As another year draws to a close, I find myself once again marveling at God’s faithfulness through every season. 2024 has been a tapestry of wilderness moments and unexpected graces, each month holding its own story of how He has been steadfastly present. From January’s frost to December’s warmth, I’ve witnessed His hand guiding my path with purpose, patience, and profound love.

Before I unfold the months like pages of a well-worn journal, I’m reminded that every highlight I’m about to share is a testament to His grace. Some months felt like standing in wide open spaces, while others seemed like narrow valleys, but through it all, His goodness remained constant. Let me take you through this journey, month by month, sharing the moments where wilderness transformed into wonder.

january

• Celebrated my first year at Easyship 🎉
• Was blessed with an IDC ticket after it was sold out and went to the conference with a new-found group of friends from CCF Beyond
• One of our oldest cats, Siam, crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈
• Celebrated my birthday with family and friends
• Started doing morning walks and praying for random people — it was very nerve-wracking, but all flowed well with the help of the Spirit!
• Realized that my “type” changed over the years and it was confirmed when I met some people
• Gained fresh insight and wisdom from my 1-1 with leads (work and discipleship group)
• Consistent prayer times and Bible reading 📖

february

• After all those years of dreaming for the day to come, I finally traveled to Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) and experienced my first snow in Tokyo upon arrival ❄️ I’m writing a separate blog post about this trip soon! And surprisingly, I can still understand and speak Japanese despite not using it since 2021.
• Met my high school friend Milan at Ikebukuro and caught up on the lost years (more than a decade!)
• Des, one of my DGroup members, is finally leading someone on her group. Yay!
• Celebrated Elyse’s (TJ and Beth’s daughter) baptism with uni friends. She’s the first baby of the group 👶🏻
• New baby added to our upline DGroup
• Consistently worked out 🏃‍♀️
• Developed a crush on someone 🫣 And I didn’t know what to do

March

• Signed up for the translations team for CCF Beyond’s MC2 (Multiplying Churches and Communities) materials
• Continued serving at CCF Eastwood’s Women2Women
• God taught me about work, delegation, teamwork and leadership through 1 Kings
• God reminded me that though I’m following Him, I am still weak since I’m human, so I have to be aware of my weak spots because this is where temptation usually strikes. To not be unequally yoked in commitments and not go back to where He has already saved me from (1 Kings 11:2, 1 Kings 13:9, 17)
• Challenging times at work but we overcame
• Realizing a lot of painful things about my heart situation, mainly from overanalyzing and ruminating
• Met more people old and new 🙂
• Registered for the DELE B1 exam and received my A2 certificate
• “In my trouble I cried to the Lord, and He answered me.” – Psalms 120:1

april

• Started preps and review for DELE B1
• Blessed with a good and fun(ny) relationship with my colleagues
• Caught up with my previous work friends Geann and Joms
• Felt sad because of missed expectations on my heart situation, realized I was becoming limerent
• Relocation dream was rekindled
• Attended my first Día del Libro at Ayala Triangle with Desiree, my classmate from Instituto Cervantes. It was nice to converse in Spanish again with hispanohablantes! 📚
• Learned new things about God’s Promises, Timing, and Rewards for our obedience in the first part of 2 Kings
• Compelled to pray for 2 people at the park while going on my morning walk
• Attended my first live worship night, then a friend of a church friend prophesied and prayed over me. She reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3. I still don’t know majority of the keywords she meant but we’ll see over time

may

• Took the DELE B1 exam
• Released the first step to a big security feature, thanks to the great work and collaboration with colleagues
• Got my ankle badly injured from playing tennis and it gave me a lesson on symmetry and being unequally yoked 😓
• Praying for Afghanistan and other persecuted and war-torn countries
• Still discouraged about broken expectations, unreciprocated efforts, etc.
• Tita Lv visited us from the UK after several years and spent a few days at our place. I missed her and it was always a delight chatting with her
• Anxious about finances and passing the DELE exam
• Celebrated Mother’s day and mum’s birthday with family and relatives. I love seeing all of us together, praying together and spending a good time
• Met 2 new role models in the Bible: King Hezekiah and King Josiah
• Anchor verse: Isaiah 26:3-4

june

• Consistently taking tennis lessons 🎾
• Completed my first translation task for MC2 🎉
• Saying goodbye is really, really hard to do
• Clarity and answered prayer about my heart situation. It was a heartbreaking revelation but one that I needed to know so I can finally move forward with peace and acceptance
• Met my DGroup again and talked about Jonah 1 and major life matters
• Prayed for some people intentionally
• Ran a 10K race again (read here) 🏅
• Was moved to a new squad after my previous squad disbanded
• Hiked Masungi Georeserve’s Rizal trail with family and relatives from Saudi Arabia
• Anchor verses: Proverbs 4:23, Psalm 25:4-5, 12, 16-18, 20, 1 Chronicles 22:11-13

