TMC Adopted a Dorm: Jillian's Testimony

By Jillian Goh

When the number of foreign workers who were diagnosed with Covid-19 started to blow up in Singapore, I didn’t know what to make of it. Pictures of foreign workers cramped in small dormitory rooms started surfacing in the media (again) as allegations of errant employers not providing basic necessities to their workers became more rampant.

Image by The Jakarta Post

It made me uncomfortable. It made me uncomfortable because I was now forced to confront the sheer amount of privilege I enjoyed as a Singaporean who never had to worry about having shelter over my head or where and when my next paycheck would come. It made me uncomfortable because there were grave injustices and gaps in our society that needed urgent attention and remediation. 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 and read commentaries from local Christians, I was surprised to find that the Bible actually clearly and 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.

Amongst 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

 

The time spent researching and reflecting on this situation opened my eyes to our country’s insatiable demand for cheap labour - the cheaper the better. At the same time, I was challenged to rethink my stance after one of our church sermons by guest pastor Rev. Dr Maggie Low challenged the congregation to consider if we would collectively as a nation agree to pay more for our houses and infrastructural developments so that our migrant friends could earn a better living for themselves and their families. It was and still remains 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 will continue to convict me of what is right and true.

Open the eyes of my heart

Before Covid-19 happened and flung Singapore’s migrant worker issue into the spotlight, there were 2 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 compassion for the migrant worker community that first made me curious. We had many conversations in school about (i) why she cared so much in particular for them and (ii) what could be done to alleviate their circumstances. Those conversations sparked an intellectual curiousity in me, but there was still a much deeper work to be done within me.

Then came my second encounter - this time it was a personal experience that has since forever been etched in my memory. On my way to school one day, I was approached by a group of young secondary school students who were doing flag-day fundraising at Little India MRT Station. As usual, I was in a rush and felt too lazy to engage with them, so (unsurprisingly) I ignored them with a swift raise of the hand as I walked by. However, I noticed walking right behind me were two migrant workers who proactively approached the students as they started to fumble in their pockets. 

 I saw them dig deep into their pockets and it hit me that they were looking for some 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 their donations, myself included, were not only surprised but exceedingly humbled by their generosity. 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 several 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. God knows them from their inside-out, while we on the other hand are limited by our prejudices, the stories we hear from others around us and how the media portrays them. I would like to add that this unforgettable incident though impactful, is only a stepping stone to a longer, ongoing journey.

I believe that God allowed me to go through these two experiences so that my eyes would be opened permanently and it would no longer be possible for me to sweep the problems they face under a rug.

By now many of you would know, very recently our church took on the Adopt-A-Dorm initiative. Here are some of my reflections after participating in it:

Why I wanted to be part of this initiative

It was for one simple reason - because God had placed a burden for our migrant worker friends and I wanted to respond to it without my usual habit of overthinking-before-serving. I felt challenged and worried at the same time, but with each step I took in faith, the Lord provided. And I was motivated to continue. 

Image by TMC member Jestyn Koh

How the entire experience made me feel

Image by TMC member Jestyn Koh

I had to deliver food to multiple small dormitories in the West of Singapore and I was pretty overwhelmed the first time I did it. I still remember at one particular dormitory, I saw more than ten curious workers in masks peering outside of a grilled window to see what we were doing at their place. When I saw how many of them were housed, or rather squeezed in one place, it made me realise 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 remembered feeling uncomfortable when they started staring at me. It made me reflect and realise that even though I had a burden for them, I still had a long way to go to correct my own attitudes and deep-seated stereotypes. 

It also made me realise that 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, and repeatedly ensured that I took back that one extra packet as he was concerned that someone, somewhere else could be waiting for the packet of food. The fact that they were contented and were not just concerned with preserving their own well being. This really humbled and moved me, and I hope it does the same for you too.

Thank you Trinity Methodist Church for supporting and donating so generously to the Adopt-A-Dorm initiative. Please continue to keep this initiative and the migrant workers assigned to our care in your prayers. 

About the Adopt-A-Dorm Initiative

The “Adopt a Dorm” initiative was started by Hope Alliance Initiative (HIA) with the goal of working with various churches and organisations in Singapore to sponsor meals and extra care for about 100 migrant workers until the end of the Circuit-Breaker.

About the Writer
Jillian Goh is co-chairperson of the Outreach and Social Concerns ministry at Trinity Methodist Church. She also currently leads a young adult cell group and serves on the Small Group ministry’s committee.