They first met in Singapore as missionary kids and later fell in love. Now they are partners in life and in mission

She was the new girl in school – her beautiful smile and bright eyes caught his attention. He was the popular guy whose good reputation preceded him.

 “That’s Jonathan Hane! Everyone loves him,” said Tabitha, 29, recounting how the girl who was showing her around had introduced him.

Jonathan’s first impression of his future wife was equally positive.

“I’ll never forget the first day she walked down Jubilee Road at ICS (International Community School),” exclaimed the 30-year-old.

“She was wearing her khaki shorts and navy blue top, and had a beautiful fishtail braid. I was like, ‘Wow! She’s so beautiful!’”

Having grown up in Singapore but studied in different parts of the world, Tabitha had just moved back in 2012.

One of seven children born to missionaries, Tabitha went to kindergarten and primary school in Singapore before her family uprooted to another Asian country. Tabitha’s father is from the US, while her mother is from Hong Kong.

When Tabitha’s parents decided to settle down in Singapore, they felt that the international school with its American curriculum and Christian worldview would be a good fit for the 16-year-old. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, spent his childhood in Philippines.

His parents are missionaries with the US-based Church of the Nazarene, and they moved to Singapore when their Asia-Pacific Regional Office relocated from Manila in 2006. 

Jonathan (left) was 13 when he was enrolled in ICS.

When Tabitha joined the school, Jonathan was in his final year (12th grade). Though they did not have any classes together, it was hard for paths not to cross on a small campus.

Throughout the year, they would constantly see each other around (eg chapel, volleyball and basketball games) and even outside of school (one of their teachers hosted a Bible study in their home).

It was not long before they became friends.

“Tabitha was always someone who had a deep relationship with the Lord, so I remember we’d have really good conversations,” recalled Jonathan.

Tabitha was also impressed by Jonathan’s character and his commitment to Christ.

“He’s consistent, he’s a person of integrity – he treats everyone the same and with so much love and respect.”

Jonathan (back row, second from left) and Tabitha (front row, third from right) on a trip to Telunas, Indonesia in 2014.

But with Jonathan heading off to the US for college and Tabitha staying on to finish high school, nothing else developed.

Instead, their season in ICS was one marked by personal growth, a time where God would give them a glimpse of the gifts He had placed in them.

Discovering what God wanted to do with their gifts

Pointing out how the short-term mission opportunities during the school’s Week Without Walls programme left a tremendous impact on him, Jonathan said that while every trip’s focus was vastly different, all of them offered a chance “to be the hands and feet of Christ”.

“Whether it was a construction project, hanging out at an orphanage or playing sports, each one taught me this lesson – that God wants to use all of those things for His glory and His Kingdom,” he elaborated.

A core part of the ICS experience, Week Without Walls is a week-long service learning programme that all Middle and High School students get to participate in.

“On my first trip to India, I was playing UNO with these kids over and over. But it built so many sweet relationships, and I got to share about Jesus and the hope we have in Him,” said Jonathan.

“And in the Philippines, I played basketball, and was able to hang out with these kids afterwards and talk about Jesus.”

During his Week Without Walls, Jonathan saw how God could use his passion for sports to serve others.

For her Week Without Walls, Tabitha, too, visited Philippines – first to Manila then to Boracay.

On her first trip, Tabitha was struck by the problem of fatherlessness, as she saw first-hand how the absence of fathers in families had a knock-on effect on so many areas of life.

Another poignant memory she had was visiting a house to minister to girls who were at risk, or who had been abused or rescued from trafficking.

Returning to the comforts of Singapore after every Week Without Walls felt so jarring, said Tabitha, but their teachers would sit with them to process their experiences.

Through these sessions, Tabitha learnt that it was never just about going to a Third World country to do good and feel better about yourself.

“Instead, being born in a different country and having these educational opportunities, how do you steward the privileges that God has given you?”

Another sight that Tabitha was confronted with in Manila.

Having gone through different schooling systems while growing up – including public school and homeschool in the US – Tabitha admitted that it was discouraging because she often felt like she was trying to play catch-up.

However, ICS was the time when she started to realise that “I can probably do anything I set my mind to”.

She appreciated how teachers would take time to give her personal feedback, ranging from speech class to essay writing.