JULY

• Joined mid-year prayer and fasting and tried a juice-only fast. It truly tested my faith since I felt super weak and my cravings intesified, but I made it through by God’s grace! It was the most intense and focused P&F that I had so far
• Started preparing for DNV
• Continued serving at CCF Eastwood’s Women2Women despite the rain. The session was titled “Disappointment or His Appointment”, which was very timely with my situation then (heartbreaks, losses and disappointments)
• Had a blessed encounter in the elevator with a lady from Africa (who’s apparently my neighbor) about praying for the nations, church, and going back to the Lord 🙏🏻
• Served and volunteered as a writer for this year’s Missions Month ✏️
• Prayed and shared the Gospel to a lady who visited CCF for the first time. She accepted Jesus 💜
• Overnight stay with my friend Jensen and we talked about partners, marriage, questions to the Lord, goals and plans. She also cooked okonomiyaki for me! 美味しかった
• The enemy tried to cause division in my church relationships (DGroup and ministry) through disappointments and misunderstandings, but God is more powerful that He brought peace, humility and unity among us. God revealed to me that He sees me and hears my prayers on the events that followed, that my work was not in vain and my motives pure
• My youngest sister Ynah and I prayed for the nations together
• House and family problems 😔
• Our family’s turtle, who was passed on to us and we’ve had for around 2 decades, crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈
• Anchor verses: 1 Chronicles 28:8-10, 20, Psalm 67, 2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalm 90 (From Everlasting song)

august

• Finances, generosity and family relationships tested again
• Passed my DELE B1 exam (read here) 🎉
• Received appreciation and encouragement from my new squad 🙏🏻
• Clarity on the misunderstanding between Czar and me
• Continued serving at CCF Eastwood’s Women2Women
• Gimel, my mum’s cat, crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈
• Celebrated milestones (Tita Cherie’s birthday and cousin Ralph’s graduation) with family and relatives 🎓
• Dad healed from his sickness
• My ankle fully healed from injury 🩹
• Anchor verses: 2 Chronicles 25:8, 2 Chronicles 26:5, Psalm 1, Deuteronomy 16:17, 2 Corinthians 9:6-9, 2 Chronicles 32:7-8, 2 Chronicles 33:12-14

september

• Finances, generosity and family relationships still tested
• Celebrated Ynah’s birthday with family and relatives 🎂
• Completed the second round of MC2 translations 📝
• Continued serving at CCF Eastwood’s Women2Women
• Submitted SV application
• Losses again
• Met a lady on the park named Tine while I was on my quiet time and prayed for her
• The Lord opening opportunities for me to practice cheerful giving and generosity
• Anchor verses: Isaiah 43:18-19, Isaiah 41:13

october

• Another hope deferred — SV denied, DNV postponed
• Family attended Sunday service complete for the first time ☀️ Praise God!
• Debts paid off
• Liam Payne, my bias in 1D, passed away 😔
• Volunteered as part of Cats of Legaspi Village in Spectrum Fair’s Pawsome Pet Fair
• Met with each of my DGroup disciples, including Shen from Baguio, whom I finally met for the first time!
• Celebrated Alvin and Des’ baby gender reveal
• Continued serving at CCF Eastwood’s Women2Women
• The Philippines and Spain struck by typhoons, causing great damages. God giving me understanding why my trip did not push through🌀
• Attended my first AutomationSTAR conference albeit virtually 🌟
• Met and prayed for a homeless man who has just been released from jail and it was apparently his birthday. It was an emotional night but a very blessed encounter
• Helped catch stray cats around the village for TNVR 🐾
• Anchor verses: Nehemiah 9:8, 17, 19-21, 33, Esther 3-6, Job 3

November

• Left Makati and said goodbye to friends and acquaintances around, Natoy (the ginger cat from where I lived) and village cats 😿
• Served God as a facilitator on CCF Beyond’s Pray for the Nations session – prayed for persecuted churches around the world
• Got accepted for a free Spanish conversation class as part of a linguistic research 🇪🇸 🔍
• Progress in family house cleaning and renovation
• Kept dreaming and being reminded of someone but the meaning is unknown
• Traveled to Thailand with family and relatives 🇹🇭 ✈️
• Heart-to-heart talk and prayer with mum
• Financial provision
• Anchor verses: Job 7:17-18, Job 9:5-7, 10, 12, 27-28, Psalm 105:19, Job 14:14. Luke 1:45, Job 19:10, 25-26

December

• Work achievements, consistent teamwork + good collaboration
• Por fin llegó mi NIE
• Financial tests and provisions
• Some of our pets were struck with FPV and unfortunately, Sumi and Suhana crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈 Dorby survived
• Celebrated Christmas and NYE with family and relatives 🎄
• Anchor verses: Job 27:2-4, Job 28:28, John 13:34, Isaiah 40:3, Job 30-31

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. Though 2024 held its share of losses, Your goodness and blessings outshined them all. Your hand was evident in everything. As 2025 begins with its valleys – saying goodbye to our dear cat Patch, catching cough and cold, and a disappointing new haircut – I hold onto hope, knowing You make everything beautiful in Your time. I’m anchoring my heart on this verse:

However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—
1 Corinthians 2:9

Happy New Year, everyone 🎇