A Quick Trip:
Our interest in Singapore and working with the church and school there was very real. The opportunity and potential seemed like they were so great that we needed to diligently check it out. So, after summer school finished at Texas State, we booked two tickets in August to Singapore to meet with Peter Chin (Director of Four Seas) and his wife who serves as the secretary of the school. While there, meetings were set with congregation at Jurong church of Christ, elders of Jurong, congregation at Lim ah Pin, student body, local preachers, local members with children, and even a local homeschool mom. This trip was booked for the only week we had free, and we knew that if the possibility of moving to Singapore became a reality we would have to get the ball rolling on raising support to take our family of six to the most expensive city in the world.
However, the two tickets we booked were not for Lisa and me. We felt that it was a bad time for her to leave our children and some of her other responsibilities stateside, but my work only afforded me the opportunity to go in early August. So, instead of taking Lisa to see Singapore and visit in person with the people, the place and everything else, I took our oldest child, Ella. As of this writing, Lisa still hasn’t been to Singapore and her first time to visit in person will be when our family moves there. She has great faith in God and a lot of trust in my ability to communicate to her the realities of Singapore from 10,000 miles away.
As we prepared for this quick survey trip, Lisa and I put together a list of questions to see if we could live in Singapore and be a useful tool for the church and school. Some of those questions we needed to see with our own eyes or hear the answers with our own ears. As almost anyone who has traveled to a foreign country knows, when you visit everything usually seems perfect. So, we needed to see if we could look behind the curtain and see the reality of living there in a really short visit. Though these challenges were before us, the people of Singapore made our trip informative, useful, and special.
We were greeted at the airport, bright and early Singapore time by Peter and Pooi Fun Chin. Mr. and Mrs. Chin treated Ella and I to a traditional breakfast. The eggs, coffee, and toast were wonderful as we worked on getting our land legs back after the 17 hour flight from California to Singapore. The airport, Changi International Airport, was beautiful, practical, efficient, clean, and friendly. After breakfast and conversation, the Chins treated us to a quick tour of parts of the city and some light shopping. Since we were not too tired, we went to the Jurong church building (where the Four Seas College is located) and toured it as well. We were able to drop off our luggage in the guest room and then head back out for lunch and some sightseeing. The Chins were gracious and accommodating hosts who prepared us well for our week long trip. We had all the necessities in our room, an itinerary for our trip, and a cell phone to use while in town.
On Sunday we met with the Jurong congregation and found out that Barry Hatcher was in town doing a Fishers of Men seminar and teaching the weekly Lord’s Day Bible class. I was asked to preach and did so over our association, attitudes, and actions on social media using Ephesians 5:1-16 as the main text for the lesson. The children’s bible classes were full, and we were excited to learn that our children would have peers, soon-to-be-friends of their own age, in their Bible classes. The brethren at Jurong treated us with great kindness and seem genuinely excited that we were considering relocating to Singapore. After worship we were able to have lunch with the local elders and get to know them a little better. They proved to be men who are concerned about spiritual matters and well equipped to oversee the school. Lisa and I are very excited to be working with them in the future.
The rest of the week was a whirlwind coordinated by sister Chin that allowed us to visit Chinatown, the bird park, many beautiful gardens, the zoo, the Supertrees (Ella’s request), Marina Bay Sands, the financial district, a local homeschool family, various condos and apartments, and so much more. In all of these sights that were able to see and experience, nothing compared to the warmth, kindness, and hospitality of our Singaporean hosts. We were served by the Chins, the elders, Eddy Ee, the Paul Goh family, Alvin, David, Yung Yao, the second year students, Jedidiah and his young family, and even more people. We were treated to homes, meals, conversation, information, tourist attractions, local dives, and very special lives. They all went above and beyond to make sure that we were taken care of while in town and that Ella felt especially special that week. I know that people are great all over the world. I know that when we meet Christians from anywhere that it is a joyful occasion. Even though I know all this, I would say that the people of Singapore, especially the Christians, make me want to be kinder and more hospitable.
Chinatown. 
Flower Dome. 
Singapore night skyline.
Most of our very limited free time was spent at the school. Each day we were able to sit in on and participate in the chapel period. I was blessed to sit in on brother Peter Chin’s lecture and see how he taught international students. We talked to the students and ate meals with them most mornings and some lunchtimes. I was able to sit down with Peter for well over an hour as he patiently answered (as much as one man could) all the questions we had. Lisa (over FaceTime), Peter, Pooi Fun, and I were able to discuss what it would look like for our family to live and work and serve in Singapore.
Brother Chin teaching. 
Ella with female students from Four Seas.
Though we didn’t not make a final decision for about two months after we got back to the U.S., the discovery work from this survey trip allowed us to make the final decision. So, let’s see if I can answer some of these final questions:
Why are you going so Singapore?
We believe we can be useful servants in the hand of a mighty God. The work at Four Seas and the potential in Singapore is exciting and something we want to be a small part of. The church is strong. The work is sound. The people are amazing. There are places all over the world where we would love to go and work, but right now, Singapore is hard to beat.
What about your kids?
Part of the reason we are going is because of our kids. We want them to experience different people, language, culture, food, and more. We want them to see with their own eyes what they might have only seen on Wikipedia. Singapore affords us the opportunity for new experiences and new sights and new language (kind of) and new culture. This is exciting. And, if things stay on the current trajectory, they will have kids their age, raised in Christian homes, that they can grow closer to, connect with more, and develop lasting friendships with. While we are leaving behind good friends and close family (especially grandparents), we are so very thankful for technology that allows our children to communicate with their loved ones 10,000 miles away.
-Trent
Enjoyed reading your blog, Trent. You, Lisa and the kids will do a great work in Singapore. God bless!
I look forward to reading your blogs! Your family is in our prayers, and maybe one do these days we will be as adventurous! Nothing excites me more than mission work! God bless!