“Umma, that’s you!” exclaimed Lora Kim Kwan’s young daughter at the sight of a picture on her mother’s phone.

Kwan didn’t know what to say. The photo her daughter had seen was not one of her. Instead, it was a picture of Christina Yuna Lee, a 35-year-old Korean American who was stabbed to death in her home last month.

“It could have been me,” writes Kwan. “Christina Lee was an Asian American, a bright light, a woman, and a daughter. Michelle Go was a helper, a sister, and a friend. I see my own story in their stories, and my face in their faces, just like my daughter did.”

Over the last year, there has been a 339% increase in reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans. The majority of those crimes have been against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women.

As those statistics show, “you probably know a Christina Lee,” says Kwan. Maybe you “are” a Christina Lee in the same ways that Kwan is. In this time of fear and concern, Kwan has a word of encouragement for us all.

“Remember that we are all image-bearers of God,” she says. “Look at others until you recognize your own face, and then you shall see Christ.“