The God of Open Doors
- Cat MYB
- May 23, 2020
- 9 min read
This is my story of the police, outdoor clinics, interstate travel and God's faithfulness. Read for an introduction to how Malaysia works but more importantly how God works.
For the last two months since lockdown, I had been living in Kuala Lumpur, teaching from home. As the weeks wore on, it became less and less likely that I would be able to return to work and see my students face to face. With this in mind, here we go.
13/5/2020 - 15/5/2020
I wrote to my superiors at work, asking whether it would be a wise idea to travel back to where my family is. To my surprise, both my boss and bigger boss responded saying that it was absolutely fine, in fact, I should travel home seeing as I would not be expected back at school for the foreseeable future. (Open door [OD] 1)
This is when I seriously began toying with the idea of travelling back and all that it would entail. You see, interstate travel is highly restricted in Malaysia. There were newspaper articles detailing how tight the restrictions were, especially with Hari Raya (Eid Al Fitr) approaching.
16/5/2020
After googling and reading loads of vague and unclear instructions about the protocol to travel interstate, I decided to make a call to the local police station.
"Cik perlu datang ke balai polis, boleh isi borang di sini. Tapi cik kena ingat... cik hanya boleh merentas negeri kalau ada emergensi atau ada orang meninggal ok? Kes yang tu sahaja akan diluluskan." // "You have to come to the police station to fill in the form. But remember, you can only cross state borders if there's an emergency or if someone has died ok? Only those cases will be allowed to travel."
Hearing that, my heart sank. Okay, that made sense. I had been battling with the dilemma of whether or not I should travel home... It is so important for the public to obey the government's instructions for the sake of everyone else. It is absolutely a case of putting the country's needs and safety above my own needs. The only reason I considered the move was because I knew I wouldn't be travelling again for a long time, it was a move in one direction. But anyway, with the news above, I resolved to not go home. The police officer had made it pretty clear. I put the thought out of my mind.
17/05/2020
The warden Whatsapp group chat ping-ed. Several students were wanting to go to the police station to apply for permits to travel interstate. As students, they had a much higher chance of being allowed to travel.
I thought, "Aiya, why not lah... Just go and see how." (Manglish at its finest!)
So I volunteered to bring the girls to the station the next day for them to apply for permits and if the opportunity arose, I figured I'd just ask (OD2).
18/05/2020
When we arrived at the police station, we were told to go in one at a time. The rest of us had to wait outside, under the awning, a place I was about to get very familiar with.
As we waited, I started to really chicken out. I hate having to speak in these official settings. I get very scared of banks and even post offices. I always feel like I'm going to be made to look silly. Lagilah (all the more) here, where I felt that they were just going to immediately say no.
As I waited I prayed. I was second in line, but I felt certain that if the other girl went in, and I was next in line, I would just forfeit my spot and not bother. The anxiety was growing. I can't really explain it, it sounds silly cos it IS, but I was just squirming.
I prayed, "God, I know, I SO know, I'm not supposed to ask for signs... But please make this easier for me. Either have the officer call me specifically in, or call the next two people in so I have no choice but to enter."
Pretty soon after, an officer came out... "Dua lagi boleh masuk." // "Two more may go in." (OD3)
Gulp. So I went in and explained my situation that I would like to travel interstate because my employers have said that I can work from home for the foreseeable future.
"Ok lah.. bawa masuk dokumen dari majikan dan salinan IC, lepastu kita akan proses la borang cik" // "Okay, bring in documents from your employers and a copy of your Identity Card, then we will process your application"
Huh! I was amazed, that seemed pretty positive (OD4). So I went to my college for the first time since lockdown, coincidentally, it had just opened on that day for the administration staff. It was bizarre seeing offices half full and people I recognised! A wonderfully helpful member of the HR team wrote up a letter for me and within a couple of hours, I was able to travel back to the station.
This time, however, the area beneath the awning was FULL. It wasn't a big space, but I counted 20 police officers, and 15 civilians, like me, waiting to go into the office. Wary as I was, I stood quite a bit apart from the rest who seemed not to get the whole socially distant thing ._.
30 minutes... 1 hour passed... and not a single person had been called into the office. Being about 11th or 12th in line, I wondered how it was going to be possible for me to get to submit my documents. The office was closing in less than an hour by this point.
Soon after, a police officer came outside and one by one started asking people why they were there. She was a no-nonsense kind of woman.
"Nak buat apa? Kenapa? Nak pergi mana? Duduk di mana? Ada tak dokumen ini?" // "What do you want? Why? Where do you want to go? Where do you stay? Do you have these documents?"
And one by one, she told the people ahead of me in the line, to either go to another station, get some other documents, or just go home and don't bother.
By the time, she came to me, there were only two people left, everyone else had gone! And she was so pleasant, her tone was completely different and she seemed so helpful, asking me to have a seat and that they would see to me shortly. (OD5)
But then she came back a few minutes later, asking if I had proof of where I stayed, water bills, electricity bills? And when I said no, she said I'd have to get my college to write a letter as proof that I was a warden for them, and therefore had no such bills to my name. Frustrated as I was after staying that long at the police station, I stubbornly looked through the file that I had brought along. To my surprise and delight, I found my work contract which states that I was employed as a warden! Although it didn't have my address, I thought I might as well give it a shot.
