She wrote a note to encourage her student 25 years ago – and never imagined how far that act of kindness would go

When Yvonne Kong-Ho was stressing over her upcoming O-Level exams and a sports competition, the first person she turned to was her school teacher, Allison Lim.

Just 25 years old then, the Biology and Music teacher was at her first official posting after graduating from the National Institute of Education. Yvonne had been one of her music students the previous year.

Over time, Allison had become more than just a teacher to her. With a heart to demonstrate God’s love to her teenage students, Allison was intentional about sharing her life stories, struggles and faith with them, including Yvonne.

“I talked about God and how He works in my life, what He taught me. I allowed them to see the bigger out-working of what we mean by God’s love,” said Allison, now 49.

A note she remembered for years

When young Yvonne confided in her about her struggles, Allison asked God: “What do You want to place in this child’s heart?”

Then Allison wrote Yvonne a note of encouragement.

Said Yvonne: “I remembered feeling so touched that she remembered how both my sports and studies were important to me and how she encouraged me to do well in both while taking care of myself too.

“I was only a 16-year-old girl and this teacher thought I was important enough for her to write a card to me. She wasn’t even teaching me at the time.”

Yvonne would remember that simple note for years to come.

That demonstration of God’s love also paved the way for Yvonne to accept Jesus later on. Knowing that Allison was a Christian, she became open to the Gospel and later accepted her friends’ invitation to church while in junior college.

Bonds unbreakable  

Eight years ago, Allison and Yvonne reconnected by chance at an Intentional Disciplemaking Church (IDMC) Conference. Yvonne recognised her teacher instantly and asked to meet up for tea.

Though more than a decade had passed, Allison remembered her student as well. Since that chance encounter, the two women have continued to meet at least twice a year.

Allison said: “All those years ago, we had a connection that went beyond school life. Maybe because of the rapport and trust we had, when we reconnected, it made it easy for us to pick up where we left off.”

Allison (left) and Yvonne at one of their biannual meetups. Photo courtesy of Allison Lim.

Their biannual meetups are not merely social. Yvonne considers Allison her spiritual mentor.

Yvonne, who married and had children young, shared: “Our children are very similar in age. I sought her advice, ‘How do you do this? How do you communicate with your children?’

“’How do you hold yourself in leadership so that even if people don’t like you, they follow you?’

Allison and her husband, Dickson Lim, with Yvonne’s daughter (seen holding a Salt&Light book). The couple met Yvonne’s daughter at a wedding. When Allison realised the girl was reading a Salt&Light book that featured her and Dickson, she wrote a note in the book to encourage her. Photo courtesy of Yvonne Kong-Ho.

“I really look up to her and really listen to her. I keep myself accountable to her. She is a very wise woman.

“Without her and my two other mentors, I wouldn’t be able to go through many things in my life.”

Each P6 student gets a personal card

Writing personal notes to her students is a practice that Allison, now a primary school principal, continues to do today.

“A note is something tangible for the child to hold on to. So I ask for a word from the Lord for the child. I believe the Lord will bless this child and the child will see that tangibly through the card,” she said.

Every year, Allison writes each of her Primary 6 students a card.

“I am afraid that they think the PSLE defines them. So I want them to know who they are, to know their strengths and talents, and to have a healthy self-regard.

“And I want them to develop that for the good of others. I want them to have that in their value system.”

To make each card personal, she makes time to get to know her students. She visits each Primary 5 class. Then, the next year, she meets the students in groups of twos and threes.

“That is my commitment. It makes it meaningful for them. I have the chance to hear them, how their overall and emotional well-being is,” said Allison.

“My general parting words to them after the chat is that while we have no control over the PSLE questions, we do have control over our state. We have to eat healthily, exercise, sleep.

“I make them tell me the number of hours they are sleeping, what things they do to de-stress. They must account freely to me.

“And I remind them that the PSLE is not more than them.”

Through this, Allison hopes to demonstrate the love of God: “It’s the best gift I can give them as a principal.”

“Let your blessing flow through me”

Parents of her students have written to Allison to tell her that her pep talk and note have had a positive impact.

“They notice their children becoming more balanced in the way they prepare for the major exam. They learn how to take care of themselves, take control of things they have control over. And they experience a greater sense of peace,” said Allison.

Knowing the impact she can make on young lives, Allison begins each day with a prayer.

“My simple prayer is this, ‘God, today I am going to school. I am going to meet with many, many people. Let Your blessing flow through me.’

“From my conversation and my conduct, I hope to build a culture of love so that people can see in me a good reflection of what the Bible is, and so that I can influence people for God.”

Love that inspires

Allison shared that her desire to be an encouraging educator had come from her own encounter with a teacher.

“In JC2, I had this teacher who would spend a lot of time with us and he was very humble.

“He always stayed back after school with us so that if we needed any help with our work, we would have a teacher around. It really touched my heart.

“It gave me the perspective that being a teacher can be a real ministry. From then on, I told myself this is where I should be.”

Decades later, at an IDMC workshop, Allison shared about the impact her Economics teacher had on her decision to become a teacher. Someone who knew him sent him a recording of her.

“Then at a principal’s ceremony, I met him. He joked that I should have told him about it earlier so that he could be touched (by the story) earlier.”

Just as Allison’s teacher inspired her to touch lives, Allison has also inspired Yvonne to do the same. Yvonne’s first job was as a teacher in a school for children with special needs.

Allison (right) is now Yvonne’s spiritual mentor. Photo courtesy of Allison Lim.

Now a workforce development specialist at a university, Yvonne has had many opportunities to give career talks.

Through them, she meets and mentors young women on the cusp of working life. Over the years, she has journeyed with some 25 young women.

“At first it was career coaching. Then it became life coaching because you cannot talk about career without talking about their lives,” shared Yvonne.

“I have been blessed to have women who have my heart and want to see me flourish. That is why I want to be a woman who speaks life to other women.”

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