Joseph's story

An Asian man looks lovingly at his wife Like many Asian families, Joseph was brought up following his parents’ beliefs. He worshipped Taoism gods and prayed to his ancestors. He says, "Virtually speaking, the Taoism gods (idols) were our god back then because that’s the way our parents pray."

Joseph and his family, however, soon began a “double life” of prayer. During the day and in front of other family members they would pray at the ancestral altar and before the Taoism idols, but at night they would pray in secret to God.

He and his wife wanted to come to Australia in hope of a better future and thought praying to God might help. They decided to pray each night with their children. It was part of their ‘organisational strategy’ to pass their English tests and successfully migrate to Australia.

He says, "Our method of praying included everyone in the family saying a prayer every night for God’s blessings. Frankly we were not sure which God we were praying to except that deep down somehow we knew there was a God for us."

Miraculously, God answered all of the family’s prayers and they passed the English test and the application process. Joseph moved to Australia by himself and his wife and children followed later on.

Joseph says, "During the few months I was on my own and with time to kill for a “bachelor”, I attended Wesley Mission Church on Sundays. I started reading the Bible and getting to know other Christians."

Reading the Bible captured Joseph’s curiosity about God and Jesus. Observing the way his aunty and uncle lived also shaped his understanding of the Christian faith and lifestyle.

He says, "I used to think that Christians just pray for blessings, and especially for Chinese Christians, the blessings are just in terms of monetary rewards."

Joseph’s uncle and aunty did not pressure him to pick up Christianity but encouraged him to read the Bible and supported him in every way.

A few months later, at Easter time, Joseph’s family had moved to Australia and his wife was anxious about getting a job.

Joseph says, "It was a challenging task, given that she did not have any Australian work experience."

During this time, a senior pastor at Wesley Mission encouraged Joseph in their Easter service.

He told Joseph about the promise of Psalm 40:2 which says,
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Joseph says, "At that time, my faith was renewed and miraculously my wife was offered a permanent role three weeks after the Easter service."

Joseph and his family started the Alpha course run by Wesley Mission.

Joseph says, "The key things we took from the course are that God loves us very much and our whole purpose is about God. We humbled ourselves and accepted Christ into our lives."

Wesley Mission helped Joseph and his family find out the meaning of life. They have been given a new beginning.

"We now look forward to leading a Christian lifestyle, humbling ourselves to Lord our Saviour, growing our Christian faith, raising our kids to know Jesus and loving and sharing with our new community. We are also praying for the salvation of our loved ones back home."

"Never did we think, when we started our nightly prayers to pass the English tests, that God would plant seeds in us and our whole family would be saved."

Joseph as told to Andy Chin