BYUH alumni couple, from the Philippines, say people should choose your love and love your choice
Morian Labis, from Pangasinan, Philippines, and an alumnus of BYU–Hawaii said he and his wife’s relationship was a roller coaster ride of an experience. Labis said they started as friends in their school and are now married for eternity. “Back in Winter 2019, I was having personal problems when she came along and offered a much-needed comfort during those times.”
Learning from their history, Carrah Louise Labis, from Leyte, Philippines, and also a BYUH alumna, said her acts of kindness in looking out for members in her ward became a bridge for her to discover her future eternal spouse. “I know how it feels to go through a tough time, and making sure that he was okay was something I needed to know since we are both batchmates, [in the same group that came to BYUH].”
Love blossoms quietly
Carrah Louise Labis said she and Morian Labis first met at the onboarding training for new students for the Winter 2019 Semester. Later that first week, she said they got to know each other better when they attended the opening social for the Filipino Club.
Morian Labis said, “I [knew] her even before we came to school. We created a batch group chat, on [Facebook] Messenger that allowed me to better communicate with everyone in my batch, including her.
“That made it easier for me to get to know everyone in my batch. I used to make jokes in our chats so it will be easier for me to be friends with them,” he added.
During the first weeks coming into the new semester, Carrah Louise Labis said, “We usually spend our days with our batch friends, but it slowly developed to just us two, and that progressed over time. It happened for a day. That turned into days [and] that turned into weeks. We study together, go to the temple, eat in the cafeteria and more. Basically, we were spending more time with each other as the semester went on
“Time goes by, and we would still go with each other. It feels like we are already dating, but on the other side, I feel like we are becoming close friends,” Carrah Louise Labis said. She continued, “As we hung out with each other, there would be times that Morian [Labis] will open up random topics like getting together and marrying in the temple. We would laugh at it because we all thought that it was just a joke.”
She said the more time they spent together, they grew more comfortable and close. “ I learned how to appreciate him a lot, because we would talk about our personal goals, dream jobs and who we wanted to marry. Because of this conversation, I started to develop deep feelings for him,” Carrah Louise Labis said.
Morian Labis said, “There was a day that I had the strong impression to open up to her. While we were with each other again, I blatantly told her that I am starting to develop special feelings for [her].” Little did he know Carrah Louise Labis was feeling the same way, she said.
Crossing into love
Carrah Louise Labis, said, “As we transitioned from being friends to [sweethearts], it became easy for me to fall in love with him because of our friendship and the trust we already built with each other.” However, she said, her only concern at that point was how their circle of friends would react to finding out they were officially dating.
Morian Labis, on the other hand, expressed his personal concerns when they started dating. He said, “I had concerns about her expectations. I was too worried that I would not be able to meet her expectations when we became a couple. I am aware that this is more than being friends, so those things bugged me as we continued our date.” However, it worked out well for them, Morian said.
Carrah Louise Labis said most of their friends were surprised but some were not because they anticipated they were going to end up together. Pristine Domingo, an alumna of BYUH, said Carrah Louise Labis would always worry about Morian Labis when he was experiencing his own personal problems in life.
Domingo, who is a close friend of Carrah Louise Labis, said, “No wonder they would go out with each other regularly. It all made sense.”
Friendship sealed with marriage
Morian Labis said their love for each other progressed, and even though the pandemic happened, it did not stop them from marrying each other. They were married in the Philippines Cebu Temple on Dec. 14, 2021. “It was one of the best decisions we ever made, and it made me look back to where we started,” said Morian Labis.
Carrah Louise Labis suggested to make your ideal partner your best friend. She said you can leverage the friendship you had as long as both of you are comfortable with it and are willing to take the next step.
“Since we became friends, it became easier for us to be open with each other. Since we are already comfortable being together, it became easier for us to make decisions and to make plans and decide our future,” she said.
Morian Labis said because of their earlier experience of transitioning from friends to sweethearts, it became a stepping stone for them to start a family of their own. “I am so happy to marry my friend, who now is my eternal companion,” Morian said.
