EDINBURGH!!!
I write this post to tell of my AWESOME GOD, who IS and WAS and always WILL BE a GOD OF MIRACLES!!!
It started from the year of our Lord two thousand and five, when I was rejected for a place in the National University of Singapore(NUS) after attending an interview. I had prayed that if God willing, I would get into NUS. But I didn't. After doing my research, I applied to Australia, Ireland and the UK. I applied to King's College London, St. George's Medical School, University of Cambridge and University of Edinburgh in the UK.
This concerns the UK and Australia more, though Ireland does come in.
The costs for doing medicine overseas are prohibitive, something like S$400-500k, because of the additional rent and living costs for an overseas student. Thus, my parents wanted to be sure that I was making the right decision in pursuing medicine... I wasn't too sure myself, because who can be so ABSOLUTELY sure at the age of 18-19 that they can be a good doctor? I have my reasons for wanting to do medicine, and i have faith that they are good ones-but that's for another post.
So anyway, my parents prayed about this, and my mum, to whom God has given the gift of being able to see pictures, or visions after attending the Wholeness through Christ seminar last year, had a dream of God telling her that "Luke was a physician"(the gospel writer) and "he shall lead my people out of Egypt"(ref: Moses?) after praying about whether this was the right choice for me. Right after she woke up from the dream in the morning, the University of New South Wales rang up and said that they'd be willing to offer me a place in their Medicine course without having to sit for the ISAT (International Students Admissions Test), and offered me a phone interview. Which is wonderful confirmation that I believe was sent by God, of the dream that my mother had.
Thereafter, my parents prayed about which school and which country I was to go to. This is the miraculous part. My mother had a vision/picture of a scotsman, in a kilt, and the bagpipes and cap. As she was wondering and asking God what the scotsman symbolised, she saw the word 'Edinburgh'. What makes it miraculous is that she did not know at the time that I had applied to Edinburgh, cos I didn't tell her(as usual).
After much time (about 10 months), during which God was gracious and granted me a place in the University of New South Wales and the University of Melbourne (though I had to drop Melbourne cos the army didn't let me disrupt), I reached Holy Week, 2006. By this time, almost all the doors in the UK were closed to me. Cambridge rejected me after interview, King's rejected me outright, and I had to withdraw from St. George's because they needed me to go over for an interview.
On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, I received a letter telling me that Trinity College Dublin was unable to offer me a place. This was quite depressing as all the doors in the UK were closed to me, except the ONE door that I held on to the faith that God would open for me. Trinity College Dublin, by the way, takes people based on their grades, and they have 60 places available. I would have thought that it would be a good chance to get in, but I believe it is God who closed the door to that route.
Thus, I was quite depressed during the week, because I knew the odds for Edinburgh medicine were like 7000 people applying for 16 places cos of the UK government quota. On Maundy Thursday morning, I got Sanjiv to help me check UCAS, cos I didn't feel like checking it myself, but Jiv and Jay always pressure me to do so (thanks!:D )When I logged in, the sentence in bold that normally says 'your application has been sent for consideration' now said 'please reply to your offers before XXXX(date)', and the next screen said 'CONDITIONAL OFFER' TO EDINBURGH!!! The moment was too wonderful... GOD has always been looking after me, and GOD has been behind the scenes to help me, and He has been wonderful in His Grace and Mercy to reveal to me about Edinburgh at a time when I was feeling most down and depressed... I shed tears of joy...
I now believe TOTALLY that God's timing is better than mine, and He knows much better than me what I need, which is not the same as what I want. All the time waiting, all the doubts and fears, plus the fact that all the doors had closed JUST before Edinburgh replied, in the middle of Holy Week too!!! My God is a Living God who answers prayers!!! I prayed that the correct door would open and the others would close, and that is EXACTLY what happened! All He required from me was just to have a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, and mountains have moved... Now I go forward with the conviction that God is looking out for each and every one of us, wherever we may be, and He wants the best for all of us... At your darkest hour, God always comes through to rescue you, and
His timing is Perfect.