After another 45 minutes, the two of us were still waiting outside, under that awning. It was 2 minutes to 4, the end of office hours. So I decided to walk in, and to my surprise, I was able to speak to someone immediately. Once again, I explained the situation, showed the officer my documents, including my work contract. I had to write the date I intended to travel on, and in a moment of divine providence (this is important), wrote down the 20th of May. By the grace of God, I was told that she would submit my application (OD6). I just had to wait for a call to tell me my permit had been approved and then come back to collect it.
I was so happy. So many open doors and so many kind officers. Each one had been so patient and responsive, despite the busyness. Not once had I been made to feel silly. Even if I didn't get the permit, I thought to myself that I had tried and would be content either way.
19/05/2020
I waited by the phone all day. At 1pm, I got a call. "Permohononan cik telah diluluskan." // "Your application has been approved" :O What?!
So I made my way to the station, rejoicing and praising God. As I arrived, I walked towards the awning, ready to just walk in to collect the permit. I was stopped by a police officer. Turns out they decided to test people's temperatures that day. Good idea. What wasn't so good was that my temperature was 37.5°C... He wouldn't let me in.
"Tunggu lah sekejap." // "Just wait awhile."
And so I waited, in the heat of the midday sun. Again, I was blessed because the officer was very kind to me, (38°C) asking me about where I was from and talking about why I couldn't cakap utara anymore (38.2°C).
He took my IC and went in to see if he could collect the permit for me. The officers inside said no, because if I really was sick, I shouldn't be travelling. Good point, fair enough. I understood that. So they told me to go to a clinic, any clinic, and get a letter from a doctor stating that I was healthy.
So I made my way to the nearest clinic where they told me they don't do those kinds of letters, I walked to another clinic where they told me the same thing. At this point, I really was feeling super warm. The stress of not knowing what to do, paired with walking around in the heat. I remember praying, "God, you've opened so many doors, help me to keep walking until it's clear that the next door is firmly shut." I got another Grab to the nearest government clinic and arrived to see a flurry of nurses in full PPE. I shook my head as they listed the Covid-19 symptoms one by one, asking me if I had any of them. I explained my situation and took a seat outside, on the pavement. They had set up an outdoor clinic, and I had to wait to see a doctor.
As I waited, I got a call from the police station.
"Sebenarnya, cik tak perlu surat yang kata cik tak ada Covid... Cik memerlukan surat yang kata cik tak demam je." // "Actually, you don't need a letter saying you don't have Covid... You just need a letter saying you don't have a fever."
Overhearing the conversation, one of the nurses said to me "Kita tak boleh mengeluarkan surat jenis apa pun. Kerajaan telah mengeluarkan memo yang melarang surat kesihatan macam tu." // "We can't write any kind of letter for you. The government has banned us from producing any kind of letter."
!?!?
Again, I thought, I might as well keep going till I'm certain the door has been glued shut, so I waited to see the doctor.
When I saw her, she asked me what was up, grabbed a pen, and wrote the letter, "... sihat. Tiada demam dengan suhu yang tercatat sebagai 37.4°. Beliau juga tiada symptom lain." // "... healthy. No fever with a body temperature of 37.4°. She has no other symptoms." (OD7)
It was late now, so I went home. I had one day left to collect the permit that would allow me to travel on the next day.
20/05/2020
Early that morning, I went to the police station. No one was outside taking temperatures, so I walked under that awning, greeted the police officers, gave them my doctor's letter, assured them I felt quite well, collected the permit and walked out again. All under 2 minutes.
Later that day, I caught the 5.30pm train to Butterworth. Everyone was staying two metres apart, my temperature was checked several times, and I made it home.
Final notes
I have been self-isolating in my room and will continue to do so for the recommended amount of time.
The day after I got back, it was announced that no one would be able to travel interstate for any reason. So as I said, the random date I had put down earlier, turned out to be the only date I could've travelled!
I have also been grateful that God gave me the strength to prepare and teach my classes as usual throughout those few days.
Also, getting to see the frontliners in action has been a privilege! The police officers, nurses and doctors, Grab drivers, putting themselves at risk each day. Thank you.
Looking at the big picture, I don't deserve any of these good things that God has given me. It would have been fully within their right for the police to turn my application down, I am well aware of that. I have hesitated to share this story because I don't want people to think I am taking this lightly. I firmly believe we should stay at home, and not travel unnecessarily. Be wise and careful. Another cause of hesitation is that there are so many people separated from their families, and I don't want this to be a "me rubbing this in your face" thing. I know this is such a hard time for many being apart from family but I hope that it is clear that God's favour to me does not take away from his goodness and faithfulness to others, whatever situation they may be in. I hope that as I have shared this, it would rather be an encouragement that God gives us good, good gifts that we have done nothing to deserve. Ultimately, his Son.
I feel like the past week has induced a year's worth of growth in learning how to trust God and be content with what he has put before me. I have had the prayer support of dear friends and family. I love you guys. Thanks for being with me through my panicky calls and distraught messages.
To God be the glory.
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