You don't come across people like her too often. In the Chapel of Restoration, you can refer to her as a living legend of this great house. One of the strongest foundations and the very first mama in FUNAI. Yes, Joy Chucks wasn't just the first mama in CORE in FUNAI. we had the privileged (A very special one) of sitting with this awesome lady. Now we must warn you, this was a long chat but we assure you, when you are done, you would have learnt a lot more than you expected to and you would realize why she has been so special to us. let's get down to it
CORE BLOG: Good day mama
JOY: Good day
CORE BLOG: Mama joy can you say hi to the house?
JOY: hi to the house.
CB: (laughs). Alright mama Joy. first of all, I want to say it is a privilege having you for this chat. we will be having some few questions to ask you. personally, we have been trying to know a lot more about you, like knowing more about this double mama, (Joy giggles), when we say double mama, we mean a two time assistant general coordinator of Chapel of restoration. so Mama Joy, we want to know more about you so please tell us who you are.
JOY: OK. I am Joy Chucks, a student of Bio Chemistry, I am in my final year...sorry, I am a graduate. I am an igbo girl, the first daughter of my parents, (thinks for a while), I am tall, slim, chocolate skinned, I am good and I am nice. That's it.
CB: So what state are you from?
JOY: I am from Anambra state.
CB: So first, we want to know how your school journey started. we mean your journey into FUNAI.
JOY: I wrote Jamb four times before gaining admission. that was because I wanted to study Medicine and surgery and I wasn't offered Medicine. I was offered other courses like Microbiology, optometry and I was even offered pharmacy but I was crazy enough to decline because I wanted medicine so I think I wrote Jamb and wrote Jamb and finally got admission the year 2011 but we had to stay one year at home because the school didn't start immediately and I came in 2012 and even when I came in I was still writing Jamb for medicine. So far that is it. And I am sure by now, Jamb people know my name very well. (laughs). But I am happy to be here and happy with the course I picked.
CB: So seeing medical doctors now, do you wish you had really studied medicine?
JOY: The truth is, at some point, even though I was still writing Jamb, I was writing it for my dad. Because I always had the dream from a very young age and then my dad took over the dream from me. When I entered school, I stopped having this craze for medicine. But then, my dad took it up and he made me write Jamb again and again. but now, when I look at Medical doctors, I am like wow you guys are saving lives but what ever made me want medicine? I think I love the course I did.
CB: So mama, being one of the first set of students admitted in FUNAI, I believe there were a lot of challenges you guys faced. Like environmental challenges and all that. so can you just share some of your experience?
JOY: This place was remote, it was deserted (Let's hope Ikwo people don't read CORE blog), it was nothing to write home about. Plus when we entered, it was like a secondary school (Now, let's hope the school authority isn't a big fan of CORE blog), we weren't allowed to cook, taking roll calls in the hostel at night (I can hear our interviewer whispering Jesus), before you go yo town, you will have to use an exit card, It was really terrible. But with time, everything subsided. As for the environment, it was kind of serene (Ada will say serena). You can leave the hostel and go to some cool quiet places and just concentrate. The crazy environment now wasn't there so you could make very good use of your time and I am someone who doesn't like noise. so it helped very well.
CB: There's this expectation in a university, You want to see a large number of people, big buildings, but coming down here those things weren't here. You will think it's a secondary school. even having a roll call.
JOY: The thing is, I knew I was coming to pioneer a school, so I had already conditioned my mind to accept whatever was going to come. When we came for our post UTME, it was worse than what it was when we started. So I had this mindset that this is the school, you know from what I saw in the post UTME, I mean then this place was an actual bush. And then resuming and seeing buildings, I was like OK, they have upgraded.
CB: We really have to say Kudos to you guys. Because there are some challenges students are facing now, so if you guys could face and overcome then, it means they can do it now,
JOY: The thing is, ten years to come, people who will come into FUNAI will ask the present set now, how did they make it? Because the standard is going to keep upgrading.
CB: Let's talk about something else. Being a two time Assistant general coordinator of Chapel of Restoration, the biggest in FUNAI! CORE blog has been wondering how you even managed to Identify and get involved with CORE.
