When the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all Singaporeans studying overseas to return in March, few expected that they might be stranded in Singapore for the rest of the year. 

Yet, this is the reality that scores of students have had to reckon with, with many also reluctant to return to their universities in COVID-stricken countries.

Instead of eagerly anticipating a new semester, these students are gearing up for isolated study and odd-hour lectures. Others have put their plans on hold or opted for alternatives to make the best of a difficult situation. 

We spoke to 4 such students who shared how they were coping with the uncertainty of these challenging times. 

Recent graduate Cheri Wee has had to contend with the disappointment of cancelled plans. She was initially prepared to travel to Israel for her masters in behavioural economics but those plans were scuppered by the pandemic.

“I was looking forward to an unconventional postgraduate experience, and was very excited to enjoy about a month of travelling and relaxing with friends after finals,” she shares. “The coronavirus didn’t just impact my planning – it practically dumped it all out of the window, and none of these things came to pass.”

Things are coming together in a way only God could have orchestrated.

Yet, even amidst all the uncertainty, God opened new doors for her. Cheri has decided to stay in Singapore and will be starting on a year-long traineeship in the public service.

Cheri is in awe at how things are coming together in a way “only God could have orchestrated”, and sees the traineeship as a divine opportunity given to her from God.

“This 1-year traineeship almost passed me by, in the sense that I was never going to apply initially,” she explains. “But God tipped me over through a series of tiny events, and since then it has been revelation after revelation of why He placed me here.”

These divine confirmations affirming her career decision greatly motivate Cheri, who says she is challenged in her work and being uplifted by the people around her in ways she could have imagined.

Cheri also opened up on how she coped with the stress of the past few months.

Her general approach? Take things one step at a time and make informed decisions in the knowledge that she has done her best. That is what keeps her moving forward instead of dwelling on what-ifs and regrets.

Living life this way in recent months, Cheri has certainly strengthened her trust in God.

There have been many tears during this uncertain time, but at least there’s this quiet peace of mind throughout all I’m doing.

“I have developed an actual and lived-out sense of surrender to Him,” she reflects. “I think this surrender is particularly valuable for me because my default personality is that of a control freak.

“But I’ve really experienced how God is more powerful and knowledgeable than I could ever be, so it just does make sense to leave it up to Him.” 

Whatever comes next, Cheri says she is assured by the knowledge that God always has her back: “There have been many tears during this uncertain time, but at least there’s this quiet peace of mind throughout all I’m doing.

“I know that even through the fights, the all-nighters, the anguished chasing of other people, someday, if God wills it, I’ll turn back and nod my head and tell Him that I finally get why all this happened.”

Kristine von Freiesleben, a double major in Media & Communications and Sociology, was supposed to return to the University of Melbourne to begin her second year in July.

However, after a fresh wave of coronavirus cases resulted in a new city-wide lockdown and 6 month travel ban, she found herself being forced to continue her studies online instead. 

While she has done her best to cope with the changes, this new arrangement has not been the easiest to adjust to – Kristine struggles with the uncertainty of not knowing when she can go back.

“It’s sad because part of the point of getting a degree overseas is the ability to live there,” says the 21-year-old. 

But even though she is physically distanced from her community in Melbourne, Kristine is still serving in her university’s Overseas Christian Fellowship (OCF) as a cell leader.

For Kristine, it’s a challenging task to continuously navigate time differences when her cell members are in different countries.

While she misses the independence and ease of her life in Melbourne, Kristine has found solace in God during this period of uncertainty.

Her year has been a whirlwind of abrupt changes, snap decisions and disappointing departures but through it all, she has learnt to place her trust in God’s infinite wisdom. 

It is this attitude of surrender that sustained her through a frantic dash home earlier this year. Despite her reluctance to return to Singapore, she decided to honour the wishes of her parents and fly back.

“It was tough to accept that I had to let go of my dream but in the midst of the disappointment I felt God asking me ‘Do you trust me?’ And so I held on to 1 Peter 2:6,” she recalled.  

God turned something so scary and frustrating into something so beautiful.

Kristine continued to witness God’s mercies throughout her stay in Singapore. She felt God’s love displayed through her OCF cell group, which met over Zoom everyday during her 14-day Stay Home Notice period to complete workouts and devotions together.

“I felt as though my cell was truly living out Acts 2:42-47, when the believers were in fellowship with one another and really doing life together as a community,” she shared. “This support reminded me that God was still with me. It showed how God turned something so scary and frustrating into something so beautiful and is still choosing to use me in this way to serve and glorify Him.”

Kristine hopes that this newfound faith will help her ride out the waves of uncertainty that still loom in her future. She aims to rejoice in God instead of grumbling, regardless of how dire the situation may be.

“I want to choose joy daily and serve Him wherever He calls me,” she affirms.

Also making the best of an unexpected situation is Noelle Chia (not her real name), a medical student initially enrolled at an Australian university who has since opted to continue her degree at the National University of Singapore (NUS). 

Though this transfer means that she will have to repeat her third year of medical school in NUS – instead of moving on to her fourth year like her peers in Australia – Noelle is at peace with her decision.

She explained that since she wasn’t sure when she would be able to fly back, studying at home seemed like a good opportunity. “Besides,” says Noelle, “my end goal was to work back in Singapore, and I wanted to be with my family during this disruptive period.” 

The circuit breaker ended up being my family’s first time living and working together in the same household in the past 12 years.

Though she was sad to leave her Australian university, Noelle remains optimistic about her new circumstances.

“It was definitely tough leaving my comfort zone because I’ve met such good friends in Australia!” she exclaims. “But having them also gave me the courage to try new things because I knew I had a good support system.” 

For Noelle, the blessing of finding a warm community in NUS has eased her transition into the school greatly. “Everyone has been super welcoming so I feel really blessed!” she laughs. “It’s started out well so far, so I have no regrets at the moment.” 

Above all, Noelle is grateful that God continues to work all things together for good in her life.

“I think it all worked out in His timing,” she reflects. “The circuit breaker ended up being my family’s first time living and working together in the same household in the past 12 years.

“God worked to bring both me and my dad back. It’s been very blissful and happy at home, which is great.” 

Not all students have opted to remain in Singapore, however. 

Gail Xunqi Cheng, who studies English and Classics at the University of Birmingham, is flying back to the United Kingdom because she wants to finish her final year without any distractions. She will have to be quarantined for 14 days but can return to school after that, though most of her lectures will be conducted online. 

When asked how she feels about these new arrangements, Gail admits, “I’m not exactly the happiest because I really liked turning up for my classes.”

Yet, despite the disruptions, she too has much to be thankful for: “I’m quite grateful that my parents are supportive of sending me back though they are not completely familiar with the situation.

“They trust that God will take care of me no matter what.”

God is giving me many opportunities here to reach out to my friends and to be a witness for Him.

Gail is also relieved that she will not have to spend her final year alone: “I’m glad that I’ll be living with three housemates so it won’t just be me!” 

This is a stressful period but Gail has observed how God is taking this time to build her faith and character. She says that He is training her in patience and graciousness, especially when it comes to the many disruptions of her travel plans.

Come what may, Gail remains determined to turn her challenging circumstances into a testimony of God’s goodness.

“God is giving me many opportunities here to reach out to my friends and to be a witness for Him,” she affirms.

COVID-19 has turned the whole world upside down, and it means that many of us will certainly encounter periods of stress or uncertainty in the coming months and years.

In times of crisis, it is tempting to lose faith, but take comfort in the knowledge that God is looking out for you.

After all, the Father who looks after the birds of the air and the lilies of the valley will surely provide for His children (Matthew 6:25-34).