God’s Guiding Fingerprints - Ethel Ding

God’s Guilding Fingerprints

by Ethel Ding

Ethel Ding never planned on studying abroad. She was content staying in Malaysia and was fully against the idea of leaving her country. No one could change her mind – or so she thought.

Two years ago, when I was in my last semester of a pre-university program in Malaysia, my parents heard of a scholarship being offered to a Malaysian student to study at Tennessee Wesleyan. They tried to get me to apply, but I wanted nothing to do with it… at all. That shows you how much I did not want to leave my country. So, what changed? How did I end up at Wesleyan?

The answer is God, and only Him. I prayed about my situation, though I honestly was not expecting anything. Through a divine appointment that has His Name written all over it, God revealed to me that He wanted me here, much to my surprise. I had asked God to speak to me through my Psychology professor, if He wanted to tell me anything. That same day, that professor called me before class and talked to me about studying in the States. It took me a while to realize that this was, in fact, God answering my prayer. At one point I even zoned out because I was too shocked! To this day, I am still in awe when I think of how God planned everything that led to that life-changing conversation. I finally applied for the scholarship, and the rest is history.

In January 2019, I set foot on the Wesleyan campus. I was in a new school halfway across the world, in a new culture, in freezing weather, and surrounded by strangers. Not intimidating at all, right? Where God guides, He provides – he definitely did and still does! He has blessed me with beautiful people who have helped me in my journey, people who have taught me to love this place and made leaving home at the end of each summer less painful. He gave me friends, some of whom are Wesleyan’s faculty and staff, who are always willing to help me. This was especially evident

when I was under quarantine before the fall 2020 semester started. Of course, the host family who took me in over winter break has treated me as one of their own from the start and are willing to go the extra mile for me. I cannot express how grateful I am. These are relationships I will cherish for years to come.

When I thought the only purpose of me being here was to study and get a degree, God had so, so much more in store. Within the first two months of being at Wesleyan, He gave me a spiritual breakthrough by showing me that He calls me worthy and beautiful, regardless of the standards the world tries to force on me, and that set in motion a process of personal growth. I can still see Him and His goodness in every aspect of my life more than a year later; in fact, it has become more evident than ever. He put me in Athens, Tennessee to grow me, break me out of my shell, help me discover talents I never knew I had, give me opportunities I never would have had if I stayed in Malaysia, surround me with a still-growing community that has become my second family, and most of all, to draw me closer to Him.

I have been at Wesleyan for two years and simply love it. Now, I don’t want you to get the idea that everything has been all roses and rainbows since coming here; stress and tears (it is college, after all) are still a part of my life. I still face troubles in and outside of school, I have my own inner battles I sometimes lose, and there are days when I question being in college. Despite it all, God has remained faithful and guided me through it all.

I cannot emphasize enough how it is by God’s grace that I am here; it was a gift that fell from heaven. He used it to bring me here and shape me into the woman of God He wants me to be so I can fulfill His purpose for my life. If I had stubbornly stayed in Malaysia, I would not have grown to become the person I am today. I am from a town in Malaysia so small that people living in the same state may not know of its existence. Sound familiar? Somehow, I got the chance to study in a small school in a small Tennessean town, one I never knew existed and probably would never have had it not been for divine intervention. Whether you believe in the existence of a higher being or not, I cannot see everything that has happened in my life as the result of simple coincidences. I have experienced too much to settle for that explanation.

There is no doubt that God’s fingerprints are all over my story, and I hope this encourages you to help give other students like me a similar opportunity.

To God be the glory, and to Him alone.