28th Sept 2012, by Ezra Chim, CM –
Brother Joy’s journey in faith was awakened on the 30th July 2009 when the Lord called him back from Kuala Lumpur to Matang Jaya, Sarawak to his own family and tribe. The call to go back was so audible that he and his wife sister Selisa have to resign from their corporate jobs to answer God’s call in their lives. It was an amazing story of the love of God for his family members and tribe that the Lord has to intervene in a miraculously way and thus changing the hearts of his family members and also impacting his own journey of faith and obedience.
He was born a Bidayuh, a Dayak tribe in Sarawak. Back home in Sarawak, he has three other siblings, parents and many relatives. The family were Anglicans and they go to church only on Christmas Day, funerals and weddings functions. At the age of 27 years old in December 2006, he got married with sister Selisa who is from the Kayan tribe, another tribe of Dayak. From the age of 27 to 30 years old, he and his wife were doing well in their respective careers in Kuala Lumpur. He has worked in numerous positions during this period as an air steward and as an executive in logistics and warehousing. Sister Selisa herself is also successful in her chosen career as a leasing manager in a public listed company. However, during this period his life was filled with the pleasures of the world as he was working as a sales personnel and he needs to entertain clients and potential customers to secure new contracts. There was no control in his expenditure and he had chalked up RM 50,000 in credit card debts.
In the year 2008, prior to the call of God to go back, he was working alongside a Christian brother by the name of Joseph Lim who had a stroke in his life while driving the company car to work in the morning. Brother Joseph Lim was hospitalised for three months and was on regular medication. His physical movements were affected by the sickness. Even though Brother Joseph had a stroke and risking his full-time job as a result, he did not complain about his situation but was always praising the Lord. He was questioning on how can a person remain joyful despite the stroke and loss of income? As he fellowshipped with Joseph and working together, the spirit of praise and thanksgiving demonstrated by Joseph touched his own inner life. Just as the Lord was bringing him through this experience of faith in his life, he had a wonderful encounter with the Lord. On the 30th July, 2009, a date he remembered vividly, the audible voice of the Lord told him to “Go back and reach out to your family.” The calling to go back to his family and relatives was not easy as he and his wife have to quit their jobs and to pay the family expenses, credit card bills and also to repay the study loan taken for his studies. His wife was just promoted as a leasing manager in a public listed company then. It was a tough decision to make and there was a struggle within him to obey the call to go back.
The struggle to answer the call of God lasted for two weeks and finally, he obeyed the call and decided to go back with his wife. He resigned from his job and just walked by faith that the Lord who called him will provide. Sister Selisa is a very committed and faithful Christian from Belaga, Bintulu, Sarawak and she shared in his calling as well and resigned from her job and joined him later in Sarawak.
Back home, Brother Joy struggled to pay the bills that were accumulating very fast. The first month was very tough as he needs a regular income. In His perfect timing, the Lord provided a new job for him in a manufacturing company as a materials planner. Miracles after miracles begin to happen when he was in Sarawak. During the three years there (2009 to 2011), the banks called to offer special payment terms and with the regular income, he managed to pay back all the credit card and study loans and even bought his own house in Kuching. Sister Selisa was also blessed with a business lecturer position in Kuching. God was leading and providing the family all along.
All the time, he has not forgotten the call to go back to his people. There, he brought his family members to church. They regularly attended the Kuching Evangelical Church, under SIB Church. He begins to encourage and train his family members to attend church services, cell meetings and to do missions. His priority was to develop their personal characters, to take salvation seriously and to have a strong spiritual growth in their lives. He was leading them by example and to show them the true Christian life to lead. He has made many missions trip to the interior of Sarawak to train up and disciple many leaders to lead the people. In his Christian walk, he holds four important principles and that is praise and worship, regular fellowship with one another, discipleships and to do missions.
Having spent three years back home in Sarawak, the Lord led the family back to Kuala Lumpur again. Sister Selisa was offered back a senior position in the company that she worked before. She is presently pursuing her PhD in a local university with full scholarship. Brother Joy joined her back to KL this time and subsequently got a job as an executive in a logistic and warehousing company. The work of the Lord continues on in their lives. He and his wife will make it a commitment to go back to Sarawak regularly to continue to reach out to his own people.
Brother Paul Joy’s life and message to us is that we can be a success when we follow after God and we can build good character, have high education, a high-paying corporate job and at the same-time, to shine our Christian life wherever we are. We are to do the Great Commission like Jesus and His disciples and all His faithful followers through the ages. Amen!
Brother Paul Joy’s email address – jyxmy@yahoo.com
