaintance of our friend, and who takes photos with the simple, natural, dreamy vibe that we were aiming for. We had seven guests--the church pastor, three churchmates whom we hired and helped us, and three teacher friends who volunteered to do DIY with us. I was filled with a lot of anxiety about how everything would turn out. I also didn't expect that I would have bridal showers online and offline near the wedding day. But I am so grateful for the love, wisdom, and support from my closest friends from the Philippines and Japan. The night before the wedding, God reminded me to be joyful in spite of the circumstances.

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habbakuk 3:17-18

We wedded at our favorite restaurant, Armonia in Fukuchiyama. This was where we had our first date on March 19th, 2020. Two years later, who would have thought we would get married in the same place? It was the perfect venue for our intimate wedding. It felt like dining at home with family and friends in the presence of God. We encountered technical difficulties during our live-streaming via Zoom because it snowed and rained a little, but it all turned out more beautiful than we imagined it to be. 

Since the wedding was during my spring break, we had a short but enjoyable honeymoon in Osaka. Thank God my husband took two days off from work! We had so much fun in USJ. We were able to release all the stress we got from wedding planning. It was our first time at Harry Potter and it turned out to be our favorite. Afterward, we stayed in a hotel in Namba, Osaka, and ate a hearty sushi dinner. Then the next day, we drove to Philippine Consulate General Osaka to apply for the Report of Marriage and walked outside the Osaka Castle grounds enjoying our first hanami as husband and wife.

"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6 NIV

Love is amazing. For us, this is illustrated in Romans 15:5-6. It was the verse that God shared with me when I was praying for my life partner in Odaiba, Tokyo in October 2013. I really had no idea about the future that God already planned for me then in Japan. This is God's love.

Seeing Grace

"God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful." ~1 Thessalonians 5:24

I would say that the four-month planning for our August wedding in the Philippines and the wedding itself were God's miracles. It was hard to search for the best suppliers online without meeting them in person. But I was able to benefit from my family and friends' experiences and the internet gave away a lot of information too. Discovering an e-invite website called withjoy.com (see ours here Kaye and Kensho) saved us from the costs of printed invitations and delivery. Zoom was also very useful for communication. Though the flight tickets skyrocketed because of the high demand and the low number of planes flying from Japan, we were able to afford it with God's provision.

The pandemic made a lot of things challenging but there were answered prayers too. While searching for venues with the help of my mother, I suddenly came across an article that outline the intimate venues in Quezon City. Lemuria Fine Dining Restaurant fit exactly what we wanted---simple, homey yet classy with good food and location. It fits us as a couple so well. God also provided for all the suppliers. Though the decision-making was tough due to financial reasons, He taught us to trust Him.

We wanted the officiating pastor to be my father's disciple during their Tokyo University days who became one of the head pastors of Tokyo Baptist Church. It so happened that he and his wife were also flying to the Philippines to visit their family in August. They happily agreed to attend our wedding and so, we were able to set the wedding day after they arrived in Manila. God truly plans everything and sometimes it takes years to see the fruits. 

We were grateful that my husband's mother, sister, and brother were able to go to the Philippines and meet my family for the first time. Unfortunately, his father and second cousin, who also happened to be his best man, couldn't come. As for my family's side, my father got sick a few days before the wedding and my cousin from Hungary, who was my best woman, couldn't come too. Some of our families and friends couldn't make it for health and work-related reasons as well. Because of a world crisis, we understood that this would happen and we were just so grateful that everyone was safe and covid-free.

I couldn't deny that walking down the aisle without my father hurt me the most. It was one of the top reasons why we had a second wedding in the Philippines. But I am truly grateful that his condition was not severe and we were able to see him well before and after the wedding. He even prayed for me and Kensho on the day of our flight back to Japan. It was a wonderful blessing. It brought me back to the emotions the day I left for Japan on my own for the first time but multiplied a hundred. 

Despite the setbacks, doing a second wedding in August allowed our families and friends to meet for the first time. It was such a beautiful reunion. We were able to see our loved ones after three years or more. The greater purpose was actually beyond being married to my life partner or whom I named *whoishe?* since high school. The most important thing is that God was glorified and the Gospel was shared with everyone. Kensho's family was able to meet Filipino Christians and their hearts were touched. Thank God for His amazing grace!

Seeing Stability and Growth

For the first time ever since I came to Japan, I did not move to a new city. It was a feat to have lived in the same apartment for almost two years. I really thank God because planning two weddings in a year, having a day job, saving for moving expenses, and moving to a new home were already making us busy and crazy. But He truly set everything in order.

