In January, our first grandchild was due soon, and we travelled to the UK to support our daughter and son-in-law there. Back then, there was not much talk of Covid-19 there yet, but things were progressing in Singapore and we were watching what was happening. My husband was planning to come back to Singapore earlier for ministry and I was going to stay on to help with my granddaughter. As the baby was needy and my son-in-law got sick, I changed my return flight ticket to stay on a while longer to help them there. When I was returning, the situation in the UK and Singapore had worsened but thankfully I made it back safely. As our granddaughter is a newborn, we are definitely more concerned for her during this time. Recently, the baby had some physical issues where she needed to go into the clinic at the military base and that was a bit scary and it made me anxious that she was possibly exposed to the virus there. Yet while we are far away from them, we continue to hold them in prayer and encourage them by text. We have been praying and trusting the Lord, knowing that whatever they face, He is there with them and they are in His hands.

Our second daughter is a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, one of the front-liners in this season. And she is very much on our hearts and we are concerned for her. As she is in the thick of it, we are really praying for her well-being all the time. Things on her end are changing all the time, and she has to do multiple shifts which is very tiring. Just a few weeks ago, she started to get leg muscle strains, and has had to take a few days of MC because of that. And it was hard on her because she has such a heart of compassion, and she knew that while she was on break, someone else would have to stand-in for her. It was a concern to us, that the pressures on her and the stress (especially in this Covid-19 season) was taking a toll on her physical well-being. While we are concerned, in reality, we are comforted because we hope in God.

We have been serving in ministry for more than 35 years, and we have learnt that when we have hardships of any kind, our Father is trusting us with that. Every trial is a test as to how we approach it, and an opportunity to draw closer to the Father, hear His leading, reflect on what He is saying to us and be ready to reflect Him back to others. We can get through this as we lean on Him, without freaking out because He is the equalizer and He says we can have the peace of heaven right here in the world, as we trust Him.

We are grateful that our children are as mature as they are. So, we can trust them to think wisely for their well-being. They are people we would trust with their own safety. Both couples have strong relationships with the Lord, and it is a comfort to us that they are vibrant in their faith and prayer life together. We dedicated our girls to the Lord very early on, knowing that we are just their caretakers and they are His. So, we knew that we would do our best, but it wouldn’t be good enough. We have learnt that we have to let go and let God be God in their lives. To be able to release them to Him, knowing that our security and hope is in Jesus. And we have seen them grow in their faith and sense their maturity in the Lord now.

Something that I think our girls need to hear often is “I am proud of you.” Especially with one of them as a nurse going through all the procedures at the hospital, and another coping as a new mother, I think it is important to let them know that we love them and are proud of them. Another thing is telling them that “we are ok”. I know our daughters have their concerns for us as old folks. But I let them know that we are fine and that they shouldn’t be worried for our well-being but we are doing our best and have not had any dangerous challenges striking us. That is one reassurance that we offer to them.