It started from the year of our Lord two thousand and five, when I was rejected for a place in the National University of Singapore(NUS) after attending an interview. I had prayed that if God willing, I would get into NUS. But I didn't. After doing my research, I applied to Australia, Ireland and the UK. I applied to King's College London, St. George's Medical School, University of Cambridge and University of Edinburgh in the UK.
This concerns the UK and Australia more, though Ireland does come in.
The costs for doing medicine overseas are prohibitive, something like S$400-500k, because of the additional rent and living costs for an overseas student. Thus, my parents wanted to be sure that I was making the right decision in pursuing medicine... I wasn't too sure myself, because who can be so ABSOLUTELY sure at the age of 18-19 that they can be a good doctor? I have my reasons for wanting to do medicine, and i have faith that they are good ones-but that's for another post.
So anyway, my parents prayed about this, and my mum, to whom God has given the gift of being able to see pictures, or visions after attending the Wholeness through Christ seminar last year, had a dream of God telling her that "Luke was a physician"(the gospel writer) and "he shall lead my people out of Egypt"(ref: Moses?) after praying about whether this was the right choice for me. Right after she woke up from the dream in the morning, the University of New South Wales rang up and said that they'd be willing to offer me a place in their Medicine course without having to sit for the ISAT (International Students Admissions Test), and offered me a phone interview. Which is wonderful confirmation that I believe was sent by God, of the dream that my mother had.
Thereafter, my parents prayed about which school and which country I was to go to. This is the miraculous part. My mother had a vision/picture of a scotsman, in a kilt, and the bagpipes and cap. As she was wondering and asking God what the scotsman symbolised, she saw the word 'Edinburgh'. What makes it miraculous is that she did not know at the time that I had applied to Edinburgh, cos I didn't tell her(as usual).
After much time (about 10 months), during which God was gracious and granted me a place in the University of New South Wales and the University of Melbourne (though I had to drop Melbourne cos the army didn't let me disrupt), I reached Holy Week, 2006. By this time, almost all the doors in the UK were closed to me. Cambridge rejected me after interview, King's rejected me outright, and I had to withdraw from St. George's because they needed me to go over for an interview.
On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, I received a letter telling me that Trinity College Dublin was unable to offer me a place. This was quite depressing as all the doors in the UK were closed to me, except the ONE door that I held on to the faith that God would open for me. Trinity College Dublin, by the way, takes people based on their grades, and they have 60 places available. I would have thought that it would be a good chance to get in, but I believe it is God who closed the door to that route.
Thus, I was quite depressed during the week, because I knew the odds for Edinburgh medicine were like 7000 people applying for 16 places cos of the UK government quota. On Maundy Thursday morning, I got Sanjiv to help me check UCAS, cos I didn't feel like checking it myself, but Jiv and Jay always pressure me to do so (thanks!:D )When I logged in, the sentence in bold that normally says 'your application has been sent for consideration' now said 'please reply to your offers before XXXX(date)', and the next screen said 'CONDITIONAL OFFER' TO EDINBURGH!!! The moment was too wonderful... GOD has always been looking after me, and GOD has been behind the scenes to help me, and He has been wonderful in His Grace and Mercy to reveal to me about Edinburgh at a time when I was feeling most down and depressed... I shed tears of joy...
I now believe TOTALLY that God's timing is better than mine, and He knows much better than me what I need, which is not the same as what I want. All the time waiting, all the doubts and fears, plus the fact that all the doors had closed JUST before Edinburgh replied, in the middle of Holy Week too!!! My God is a Living God who answers prayers!!! I prayed that the correct door would open and the others would close, and that is EXACTLY what happened! All He required from me was just to have a little faith, as small as a mustard seed, and mountains have moved... Now I go forward with the conviction that God is looking out for each and every one of us, wherever we may be, and He wants the best for all of us... At your darkest hour, God always comes through to rescue you, and
His timing is Perfect.
posted by Ah Liang at 3:09 AM
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