
Geraldine came to know Christ in the youth days. During her time in the University Ministry, she was encouraged to do short term missions (STM) as she did not want to waste the time she had in her university days. Gerry went to Cambodia for her first mission trip and knew that she would want to be a missionary one day. She went through Discipleship Training School (DTS) under Youth with a Mission (YWAM) for 6 months earlier this year and went to Poland and South Africa for missions.
She recently returned to Singapore and is currently equipping herself with skills such as driving
and farming to prepare herself for future mission work.
Process of Geraldine's prayer life
In Geraldine's words, "it was nothing complicated" - just communicating with God. Like how the sheep recognizes the shepherd’s voice, we can only recognize if we spend enough time with Him.
Geraldine's love language is quality time so she loves it when she spends time with God, vice versa. She’ll commune with Him wherever she goes - going for walks, before she meets people.
When she was a younger believer, her prayers involved a lot of lamentations whenever she is stressed. For example, when her parents opposed her from going to church. Just like how a child would want/need their parents to comfort them when they cry, God is always there to comfort her and offer His presence after every lament.
Reading and knowing His word helped her a lot as well. The Bible is our weapon but we need to know how to use it. Like how one needs to learn how to wield a sword. Gerry struggled with her mental health in university days and she spent time reading about Job, about how God was enough even though none of his sufferings were taken away from him.
As she grows older, she realized that prayer takes more time listening from God, to hear what he has to say. She’ll ask “What are you telling me about this person?” This is something she is still learning till date.
Supports to keep consistent in seeking God
Community
The community helped Geraldine immensely. God created us to be in communities. Not being in a community affects one’s relationship with Him.
Being with like-minded people, having the tangible presence of people supporting her through acts of service reminds her that she is not alone in this journey.
Her time in Poland managing crisis work was very draining for her. There were many moments that she wanted to give up and return to Singapore as she often felt alone and forgotten. However, her community and church friends encouraged her a lot by checking in with her through texts, sending her messages that they were keeping her in prayer. This made her feel like she had an army behind her.
Being disciplined
There are plenty of distractions and things will get tough sometimes but Geraldine keeps the discipline to spend time with God. She gave an analogy of how spending time with your partner after a tiring day can sometimes be refreshing, carving time out to spend time with God after a long tiring day refreshes her as well!
Growth in her prayer life
Reading news about different countries, Gerry read about how COVID impacted India, the increased suicide rates in Thailand, people dying of starvation in the Philippines. The more she read, the more she was prompted to pray. Her heart of missions sparked off prayers.
When Gerry was doing missions in India, she met a young woman in the red light district and prayed for her. She saw a vision of an orange butterfly and shared that Jesus wants to set her free and give her a new life.
Later that day, a friend of Gerry whom she was not in contact for 2 years texted me that she was at Jurong Bird’s Park butterfly garden where she saw an orange butterfly and thought of me.
In Gerry words, she shared, "Any hint of uncertainty I had disappeared at that moment. I felt that God was assuring me to continue encouraging and speaking words of knowledge to people as I prayed for them."
Prayer takes more time listening from God, to hear what he has to say. Like how sheep recognize the shepherd’s voice, we can only recognize if we spend enough time with Him
Geraldine's encouragement to those who are struggling in prayer life is to pray even more when it is hard and don't give up! Prayer is not like a banana which you peel and you will see the fruit; where you pray and the issues is resolved or prayers answered. Prayers likens more like an onion, the more we pray, the more we got to dwell in His words and presence.
Obedience is important not just in the big things but the little too! God honors when you are willing to obey even in the small.
Here are some tips we have from Geraldine to grow in our prayer life:
Set aside time, starting with 5 minutes, and the slowly increase
Be disciplined. Carving out time to spend with God after a long day is refreshing.
There’s a lot of listening and asking in prayer.
God sometimes speaks to you about something. Pray more in that.
Work together with the Holy Spirit. Hear what Jesus has to say.
Be part of community. When we encourage one another it feels like we have an army behind us.
Read the word. The bible is our weapon but we need to know how to use it, like how one needs to learn how to wield a sword.
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