Tabitha (first from right) and her senior class. At ICS, Jonathan and Tabitha not only received support for their studies in the form of scholarships for missionary children, but also the equipping that they needed to follow their callings.

“Did I know at that time that I would go on to do my first degree in international studies and then go on to do law? No,” said Tabitha.

But during her conversations with teachers, questions such as these would help her with self-reflection: What is your personality like? What are the gifts that God has given you?

“That was definitely both of our experience at ICS – that the teachers do want to be invested in your life to the extent that you will allow them to be involved,” said Tabitha.

In fact, it was a teacher who first introduced her to International Justice Mission (IJM), which she would later go on to intern at.

“Based on everything you’re sharing with me in your heart, I think this might be a good fit,” Tabitha remembered her saying.

From National Geographic to the nations  

This was also true in Jonathan’s case.

It was during his time in ICS that he developed an interest in photography, which his teachers noticed and encouraged him to pursue. One of them would even go on shoots together with him.

Although Jonathan started off small – for instance, taking photos at school basketball games – his aspirations soon grew.

“I was like, ‘I grew up in Asia, I love travelling. I’d love to be a National Geographic photographer someday,’” shared Jonathan with amusement.

Jonathan (right) with his award from a local photography competition.

Then came a watershed moment.

During his senior year, Jonathan had the opportunity to go to Papua New Guinea with a Jesus Film Project team, where he documented how they brought the Gospel to a remote village.

“One of my favourite photos is the photo of people seeing and hearing the Gospel for the first time. It’s not going to win an award, it’s not going to end up in a magazine. But for me, this is what I want to do – to share what God is doing.”

Realising that photography can be a powerful tool for storytelling, Jonathan started to discern what God wanted to use his passion for.

“I began to understand that I don’t want to spend my life taking photos of dolphins, mountains and trees. Those are beautiful – they’re part of creation,” he said.

“But I want to share people stories. I want to highlight the significance that we are all created in His image.”

That awakening led Jonathan to apply for a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, where he honed his skills as a photographer.

After graduating from Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma, Jonathan also decided to return to Southeast Asia in 2017 to teach in Medialight, a Christian media school in Thailand.

While training storytellers and content creators to share the Gospel at Medialight, other opportunities arose for Jonathan.

While based in Chiang Rai, Jonathan began freelancing for different anti-human trafficking organisations in the region, raising awareness of their work through photo and video stories.

The first was with Project Justice International, which opened his eyes to how the problem of child exploitation needed to be dealt with on multiple levels, from prevention to protection and restoration.

Having joined the organisation on several rescue missions, Jonathan saw how girls from poverty-stricken families were sold into the sex trade, while other youths were at high risk of becoming victims of trafficking due to substance abuse.

Sharing how the story of Emily* left a particularly deep impact on him, Jonathan said he witnessed “how the power of Jesus can transform the heart of someone who has endured so much darkness and evil”.

Revealing how this girl from Northern Thailand was trafficked into another country and there were as many as nine people who would take advantage of her on a regular basis, Jonathan said that it was remarkable that she not only managed to escape, but also received healing from her trauma, went on to be a Bible teacher and forgave those who did her wrong.

“Every trafficking story is not the same, and not everyone has a good ending,” he admitted.

“But Emily* and so many of these girls who have experienced such terrible darkness, yet have found it within themselves to give their life to Jesus and to say, ‘I’m not going to be in bondage to what you did to me. I forgive you’ – that’s amazing.

“Just to be able to honour their story and share a little bit about that is truly what blows me away. God is incredible, and He’s doing an incredible work in these precious people’s hearts.”

Another organisation that he has worked with is The Freedom Story, which focuses on eliminating trafficking at the source through offering scholarships, tutoring and classes.

“Education is one of the greatest prevention factors. If you can just keep a kid in school, you greatly reduce their risk factor of being trafficked,” explained Jonathan.

Seeking justice for victims of violence

While God was revealing to Jonathan what He wanted to use his gifts in media for, He was also doing the same for Tabitha.

Back in ICS, Tabitha had already sensed that God was highlighting His heart for justice to her, but who knew that the path she would take would be unconventional?

