By Jillian Goh
Our Church Adopted a Dorm
When the foreign workers situation started to blow up in a Singapore, I didn’t know what to make of it. Pictures of foreign workers cramped in small rooms started surfacing in the media (again) as allegations of errant employers not providing food and protective equipment became more rampant.
And it made me uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable because it made me confront the sheer amount of privilege I enjoyed as a Singaporean who never had to worry about the shelter over my head or where and when my next paycheck would come. It made me uncomfortable because there was injustice and gaps in our society that needed attention and action. More importantly, I felt uncomfortable because I knew God’s heart was broken by what was happening to them.
As I delved deeper into this issue, reading commentaries from local Christians, I was surprised to find that the Bible actually repeatedly calls on us to care for the foreigners living among us. Not in a vague and theoretical sense, but in very practical and actionable ways. Among them this verse struck a chord with me…
“Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.” Deut. 24-:14
It opened my eyes to our country’s insatiable demand for cheap labour, the cheaper the better. And I was recently challenged to rethink my stance during a sermon where the pastor challenged the congregation - will we collectively as a people agree to pay more for our houses and other infrastructure so that our migrant friends could earn a better living for themselves and their families? It is a difficult question to give a resounding “YES” to, because it potentially means taking away significant resources from ourselves and passing it on to the foreign worker community. But my prayer is that even as I struggle with these thoughts and challenges, God would continue to convict me of what He is true and right.
Open the eyes of my heart
Before COVID-19 happened and threw Singapore’s migrant worker issue into the spotlight, there were two incidents that changed my perception and attitude towards our migrant worker community in Singapore.
One was a JC friend who despite her apathy for most things, shared with me that the one group of people she felt most deserving of help were the migrant workers in Singapore. It was probably the stark contrast in how she viewed most things rather nonchalantly versus her heartfelt “lobbying” for the migrant worker community that made me curious. We had many conversations in school about (i) why in particular did she care so much for the migrant worker community and (ii) what could be done to alleviate their situation. Those conversations sparked off an intellectual curiosity but there was still work that needed to be done in me.
My second encounter was a much more personal experience and has been etched in my memory ever since. On my way to school one day, I was approached by a group of young secondary school children who were doing fundraising at Little India MRT Station. As usual, I was in a rush and felt too lazy to do anything, so unsurprisingly I ignored them with a swift raise of the hand. Then, walking right behind me were 2 migrant workers who were NOT actively approached by the students, yet they walked towards the students and started to fumble in their pockets.
As I saw them dig deep into their pockets, I realized they were looking for money to donate to the fundraiser. They happily dropped their 50-cent coins into the tin, smiled and walked away. Both the students who received the donation and myself were not only surprised but exceedingly humbled by their generosity. Honestly, after witnessing that incident, I remembered feeling so ashamed by my lack of empathy and so moved by their compassion. God opened my eyes and took the huge planks out of them as I recalled the story of the widow with her 2 copper coins.
That incident really upended the stereotypes I had of migrant workers and softened my heart towards them. It made me realize that God does not see people as we see them, because He knows them for the entire being, while we on the other hand are limited by our prejudices, the stories we hear from others around us and the media. I would like to add that the unforgettable incident though impactful, is only a stepping stone to a longer, ongoing journey.
These two experiences were catalysts that I believe God allowed me to go through so that my eyes would be opened and it was no longer possible for me to sweep the problems I seem them face under a rug.
Adopt-A-Dorm Initiative: Why am I doing this? Why did I volunteer?
I am volunteering because I felt God place a burden for them in my heart and I wanted to respond to it without overthinking it, which I tend to do before serving. I felt challenged and honestly was quite worried, but with God’s faithful providence with each step I took, I was motivated to continue.
After delivering food to the dorm, what are my impressions? What did I see? How do I feel?
I was pretty overwhelmed the first time I went to deliver food to the dormitories as I visited multiple small dorms in the West of Singapore. I still remember at one particular dorm, I saw more than 10 curious workers in masks peering outside of a grilled window to see what we were doing at their dorm. When I saw how many of them were housed or rather squeezed in one place, it made me realize the plight that they were in and how difficult it must be for them to socially distance and quarantine themselves for such a long period. At the same time, I also caught my human self falling prey to stereotypes as I felt uncomfortable when they started staring at me. It made me reflect and realize that even though I have a burden for them, I still had a long way to go to correct my own attitudes and the deep-seated stereotypes I held while learning from the way God loves.
It also made me realize even though they might have very little at the moment, they still had a very positive disposition. One of them I interacted with told me that they didn’t need all 46 packets of food we brought them, he repeated that he only needed 45 packets and wanted me to know that that was enough for them. The fact that they were contented, and not just preserving their own well being was really humbling to witness.
The work of serving and loving migrant workers is continuing in Singapore through Adopt-A-Dorm and other Initiatives. Check out another story of a church serving with Adopt-A-Dorm here.
Jillian Goh is part of our first Singapore Cohort.
She was born in Singapore and is currently working in a Dutch fintech firm as a marketer. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and dancing.