Issue #17
MY LIFE DURING MCO By: Annie Chiang/ Translated by: Chloe Woo The moment when MCO was imposed, everything began to change. Although there were moments when I felt down during this period of time, I realized that negative feelings would not be of any help. Hence, I began to change my mentality and set it in a more positive direction. On normal days, my husband would usually be very busy. However, the driving academy that he worked in was not allowed to operate during MCO, hence he could only stay at home and await further instructions. During this period of time, he had more time to spend at home, to get to know his children better, and to cultivate new interests. He loved to cook and often learned new recipes. Hence, he cooked us our favourite noodle dishes and hometown snacks frequently. For self-improvement, my husband and I had been participating in parenting courses and Bible classes online for better communication and communion. At the same time, we also participated in online worship every Sunday. Moreover, I also have my Mother Group fellowship and bible study session with the sisters, providing me a comfortable space to relieve my stress. I thank God for His guidance as my sons had made great progress and performed well in many aspects. My elder son had learned to regulate his emotions even better than before, and my younger son’s life was more disciplined as he would make full use of time. Aside from attending online classes, he would also exercise regularly. In addition, he was also willing to learn and help in the kitchen.
Due to the hot weather, I was obliged to trim my family’s hair. This started initially as a request from my younger son, and the result turned out to be rather good. Hence, I continued to trim the hair of my husband and my elder son. Due to the development and advancement of technology, I had been having online video calls with my brothers and sisters who lived in Kuching and Singapore. We used to only be able to meet during the Lunar New Year, but now everything was much more convenient. This precious family connection gave me great contentment. Of course, there were also challenges in our daily lives. My family was slightly caught off guard by the financial difficulties arising from the MCO. Amidst the extension of the MCO, there were also other high expenses in addition to the monthly food expenses that greatly exhausted our financial abilities. Nonetheless, I still thank God for His providence of loving teachers who guided us to regulate our emotions positively. I also thank God for taking care of our needs, listening to our prayers, and supplying us where we were lacking. Some of our loans were extended, and we also shared with and received plenty of food from neighbors and brothers in Christ. During the pandemic, our situation was not too unbearable because we still have peace and joy from the Lord. I want to thank and praise the Lord! The grace of the Lord is enough for us!