JOY: I am an Anglican from home. (What?). When we came into school, there were different people scouting for members in their churches. I wasn't there for the orientation, so I didn't even know Daddy Okezie laid the spiritual foundation for the school. So, one day I saw a group of persons having choir rehearsals and some of them were my roommates, so I joined them. So we were like the school chapel is going to hold, so let us just sing there. That Sunday morning I dressed up and went to the Anglican church here in school, and then after that, my room mate and I where coming back from the service and we just decided to come into the auditorium were CORE was holding service let us just sing with them and after singing, we would leave so it won't look like we disappointing God. And so we came in and Daddy Okezie was talking and coincidentally, when we came in, he was giving the message. so we just had to wait. we waited and instead of us to minister, he said he would want to do something very important and that everybody should get ready to vote and nominate. And it was shocking because we didn't know anybody there. So, we nominated and cast our votes and I was voted as the assistant General coordinator. We didn't know each other. we were voting based on looks and appearance. Truth is, for that semester, I stayed back in CORE because I was handling that position. I just had to stay because I didn't want to disappoint God. That was my mindset, not even because of the people because I didn't know daddy. That was it.
CB: So was that your first Sunday in CORE?
JOY: Yes. That was it.
CB: So can you say it was a divine arrangement?
JOY: I think God just wanted to help me. OK, I don't know if I am supposed to be saying this here (laughs), but I am not really a church person. The truth is, at home, I don't go to church (what?). Going to the Anglican church that day was just to thank God that he gave me admission into school and that was supposed to be my first and last day and I just came to CORE and I was given that position. So I had to keep coming to church for the rest of my life in school.
CB: So we will like to ask, after you were given the position, how exactly did you feel? Where you like "Jesus! I can't believe this people are keeping me here".
JOY: seriously, I kept crying. From where they elected me, I was crying. Outside the door, I was crying, In the hostel, I was crying and people were like, wow, this girl is spirit filled and she is ready to serve God, but I was crying because CORE has help me finally (laughs). But finally, I was very happy I accepted to serve. I am happy CORE caught me, because it has been a privilege. I have been trained and I have become a better person. Leadership was never something I thought I could handle. I hate handling leadership positions. If I am given one, I will refuse as much as I can, but CORE helped me and I am better.
CB: We know that you have been in the leadership for a very long time. Plus committees are inaugurated every time here. so positions have you handled and how many committees have you featured in?
JOY: I can't recall all the committees, but I know that being the Assistant General Coordinator, every committee set up, I have to be part of it. So, I think I was part of most committees on sabbatical, what I mean is that (thinks for a moment), Sammy, one of us (we know Sammy) told me that any committee he goes into, naturally, I will be there and he saw to it that any committee he was in, I was part of the meetings even though I didn't want to and believe me, Sammy was in a lot of committees.
CB: Wow. Truth is that, you are one of the people we look up to in leadership. You and Papa John Okwute.
JOY: (blushes) Thank you.
CB: Next question is this, if someone asked you, what will you say about CORE? If someone walks up to you and says he wants to go to CORE, so you have to tell him or her about the chapel. what will you say?
JOY: I will first tell the person to be sure CORE is what he wants because the moment you come into CORE, you might not be able to leave. Seriously, CORE has this hold on people that even if you came in with a wrong mindset, somehow you just have to change it because of the kind of people you see there and the atmosphere. so, CORE is a place where leaders are made and trained. if someone wants to come in, I already see the person as someone Daddy Okezie is going to pick and bring out the potential in that person and the person will leave a better person if the person will ever leave CORE.
CB: wow! we are being educated here. People see Christianity as a difficult task. we want to know, is there anything difficult about Christianity?
JOY: Well, the difficult part of Christianity is when you try to be a Christian. What I mean is this. Naturally, if one accepts Christ and become born again, it is supposed to be Christ living His life through me, it"s supposed to be by grace and not by my works. Christianity becomes difficult when I start trying by my own strength to be a Christian. When I start acting and doing things to show people that I am a Christian. When grace is there, when the Holy Spirit is there and when have constant communion with Christ, you will see that even the things that used to be hard for us to do will become a walkover.
CB: From our interactions, we can see that you are someone that can preach the Gospel...
JOY: (laughs). No! NO!
CB: So if we are Jesus representatives which we are, we will say you are a pastor! So we know there is this central message that touched your life and you will love to share to people wherever you go. so what exactly is that message?
