You don't know the impact you have had.
"You just love people well." Serena said, wiping tears streaming down her face.
Her strong emotions were unexpected.
It was the end of our August visit to Singapore and I was sitting at a coffee shop with three of the Five Stars.
Five young actresses started meeting weekly with me nearly 15 years ago. Each week, I used to text them the name of a five star hotel lobby, and they would meet me in that beautiful venue. We would talk about books on faith and pray for one another. We talked about walking with Jesus, and how to do that as an artist.
They'd known each other professionally for years. But until God brought K!M into their lives, they'd never talked about their mutual faith in Jesus.
This was to be a small reunion. We hadn't had our meetings for ten years. Charlotte had moved away, but she also happened to be visiting Singapore the same time we were. Joni couldn't join us. In 2005 she had emigrated to Perth with her blues musician husband. One of the gals has gone off the radar. Another, not yet a follower of Jesus, is somewhat reclusive. But she showed up! When she admitted that she only meets up with friends once or twice a year, we felt quite privileged. We made the cut!
We had been laughing; remembering shows, and weddings, and stupid things we have thought or said. We'd gotten serious about how long eternity is, and what heaven will be like. It will be so great! Thinking about Eden restored is our hope and motivation when this short life is oh so hard.
And then Serena started to cry.
"You just don't know the difference your care has made in our lives. You really have shown us how to love others and be Jesus to them."
I was speechless as she sat across the table and declared this to me.
"With you gone, it is now up to us to encourage and mentor others the way you have encouraged us."
Nearly everyone we met with wept. Some even sobbed. For both Jim and I, our sweet return to Singapore had been way more emotion than we expected.
Here I'd been reluctant about making appointments thinking, "Who will really care to see me?" Now my heart aches even more with renewed connections stretching across 15 time zones.
We've been back in California for two weeks now. I've had some time to process reasons for the overwhelming emotions:
1. The Lord knew we needed to hear it. It is a season when we long to be faithful and fruitful in ministry but are easily discouraged. Wanting to be faithful to our parents in California, we are finding ways to make continued cross cultural service work. But we've had a considerable drop in support, and some painful conversations. The Devil loves to make the most of these opportunities to produce self-doubt and sadness. This outpouring of gratitude from Singaporeans ministered to us at a very deep level of need.
Empathy is rare. Trust is low. Duty is high. It's a pressure cooker. We offered a release.
3. Distance and Time has made hearts grow fonder. Almost three years ago we said goodbye. We thought it possible we'd never return. Now we were making a visit. As we got together with the people we have loved, perhaps a subconscious thought prompted them to speak. "This may be my last chance to say it." They shared things they might otherwise have never said.
Jim encouraged me to share about this in a newsletter. I was reluctant. It's a bit strange to broadcast about how much love we felt on this trip.
But I believe it will encourage you to press on.
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