Timothy changed my life ~ Rebeccah Lin

Tim was such a dreamer. He was always telling me about his big hopes and plans – especially with his love for flying, and how much he wanted to share that passion with others. He was the most hilarious person I’ve ever met, supportive and encouraging of everyone; generous, kind, respectful, selfless, diligent, and hard-working…not to mention ridiculously handsome with a great big teddy-bear heart! He was truly a man of exceptional character, and I used to tell him he was the hope for all men! I admire him so much. You already know what a world-changer he was, but I want to share with you how he changed my world.

Tim helped me through one of the most difficult chapters of my life. I had just graduated from college at Verity (which is where I met Tim through a mutual friend who was skyping him when I walked into her room). I had a lot of decisions to make about which direction to go with my future. I had suffered severe trauma in the few years prior, and it caused me to question almost everything about my faith and myself. Tim was there with ready encouragement, a funny joke, and reminders that I shouldn’t take things so seriously. He was like an arrow pointing me right to Jesus. Tim wasn’t only a reflection of God’s love through his words, but his whole nature, the essence of who he was, just made everything a hundred times better. He made me want to be better. Knowing him and talking to him made me feel like I could become the very best version of myself, and with that empowerment came a sense of trusting that I was capable of making good decisions. The funny thing is: he was never really direct about it. Tim would always be teasing or making fun of me and saying things in a big jumbled mess! After our conversations, I would have to just sit quietly for a while and sift through all the randomness and hilarity; but once I did, I found that he was full of profound insight and wisdom that could revolutionize a person’s entire perspective. And did it ever!

That summer, I was considering the idea of going abroad. Tim told me about how he had served as a teacher in Taiwan, and I decided to pursue a similar goal through VOICE Missions. When I took the TESOL course in Oklahoma City, he drove to see me. He helped me feel more comfortable with the path I was on – regaling me with tales of his adventures. Watching him interact with our mutual acquaintances, you just knew that Tim was the sort of person who could get along with everyone. I moved to Taiwan in August 2015 and loved it so much that I decided to stay and continue teaching. Since then, I have branched out and started my own ministry here. I met the love of my life here. We married 2 years ago, and Tim would often tell me that he hoped whenever he got married, he could still be cool like us; “not boring like most married people.” Haha

My husband and I have a beautiful 3-month-old baby boy and a small group Bible study that we hold in our home. We also share the love of Jesus through language exchange classes. None of this could have happened if I hadn’t met Tim. None of it would even be possible without his encouragement – the way he opened up and shared his life experiences and told stories of all his wild adventures. He truly left his mark on Taiwan (there are some broken floorboards in a school here to prove it! haha). He inspired me to seize every moment and every opportunity to serve and love people. Most importantly, he pointed me to Jesus during a time in my life when I had almost lost my way. I owe so much of who I am now to him and his influence.

I am so grateful for the man of God that he was. Tim was unapologetically himself – pure and honest, genuine and down-to-earth; absolutely the king of good times. He made the world a better and brighter place, and I know he changed the lives of everyone who was lucky enough to know him. If I can raise my son to be even half the man Tim was, I will consider it a great success.