After graduating from ICS in 2015, Tabitha took a gap year, spending a few months in Mozambique with Heidi Baker’s mission-centred Iris Ministries (now Iris Global). While there, her faith continued to grow as she saw many miracles.

Surmising that it would have been difficult to jump straight to a law degree with her high school results, Tabitha said that God opened the door for her to do a first degree at Baylor University in Texas instead.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, Tabitha went on to intern at IJM in Manila for a year.

Assisting in child sexual exploitation cases, Tabitha was encouraged to see how God worked through their professionalism, excellence and faith to rescue victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

“Every morning, for the first 30 minutes, all staff are gathered in the room and we pray over the casework. We pray for them by name,” she recollected. “There is the work that you do, then there is the way in which God intervenes.”

While Tabitha was involved in behind-the-scenes work at IJM, such as helping to go through case materials and draft summaries, she also had the chance to shadow lawyers.

During her internship at IJM, Tabitha sat in meetings, went to courthouses and visited victims at shelters. She also had the opportunity to be involved in rescue operations where children were brought to safety.

The experience was “extremely meaningful” and prepared Tabitha for the Juris Doctor Programme at Singapore Management University’s Yong Pung How School of Law that she would eventually apply for.

Little did she know that this was also the year when her path would cross with Jonathan’s again.

“This is the girl I want to marry”

In 2020, Jonathan flew out to Manila for a month, setting out to accomplish a number of things on that trip. These included supporting his younger sister in her basketball tournament, volunteering for different organisations and catching up with Tabitha.

“We never dated in high school, but she was always on my radar,” said Jonathan with a smile.

While Jonathan and Tabitha remained in contact during the seven years they were apart, it was only when they were in Manila that something special blossomed.

Even after he left for college, Jonathan confessed that he would drop by Tabitha’s social media page from time to time to see if she was dating anyone.

“Once I graduated, I’d also make sure to see her and her family every time I’d come back to Singapore. We were good friends.”

Tabitha and Jonathan (back row, second and third from left) had many opportunities to hang out in Manila, both in groups and one-and-one settings.

As it turned out, one of the projects that Jonathan ended up working on in Manila was also a video for IJM, giving him more time with Tabitha.

“She’s incredibly smart and talented, and we both have a passion for justice and love Jesus,” recalled Jonathan.

“That month of getting to serve and see her live that out … I was like, ‘This is the girl I want to marry.’”

Wanting to remember their time together, Jonathan snuck this photo of Tabitha on the last day before he flew out of Manila.

But even before they had the chance to take their friendship to the next level, Covid-19 hit and all travel shut down.

It would only be December 2021 when the borders re-opened and Jonathan returned to Singapore to spend time with his family that both of them managed to connect again.

“After being invited to go for more outdoor runs, game nights and fitness classes, I started to wonder whether Jonathan had feelings for me,” said Tabitha.

This was all cleared up one day in February 2022, when they finally sat down to share about their feelings over frozen yoghurt.

In June 2022, Jonathan asked Tabitha if he could officially date her.

Although still based in two different countries – Jonathan in Thailand and Tabitha in Singapore, the two continued to deepen their friendship through calls, texts and flights, finally tying the knot in May 2023.

“From the moment we started dating, we already knew we would like to get married. The intentionality of Jonathan’s pursuit in our dating season brought me a resting sense of peace and joy,” said Tabitha.

Jonathan and Tabitha with their families and friends in Singapore. The couple are currently being supported by Life Church and House of Bread, a home church that was started by Jonathan’s father.

After their wedding in the US, the couple returned to Singapore for Tabitha to finish her legal studies. 

With Tabitha completing her bar examinations and training contract with a law firm in Singapore in 2024, the couple then decided they would spend a year where Jonathan was previously based.

Serving together in missions

Since moving to Chiang Rai, Thailand, Jonathan and Tabitha have had many opportunities to serve together across the region.

For instance, the couple were camp counsellors to missionary kids in Indonesia last December and travelled to Myanmar in January to join a mission with Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a humanitarian organisation that operates in conflict zones.

Working with local pro-democracy ethnic groups, FBR trains relief teams to evacuate casualties, treat the wounded and distribute basic necessities, among other skills.