JOY: Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge him. If Christians will learn to wait and hear what God will have us do...you know some people relegate it to just career, marriage, education but I got to discover personally that God is interested in even the tiniest things. That is the most minute aspects of our lives. Down to the way we dress, to the things we say, to the Jokes we crack. so if as Christians, we are able to listen to God and be sensitive to him before we do anything, then we will have very few or no regrets.
CB: So we will love to chip in this question. How many times do pray a day?
JOY: (laughs). If you mean how many times I consciously kneel down and pray, I think two times a day. that is in the morning and in the evening. But if you mean, how many times do I talk to God, then I talk to God every time. If someone asks me a question, before I give an answer, I tell God help me to say the right thing. Before this chat, even now I am praying God help me to say the right the thing.
CB: (laughs). OK! let us divert and ease off a little bit. we love this point.
JOY: (laughs) I don't.
CB: So we will love to ask a personal question about you. What are your likes and your dislikes?
JOY: I dislike pride. I don't like people being false, I don't like pretense. I don't like hypocrisy. When someone is pretending, somehow I know. I don't know how it happens, but I just know. So it makes me lose my trust in people. Then if you are proud and I forget what Christ wants me to do, I have this tendency to snub you for the rest of our stay together. As for my likes, since I don't like proud people, I like humble people. (Laughs). And I like funny people. I like laughing.
CB: so you should marry a comedian.
JOY: (laughs). These comedians make other people laugh but inside they might not be able to make their wives laugh. I think they are just funny for the money. But then, I also like people who are focused and who know what they want. I don't like having friends who are driven by every wind like anything can come and sway you and you follow. you can't stand for what you want. I don't like people who follow the crowd because I don't like going with the crowd. I like when someone is unique (not prayer papa), even if you know what you are doing is wrong, you stand for it. the only thing is, I can come and correct you and that's it.
CB: So what kind of man will you like to marry?
JOY: (laughs) There are four major qualities i pray for in a man. the first is a man who can be my spiritual head. He must not be a pastor or a man of God, he should be able to control my alter, he should be able to be my head in the house. I will love to marry a man who is independent. I will also like to marry a man who is educated. I don't want to marry a business man. And then I will like someone who cares a lot about me. This is an interview but what I will tell a friend is that I want a man who is crazy in love with me (awwwwwww). so those are the major qualities. but the minor qualities, I trip for every guy who is tall. every tall guy is my crush and every dark guy is my crush (CORE blog runs to the mirror to check his height and complexion). so give God can add that jara for me, then wow! God has done everything for me,
CB: You said something about not marrying a business man and someone out there might have this notion that all business men are not educated. I believe there are educated business men...
JOY: I have friends who are educated and still do business. But that is not their major focus in life. Like you could be an entrepreneur but you have to be educated. You could be a doctor or an engineer and also be an entrepreneur. That is ok. But then I want someone that can reason on the same level with me. I don't want someone that I will be talking about going for my masters or my phD and the person is talking about (in a very funny igbo accent) "bring the money or the container". I don't want that.
CB: (laughs). What if you find these qualities in an hausa man, will you marry him?
JOY: Yes.
CB: Are you serious?
JOY: I have never even wanted to marry an igbo man. I have always wanted to marry an hausa or yoruba guy.
CB: Wow.
JOY: But my dad said i need deliverance because of it. So i am trying to consider Igbo guys.But until my parents accept the man i won't marry him.
CB: we are all Africans and we love children. even down to our pets we want them to give birth to 13, 14 kids. so how many kids would you want to have? A football team? A dozen?
JOY: (laughs for a while). three. Three biological children. Two guys and a girl. The girl will be the last born. I have everything planned out (laughs).
CB: What if you husband says five?
JOY: we will have to discuss it oh. That's one of the things we will discuss during courtship.
CB: So can you marry a pastor?
JOY: If it is God, yes. Personally, No.
CB: Why no?
JOY: Seriously, I don't want people calling me mummy G.O, I don't want to start running a church. I could marry a man of God, but not someone who has a church.
CB: To our next question now. We have challenges in life so we would like to know the moment that hit you most. that is your most challenging time.
JOY: (thinks for a very long time). I don't think I want to talk about the bad moments. is it permitted? I just want to talk about the good moment.
CB: Ok then, let us talk about the good moment.
