Singapore's little piece towards the Trump-Kim Summit

As Trump and Kim meet in Singapore on 12 June 2018, Singapore is also thrust in the spotlight as the host of this historic meeting. Much is in the balance. Will the talks have a good outcome? Will it result in the end of the 70-year Korea War? Will it result in the end of North Korea's rogue nation status, the end of international sanctions, the end of an economic and spiritual drought? The world is watching, and the believers are praying ...



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-trump-and-kim-end-korean-war-summit-singapore/

Some in Singapore question the wisdom of hosting the meetings. The objections stem from the fact that it is not our business (Blogger's note: not true. International peace is our business), the logistical cost to Singapore of SGD 20 million (Blogger's note: we can be gracious hosts for a once-in-a-lifetime event), the security risk to Singapore etc.

What is more pertinent to me is: let's not forget Singapore's destiny and purpose. Just as God conceives in His mind the destiny for each and everyone of us (Psalm 139: All the days about me were written in your book before one of them came to be), He has conceived in His mind the destiny of each and every nation.

Singapore may be small, but He has always given us amazing global connections from the time of our founding. It's almost as if we have a destiny to contribute our piece to world affairs or evangelism. How else can we account for the following ... that in our annals of our history, we can find the imprint of great men like William Wilberforce (slave abolitionist), Robert Morrison (translator of the Bible into Mandarin), Paul Revere (of the famous Boston Freedom Trail), Alfred Einstein, Sun Yat Sen etc. They intersected with Singapore in some way; not necessarily big ways, but the fact that they have some connection to Singapore (a little red dot) is itself extraordinary!

1. William Wilberforce. This great slave abolitionist was named to the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution, the school Stamford Raffles wanted to establish for local students. The foundation stone for the school (the precursor of Raffles Institution) was laid in 1823.

2. Robert Morrison. This missionary was sent by the London Missionary Society to China. Prevented from proselytising, he took it upon himself to translate the Bible into Mandarin instead. His was not the first Chinese translation but would be the most used. He, too, was on the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institution.

3. Paul Revere. This Boston silversmith is made famous by a courageous deed he did warning the colonial militia about the British before the wars of Lexington and Concord. Unfamiliar to Singaporeans, his is arguably the most famous name in Boston, USA. His courageous act is immortalised in Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride". The wonder is that he too is connected to Singapore in some way. His daughter Maria Revere married Joseph Balestier, the first American Counsel to Singapore, and whom Balestier Road is named after! It is also the reason why there is a Revere bell in the National Museum, the only such bell outside the US.

4. Albert Einstein. The famous Nobel Prize winner in Physics was in Singapore on stopover in 1922 to raise funds for the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. While here, he met the Jewish community including the 14-year old David Marshall. I wonder if even then, Singapore had the gift of wealth and giving.

5. Sun Yat Sen. The Father of the Republic of China made Singapore the Southeast Asia base of his revolutionary activities. The contributions of the Singapore Chinese -- men like Teo Eng Hock, Lim Nee Soon, Tan Chor Nam, Lim Boon Keng etc, towards the cause of the revolution cannot be underestimated. When he passed away in 1925, the amount raised by the Chinese Singaporeans for his funeral was the largest of any overseas Chinese community.

Other examples abound. Like how 70 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were brought to Singapore (one of several places) after his assassination on request of the Indian community leaders here, and later scattered in the sea near Clifford Pier.  Or how Justin Trudeau, PM of Canada, is a descendent of William Farquhar, first Resident of the colonial Singapore.

Though small, Singapore has a deep and rich heritage, a heritage that is interlinked and interwoven with the nations of the earth.  It has been the case from the time of our founding.  We have been blessed by the nations and in turn, let's been a blessing to the nations of the earth. Let us be pleased and honoured to offer our little piece towards the historic 2018 Trump-Kim Summit too.