From doctors and nurses in hospitals and teachers in schools, to cleaners at hawker centres and Safe Distancing Ambassadors, they played an essential role in battling Covid-19 at the frontlines. What was it like? What did they learn from the experience?

Recently, we asked readers to share with us what they learnt from fighting the coronavirus at the frontlines. Here’s what three readers shared with us:

"My experience taught me many lessons about God. It reminded me to be always thankful for health, for it is a blessing that we often fail to see. I was also reminded that everything is in God’s hands—everything!"

A few months before the lockdown, I was sent for a two-day Intensive Care Unit crash course, where I was briefed on the ins-and-outs of basic intensive care. Three days after the Circuit Breaker started, I was at home enjoying my day off when my boss called me to tell me that I was being activated to go to the ICU. 

The urgency in her voice caused a deep uneasiness in me and in hindsight, I realise what I was feeling at the time: fear. That was also the first day that seating restrictions began on the trains and buses, and seeing the “Leave this seat empty” stickers made me feel even more scared.

I told my mum, sister, and aunt about my deployment, and they, too, worried for my safety. They said many things to comfort me, but the one thing that stuck with me was their reminder to pray and to trust that my life was in God’s hands. It might sound dramatic now, but at that moment, when Covid-19 cases and mortality rates were rising around the world, the fear of the unknown was tangible.

I still remember the day when I was assisting a “suspect” case (who later turned out to be Covid-19 positive) and my glove broke. This meant that I had skin contact with the patient! I panicked.

For the next 14 days, I prayed that I would remain Covid-free and for God to preserve my health and protect my elderly mother at home. I informed my seniors and monitored myself for two weeks—a long two weeks. At the end of the 14 days, however, I did not feel any symptoms and was still healthy. Thank God!

Working in the ICU required me to stay up to date with the pathology of the coronavirus. Seeing the intricacies of the human body and how it could be affected by Covid-19 was captivating: I saw how tiny and seemingly unimportant processes, when in dysfunction, could result in a multitude of problems, such as clot formation, heart failure, respiratory distress, and kidney failure. Yet, somehow, everything works perfectly when we are healthy, allowing us to function as we do every day. How truly amazing! It reminded me that we are all designed by the greatest Creator, Artist, and Engineer in the world.

My experience taught me many lessons about God. It reminded me to be always thankful for health, for it is a blessing that we often fail to see. I was also reminded that everything is in God’s hands—everything! We really don’t have to worry, because He is with us all the time. Even when times are dark and we face the unknown, there is no need to fear because the most awesome God is with us. Our God is into the smallest details: He knows our every thought and need. Working at the frontlines of the battle against Covid-19 has grown my faith and confidence in God. When I encounter difficult or scary situations, I know God is with me.

-- Jill, nurse

"Thank God for His grace and protection, that there was no spread of the virus when schools reopened, so our students could resume learning."

2020 was a challenging year especially for teachers with young children. During the Circuit Breaker, when home-based learning was conducted nation-wide, we not only had to help our own children, but also ensure that the students in our school could continue to study at home.

Thank God for His grace in sustaining us and helping us to adapt to the online platforms. In school, even in the midst of such difficult times, we saw God at work. He moved fellow Christian educators to pray for the students, especially those whose families had been affected by the pandemic, and inspired teachers to go the extra mile to help their students cope emotionally. Thank God for His grace and protection, that there was no spread of the virus when schools reopened, so our students could resume learning.

At home, God also provided for us bountifully, by helping our own children behave well. Another positive outcome was that we got to spend more time with our kids, which allowed us to strengthen our relationships during this crisis. God truly sustains and provides for us!

No wonder David, even while under the threat of attack from his enemy, could call out to God, knowing that He was always listening. In Psalm 55:22, he says:

Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.

-- Samuel Lee, teacher with two schooling kids of his own

"As we are called to do in Philippians 2:3–4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”"

Serving as a Safe Distancing Ambassador opened my eyes anew to man’s nature. While encouraging people to keep their distance and put on their masks, I regularly saw people testing the limits of authority, or even flouting the law knowingly.

Many times, I was told off for reminding them of the rules. “I know better, you do not need to tell me,” some would say. “Your policies are mindless”, others would argue. Some were even more direct: “If I contract Covid-19, it doesn’t concern you, right?” Or, “Mind your own business.”

The responses reminded me of how, at the core of our thoughts and feelings, lie only “I” and “me”. We tend to forget the “we” and “our”. Yet, our battle against Covid-19 needs everyone on board; if we as a nation can stay safe individually and help others do the same, Singapore can better fight the coronavirus.

As we are called to do in Philippians 2:3–4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

The chaos brought on by Covid-19 also reminded me of God’s sovereignty contrasted with man’s limitations. With the Covid-19 situation changing daily, many of us were unsure about how to respond, what measures and policies to implement, and how to go about implementing them. It reminded me of this truth: man is limited, for we can only see and know so much, but our God is not. He has the full view of what’s happening and is in full control of the situation. Indeed, we worship a great and powerful God!

-- Gui’e, Safe Distancing Ambassador

Edited with permission.