Friendship is truly one of God’s greatest gifts to us. From the very beginning, He designed people to live in connection and community. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” And while friendships often grow through face-to-face encounters, sometimes the strongest bonds form between people who seem worlds apart. That’s exactly what happened between Song Yang and Hans Hodel – two strangers who became lifelong friends, proving that kindness knows no borders.
It was 1999 in London when Song Yang, a 19-year-old student from China, met Hans, an elderly retiree. Song was studying business management at Thames Valley University and, like many students far from home, often felt lost in the bustle of a new city. One day, Hans approached him, asking if he could help fix his watch. Song took a look, made a small adjustment, and smiled as the second hand began to tick again. Hans thanked him warmly and somehow, that small moment turned into the beginning of a friendship.
They started meeting often. Song would visit Hans to help tidy up, cook simple meals, and run errands. Hans, in return, would pay him for his work. There was nothing grand about their friendship. They were just two people sharing time, laughter, and the comfort of company. When Song’s friends from China came to visit, Hans opened his home to them too. Before long, he invited Song to live with him rent-free while he studied. For six years, they lived like family sharing companionship and trust.
In many ways, their story mirrors the parable of the Good Samaritan: a tale Jesus told about a man who helped a wounded stranger when others passed him by. Like that Samaritan, Song and Hans reached across differences of age, culture, and language. Their kindness was not measured or planned. It simply came from seeing another person’s needs and responding with love.
Then came a dark moment. Hans was robbed and beaten one evening. When Song found out, he promised to look after his friend and never leave him unprotected. Their friendship only deepened after that. Even when Song returned to China in 2007, they kept in touch by phone, never letting distance weaken their bond.
A few years later, Hans’s health began to fail. He suffered from femoral head necrosis and struggled to get treatment in London. When Song heard, he didn’t hesitate to urge Hans to come to China where he and his wife would care for him. And so, in 2008, Hans flew across the world to the home of the young man he once helped. Song and his wife welcomed him like family, cooking his favorite meals, making sure he had everything he needed. In return, Hans began teaching English in their neighborhood which also helped keep him busy and contributed to his well-being. It was his small way to give back, and perhaps his way of saying thank you.
Song cared for Hans until his passing in 2013. Their story quietly spread, touching hearts everywhere. It wasn’t about charity or duty but just love in action, lived out through simple, everyday kindness.
Like the Good Samaritan, they remind us that love isn’t bound by who we are or where we come from. It lives in the moments when we choose to see each other’s needs and step forward with open hearts. Two people, once strangers, shared their lives in a way that showed what friendship can be gentle, steadfast, and full of grace.
Two people, once strangers, shared their lives in a way that showed what friendship can be: gentle, steadfast, and full of grace. And in the end, their story leaves a quiet reminder that goodness still finds its way between people, no matter how far apart they begin.