During the couple’s six-week intensive in the state of Karenni, Jonathan participated in frontline relief work as a photographer and videographer, while Tabitha did field reporting, which involved visiting refugee camps, hearing people’s stories and documenting human rights violations.

They also helped to run programmes such as Good Life Clubs (GLCs) that focused on addressing the spiritual, emotional and physical health of children. 

Inspired by God’s vision of an abundant life in John 10:10, GLC brings faith, hope and love through songs, games, crafts and skits, as well as knowledge through healthcare talks.

Sharing how it is a privilege to use his gift in photography to shine the spotlight on injustice and make others feel seen Jonathan said: “Every single person is created in the image of God, and as a photographer I get special access. So how can I honour this person? How can I honour their story?”

Emphasising that he loves taking portraits, especially for those who have lost their homes and had to flee multiple times, Jonathan explained: “In Southeast Asian culture, family portraits are actually something very respected and valued.”

Recently, he also started bringing along a small, portable printer on some trips. “So I’m able to take their portraits, print them out on the spot and give them back.”

When they were in Karenni, Tabitha also assisted Jonathan by writing down a personal note and Scripture verse on every photo and prayed over it before giving it back.

Today, Jonathan continues to teach at Medialight, lead the media efforts for FBR and freelance for different non-profits.

Whether it is working in conflict zones or with anti-trafficking organisations, Jonathan sees a common theme in what he does. “It’s about freeing the oppressed.”

Tabitha, on the other hand, helps to put together FBR’s Weekly Dispatch, sharing reports from the field. She is also learning Thai.

Reflecting on how God has refined his passion for photography and helped him to develop a love for people, Jonathan is grateful that he has been able to use his gifts for something bigger than himself.

“I want to be useful. I want to use my gifts to help and to serve,” he said.

Through his small gesture of printing out portraits and giving them away, Jonathan hopes to remind people that they are seen and loved.

Though they now have each other’s safety to think about, Jonathan said: “It’s what we wrestle with right? We’re called to love others and to take care of your family. We don’t want to shy away from it just because it’s dangerous and difficult.

“But we want to step into that chaos and mess, and be like, ‘Where is Jesus in this moment? How can we be here as a family, whether it’s apart or together?’”

During their six weeks in Myanmar, there were times when Jonathan had to be deployed to the frontline, while Tabitha was always at a safe distance away.

Describing the tension of carrying the weight of grief as they encounter painful realities while also trying to bring hope to people in hardship, Tabitha added: “God has given us the grace for it, and we don’t take that for granted.

“Both of our hearts have expanded to have the capacity to know that if there is hurting … we want to go into it and not away from it, and we want to know what God is doing amid it.”

Reflecting on her experience in Myanmar, Tabitha said it has also taught her how to surrender one’s life into God’s hands.

“Not just for your own safety – but for the person you love most in the world, entrusting him to the Lord.”

Equally important is praying for discernment because “not all things are for us to go into”.

The ongoing Myanmar crisis is one of the reasons why the couple have chosen to be in Thailand for now because they are close enough to help.

Heartened that they were able to serve together in Myanmar earlier in the year, Jonathan said: “Even if Tabitha never goes again, it’s fine with me. At least she got to see what I’m passionate about.

“I love getting to help and I love the people there. I also love my wife. It’s hard because you love both things.”

Quoting from John 15:13, Jonathan shared that this is one of the verses that they often turn to at FBR.

“So many of our rangers gave up their lives. It can be dangerous. But as believers, we want to be led by faith and not fear,” he said.

“Safety isn’t guaranteed. It’s not what Christ calls us to.”

At the end of the day, Jonathan also counts it as a privilege that they are able to enter – and leave – places with great needs, which is a freedom that those living in them do not get.

“It’s their homes that are being bombed and their villages that are being burned. They are the ones who are truly suffering. So it’s a joy to get to go in, and just support and encourage them for a little bit.”

*”Emily” is a pseudonym, used to protect her identity

If you wish to support Jonathan’s and Tabitha’s ministry, you can do so at this link. 

For those who would like to know more about ICS, you can also head over to ics.edu.sg or connect with the school team at admissions@ics.edu.sg. More details on how ICS supports missionary kids can also be found at giving.ics.edu.sg/legacygiving.

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