“Hi, I’m Joy, the founder of Joy of Many Generations, and I’d like to share the story of how this ministry came to be.
I am a child of God, a minister of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, a wife, mother, and grandmother.
My life was going smoothly and I was enjoying the goodness of God in the land of the living until around 2005. I am not sure of the exact date when I started noticing a decline in my hearing, I just observed over time that the world was sounding strangely quieter! At first, I put it all down to a figment of my imagination. I was in denial, not wanting to confront the fact that something was wrong with my hearing.
However, this began to affect my relationships at home, work, and church. I often didn’t hear when people spoke to me, especially if I had my back to them at the time. I struggled on like this for two long years, using several strategies to cope, such as distancing myself from people or situations where I would feel intimidated or humiliated. I reasoned that if I distanced myself physically then my lack of ability to hear them when they spoke wouldn’t seem so odd. But I was expending so much effort trying to avoid situations that would expose the difficulties I was experiencing that I began to lose my self-confidence and self-esteem and to develop mood swings. I felt drained.
Then one day in 2007 I told myself enough was enough. I summoned the courage I needed to discuss my hearing with my doctor and was referred to the hospital’s audiology department for further checks. My fear was confirmed! I was losing my hearing. The decline was enough for me to be considered hearing impaired or deaf. My world came crumbling down before my very eyes.
During this period, I had serious discussions with God. I had faced challenges before, but none had shaken me like losing my hearing. I thought that there was no future for me and that all my goals and aspirations in life had come to an end. Life looked extremely bleak.
However, what I didn’t know at the time was that this was the beginning of a major turning point in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I suddenly realized that I needed to depend on him to be all he has created me to be and a newfound joyous journey began. This experience gave my name a new depth of meaning. I heard that still voice within me say…“No longer will you be a joy to yourself but ‘a joy to many generations’, says the Lord.”
From that moment the seed of Joy of Many Generations was planted in my heart. I envisioned a ministry that would bring joy-filled living to people with disabilities, especially hearing loss, as well as other people going through difficult times in their lives.
Please read my full story from my book, ‘Exchanging My Disability for God’s Ability: I Am Free to Be Me’.