“To walk the talk” was the response Yvette Leong, one of the volunteers at Banquet of Honour, gave when asked why she and her team from the National Institute of Education offered to lend us a helping hand as part of their service-learning project based on appreciation.
It’s clear that Singaporeans do care. Many of us should recall that kind uncle on the MRT train who encouraged three construction workers in an off-peak train in the evening to keep their seats after witnessing them scoot aside to make way for some Singaporean commuters. The Facebook post by reporter Melody Zaccheus, who captured this heartwarming incident, garnered over 19,000 likes and shares and affirming comments like “Construction workers from other countries are literally building Singapore. Thumbs up and high fives for them!” The question is why are we limiting these expressions of good will to social media?
The Bible says in 1 John 3:18 (NIV), “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” As children of God, it is essential that we express the love of Christ through our deeds. Who better to show His love to than migrant workers who have left their family and home to earn a keep in a foreign land. After they’ve helped to build our city and make our homes, the least we can do is to show them some appreciation.
And that’s exactly why FCBC throws our biannual Banquet of Honour. This year, we invited over 450 Chinese migrant workers for a night of food and fun. Did they have a good time? Pictures speak louder than words. And for that matter, so do actions.