I also received a new role as an International Girls Connect Group leader at church a few months before. Being an introverted person, I was filled with hesitation at first. I asked God, "Who am I to lead girls from different nations?" But I just said yes to my leader and transitioned from a substitute and co-leader to leading the group by myself. Through this, I also remembered my ultimate purpose of migrating to Japan. Hindi lang dahil Japan Japan sagot sa kahirapan. LOL. It is not only to continue sharing lives and learning from Japanese people. God wants me to grow by leading foreigners like me closer to Him. I should not run away or shy away from my purpose. I must continue to do the work that He has called me to do.

"For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints as you still do." Hebrews 6:10-11

Seeing Salvation 

Two weeks before the wedding in March, my husband got baptized. He wanted to do it sooner but he felt it wasn't the right time due to the worsening covid-19 situation. I was surprised one day when he delivered the news after scheduling with the church pastor and his Bible study group leader. We traveled to Kyoto city and it all happened in a small ofuro or bathtub inside a church member's apartment. It was live-streamed to other members of the church. We were all filled with joy. It was surreal.

In September, my husband's brother and girlfriend attended church in Shibuya, Tokyo. Then in November, my husband's mother attended church with us. The following week, she attended an online small group and was baptized. Everything happened so fast. God's plan is amazing! We are now witnessing the seeds that God has planted in their hearts since their visit to the Philippines. "The Blessing" was perfect for our worship song at our wedding. We chose it to claim God's favor over our families.

"May His favor be upon you | And a thousand generations | And your family and your children | and their children and their children." The Blessing, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, & Elevation Worship

Seeing Joy

Traveling around Japan with my husband in May and June became an extension of our honeymoon. We weren't able to go abroad to celebrate due to health and travel restrictions. We were both asthmatic which made us at-risk. But we were blessed to be able to travel around Japan in his vintage cars and made good memories in places where we have never been together.

Moreover, seeing my family after two and a half years was very precious to us. Honestly, going home made us so busy and tired. But decluttering my room and cleaning our UP home was very therapeutic. We said goodbye to old things and kept those that matter. There were still a lot of things left to do before we move out of our UP home. My parents and brothers were also busy with work plus quarantine measures. Because of a new coronavirus outbreak, we couldn't go on a trip somewhere outside Manila. It was better to be safe than sorry. 

Seeing New Beginnings

In October, my husband and I were already on the brink of finding an apartment that fits. While I was complaining to him about my frustration, he opened his phone and suddenly found a new advertisement for a pet-friendly 1LDK apartment. It was located in Ayabe, my first home in Japan, and where we first met. It was the place God was referring to me in Genesis 28:15-16. 

We called the real estate agent the following day and looked at the videos and pictures more. Even though it wasn't available for viewing yet due to a tenant living in it, we knew it was the one. We found ourselves signing the papers at the second meeting. We were able to see the inside of the apartment two weeks before our moving-in date in December. It was almost three months of waiting. Every day, our excitement grew and we would tell each other, "I want to move, I want to move." The apartment turned out better than our imagination. 

Reserving a home without seeing it in person might seem ridiculous, but we prayed for it and claimed that God has chosen and prepared this place for us to start our life together. Though I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, for us it was a great example of exercising our eyes of faith.

Seeing Miracles

At the end of December and the beginning of January, I was able to meet my husband's grandparents. This was long overdue because I was afraid that I would not be accepted. My husband's grandmother was just fine. She was very kind and generous, giving us food and household stuff every now and then. But my husband's grandfather was a very strict man and everybody knew that it wasn't easy to get along with him. 

When my husband's grandfather met me, the exact opposite happened. He initially asked if I was his grandson's husband and welcomed me to his home with a big smile. He willingly showed his interest in history by bringing out some historical books, one of which was a book on Japanese colonial times in Asia. When he handed me the book, he apologized for Japan conquering the Philippines in the past even though it wasn't his fault at all. But I could feel the sincerity and he really understood what happened then. He also took notes about my name, hometown, and university on his planner. What he saw or felt in me, I don't know yet, but I am grateful for that miraculous moment. 

Thirteen years ago, a family friend once told me, "Everything will flash before your eyes." I now understood what he meant. To be able to see through our eyes, we must be closer to God. We have to refocus when our vision gets blurry and be sensitive to God's leading, especially the redirections. With His guidance, we receive a valuable gift --- the ability to see beauty beyond what our natural eyes can see. I believe the same for everyone. If we cast our eyes on Jesus (Psalm 123:2), we can possess a greater sense of sight.

2023 started a little tough for me. But with a brand new perspective, I believe that this season is bringing tremendous growth that would help me reach God's greater plans. 

On December 31st, I spent my quiet time hearing from God and just listening to Him. I would like to stand by this verse as we undergo growth this year.

"Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching that I have given you. Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone..." John 15:1-4 ERV

Three months have already passed but I am still decreeing a fruitful year ahead for all of us! 

Let's #Grow2023 to the full!