“I’m excited to get to know the refugees and also to be in Kurdistan because it’s biblical land. I’m stepping into a piece of history.”
In 2017, Ginny’s heart was set on going to Israel. Two years later, she finally began corresponding with a potential agency that she could partner with, but the Covid-19 pandemic hit before plans could be made. It took another two years till Ginny attended the Courage Calls missions conference, where she first learnt about Habibi International.
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’.
“And God answered my prayer.”
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 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.
From April till September, Ginny will be serving 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.
Ginny’s job in Kurdistan involves working in a mobile dental clinic together with a local dentist.
She tells us, “I’m excited to get to know the refugees and also to be in Kurdistan because it’s biblical land. I’m stepping into a piece of history.”
When asked about the challenges she faces, Ginny shares that language is a main challenge. She has been praying for a miracle that she can pick it up fast, so that she will be able to share stories with her new community. An intercultural course that she attended also reminded her not to impose our culture on others and tell them what to do; going to Kurdistan will be an opportunity for her to learn from them instead.
Looking back on her journey thus far, Ginny says “In the beginning, I didn’t know what field work was but I felt like I needed to do something out of my routine life.”
“I’m not angry with God for not giving me the opportunity to go to Israel. I may feel disappointed but I’m not angry. I know He has a better purpose for me. Ultimately, who are we in God? We are His children and co-labourers, we belong to Him. He won’t give us stones when we ask for bread. He will still give us the perfect gift. ”
“God is the one who called me. This is an exploratory trip; I have a feeling I’ll be going back again.”
Ginny embarked on her journey to Kurdistan in April 2023, but it was only the beginning of a greater adventure! In 2024, Titus and Ginny Lau will be sent back to Kurdistan as WEFC's Short Term Missionaries. They will serve for 12 months in Kurdistan as Medical and Dental personnel respectively with Habibi International, a Christian NGO seeking to transform the lives of refugees and internally displaced peoples.
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