God is the One who calls
In 2017, Ginny’s heart was set on going to Israel to serve or to volunteer.
"Even if it was not as a professional in my field, I didn't even mind going as a maid or helper. I believed that, through prayer, they might come to know Jesus as their Messiah," she remembers.
After taking up several short courses to equip herself. she submittedhery application to work as a volunteer in Ebenezer Nursing Home in Haifa, but by the time they did reply, the Covid 19 pandemic had already begun. She was informed to wait until the crisis was over. Naturally, Ginny was rather disappointed over this turn of events.
Then came Courage Call, a mission conference organized by FOMOS (Fellowship of Missions Organization of Singapore). Through the conference, Ginny came to know about Habibi International and was pleasantly surprised that this NGO wanted a dental professional to work with them.
"Even if it was not as a professional in my field, I didn't even mind going as a maid or helper. I believed that, through prayer, they might come to know Jesus as their Messiah," she remembers.
After taking up several short courses to equip herself. she submittedhery application to work as a volunteer in Ebenezer Nursing Home in Haifa, but by the time they did reply, the Covid 19 pandemic had already begun. She was informed to wait until the crisis was over. Naturally, Ginny was rather disappointed over this turn of events.
Then came Courage Call, a mission conference organized by FOMOS (Fellowship of Missions Organization of Singapore). Through the conference, Ginny came to know about Habibi International and was pleasantly surprised that this NGO wanted a dental professional to work with them.
As a dental therapist, Ginny knew that she could not serve in the areas of business or IT. Her lack of medical training also limited her from doing humanitarian work. Imagine her surprise when she looked through Habibi’s website and realised that they were on the lookout for dental care practitioners!
“I thought, God, this is like an opening, this is the area I can go to!” shares Ginny. "I said a short prayer to God: ‘if this is Your will, let it be fast. May there be no hiccups in everything that I do or ask and the responses that I receive’."
"Frankly, there was no 'voice', no bible verses that 'jumped up', that directed me to the mission field. But there was an 'uneasy tugging' within me for few months back in 2017-2018. When I shared this with my then-CG leader (Desmond Kwok), he said 'God must want you to do something.'"
God answered Ginny's prayers by allowing the whole process of application to go smoothly and quickly. Within two days of reaching out to Habibi via email, Ginny connected with the Singapore office and its CEO in Kurdistan. Eager to have Ginny onboard, the team heads asked if she could join them after the Chinese New Year. But Ginny hesitated.
“February felt like it was too soon, because I would miss out on my performance bonus in March. This was an issue that kept playing in my head. Due to my lack of faith, I wrestled internally about whether or not I should resign. Eventually, I decided to resign and not let losing the bonus deter me from going into field work. When I finally told God that I would leave my job, no matter what, I felt at peace.”
Then God gave Ginny a surprise. Her husband suggested taking no pay leave instead of resigning from her job. Ginny thought it was unlikely that her request would be approved but felt prompted to write in. Unexpectedly, her superiors agreed!
“God was proving to me how I didn’t have to worry, and that He would bless me,” she says.
Soon after, Ginny began her first term serving the Yazidi refugees living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. These refugees were forced to leave their homes due to war, violence, and persecution. Habibi comes alongside them by providing support in several aspects, including physical, mental, and emotional health.
Soon after, Ginny began her first term serving the Yazidi refugees living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. These refugees were forced to leave their homes due to war, violence, and persecution. Habibi comes alongside them by providing support in several aspects, including physical, mental, and emotional health.
Meanwhile, God was also working in Titus' heart back home in Singapore. After working for 40 years as an ER nurse, he decided to retire instead of signing on for a longer term. Ginny encouraged him to have a different perspective about retirement, and to pray and seek the LORD regarding missions work in Habibi.
Titus shares "As I prayed, I felt His peace within me. There is no struggle, and I know it is His way of leading me forward."
Titus shares "As I prayed, I felt His peace within me. There is no struggle, and I know it is His way of leading me forward."
Ginny and Titus have since returned to the land on One Life One Year (OLOY), and clearly saw that the people there had been waiting for her to return too.
"My relationship with the dental team is now closer and the staff are more open to relate their problems to me. Even though direct sharing of the gospel is not allowed, the Habibi team can sense the favour of God and man with us. As a program manager in the dental team, I have felt so much love and care from the locals too," Ginny shares.
"My relationship with the dental team is now closer and the staff are more open to relate their problems to me. Even though direct sharing of the gospel is not allowed, the Habibi team can sense the favour of God and man with us. As a program manager in the dental team, I have felt so much love and care from the locals too," Ginny shares.
Titus also shares what the journey has been like for him: "I have no experience in any missions work or field. And to go all the way to the land was to me a challenge! With the prayers and support from many of you, I am thankful that I was able to be involved. For the past nine months, I have seen and learned to appreciate what I had taken for granted back in Singapore. Moving forward, we will trust the Lord as He leads us to learn the culture, language and improve in our evangelism skills."
"My eyes have seen the goodness of God, His protection, His favor. My perpective of life is totally changed."
As part of his role, Titus seeks to impart his medical skills to the team on the ground, which comprises two local nurses and two international staff. Currently there is still no medical doctor on site. His current task is helping the international team manager in medical related work, such camp hygiene, first aid, healthy lifestyle, disease outbreak,
Titus adds, "As I work alongside with the local staff, I realise that the desire to migrate among them is very strong. They want something more than staying inside the refugees camp or returning back to their war-torn homeland. It is my desire and prayer to build good relationships with some of them over time. As we are not allowed to share the gospel in the work area, I can only pray that GOD will open ways for them to see Christ's truth and love through us."
Three months before Titus and Ginny returned back home for Chinese New Year 2024, two other camps also requested assistance from Habibi to run their dental clinics, as their NGOs had left due to a lack of funds. The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few...
Ginny continues, "I do not want to take the favour of God and man for granted. Furthermore, I am reminded of the phrase 'to work while it is still day'. The truth of the gospel still needs to be shared. The deception of false religiosity, and the prevalence of wrong beliefs are very strong in that land. The road is not easy.
After over a year of ministry, we have gained one disciple. Praise God for that! We persevere on, convinced that our part is only to be faithful, trust and obey. Our God sees, and He will accomplish His purposes."
Ginny and Titus are currently on staff with Habibi International as a dental therapist and medical trainer respectively. They provide support to Yazidi refugees living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. These refugees were forced to leave their homes due to war, violence, and persecution.