JOY: I think that was when my dad regained his sight. My dad has been really nice and strong, he has been very strong. I grew up with him and he thought me everything from how to cook to how to be a lady to how to treat guys and how to be their friends and all those things. at some point, my dad started losing his sight. they said it was a medical issue called developed cataract. he was already blind in his left eye and it was already transferring to the right side. He had to be treated outside the country. I wasn't around when he traveled for his treatment. My happiest moment was when my dad came back and he was ok. Why i was happy was that even outside, they couldn't treat it. it was just God that healed him. I was very happy that my dad won't use a walking stick to walk me down the isle. That's It.
CB: How about you personally?
JOY: I don't want to say born again, but that is part of it. but I am always happy when someone walks up to me and says you i helped them in one way or another. many people say it to me and it gives me great joy (No pun intended).
CB: So you guys are the first graduates and we here at CORE blog want to say congratulations. so how did you feel when you were writing your last paper?
JOY: The truth is, on the day i wrote my last paper, I wasn't thinking about the water that they will pour on me. I thought of that before I got into the hall. But then inside the hall, I discovered that I was sober. I finished writing long before we were supposed to submit. I still sat down inside the hall. I was just thinking of what my life would be after graduation. I discovered I wasn't as happy as people were expecting me to be. I just knew that was the time to think and a time for more work. But then I was happy that this was the last paper as a BSc student of FUNAI. I am not planning to do my MSc here, I am not pioneering masters here (laughs).
CB: That day you wore white, right?
JOY: Yes.
CB: And I know you wrote something there. so what did you write?
JOY: I wrote "Adieu BSc", and then under I wrote "enzyme lords". Enzyme because I am a biochemist and that is what we deal with.
CB: So in the next five years, where do you expect to be?
JOY: I think I will still be studying. Ok, it's going to be like this. After graduation, my next one year and few months, I will be serving. After service, I am going to go for my MSc. (Thinks for a while) I want to lecture. I like lecturing. So probably, while running my MSc, I will be lecturing. And when I complete my MSc, I will go for my PHd. Now, I will want to lecture but not just in a university, I will love to lecture in a medical school. So I want to do my MSc in medical biochemistry and then continue in my PHd and lecture in a medical school. Meanwhile, I was learning tailoring (Another one?), I started learning tailoring. (Laughs). I learnt how to bead from my younger sister. she beads very well. and then I started learning tailoring. I think these two months that we are going to use for our service, I am not going to use it to work. I am going to use it to perfect my tailoring skills so even if I am not sewing for any other person, \I will be sewing for me, my husband and my children. All these are by God's grace by the way.
CB: You didn't include marriage? Do you want to be a professor with grey hair before you marry?
JOY: (laughs). I haven't really put marriage in my plans. Why I said that is because it is going to come in between these things. Personally, I don't want to go into any man's house and be a liability. one thing I don't know how to do is depend on people or beg. So marriage will come in between these things.
CB: So what is inspiring you to go into lecturing?
JOY: I like acquiring knowledge. And I know i learn more when I teach. Lecturing also gives you time to do other things. You have time to make money from other means and also impact knowledge on people.
CB: That is nice. considering the fact that you are going into sewing and bead making you can have time to make lots of money from there?
JOY: I was considering making clothes for only my family but this is also a good idea. I can be making the President's clothes, Governor's clothes...
CB: O.O king's clothes (must you show yourself?)
JOY: O.O king's clothes, CORE blog's clothes (laughs).
CB: Can you marry a man who doesn't have a car?
JOY: (laughs). I'm I supposed to be righteous about this?
CB: Be honest.
JOY: the truth is, I don't want to trek for life. But my friend will say, if you marry a man that has a television over a man that has vision, one day you will watch the man that has vision in your husband's television. My major concern is not what you have at the moment, but what you carry. Do you have prospects? Do you have vision? OK, you don't have a car now, but are we going to trek for life? Do you have plans of doing something that will get you a car? So it all depends on the mentality and the vision of the man.
CB: We like that. you have given us without televisions hope. So if for instance all these things don't work for you. You don't get a lecturing job and all that. What else can you do?
JOY: (silent of a while). I am going to tell you what very few people know, but since it's CORE blog, I am sure everyone will see it. I am a writer...(Wait! What?) I have published two books...(Wait again! what?) They have been selling I to some extent, I have been using the money from the sales to train myself here in school... (Wait again again! What?). I know that in 200 level, my dad was very sick and it was the money from the books that was used to pay my school fees and support my siblings to an extent. so as it is, someone is marketing the books even while I am here and the money keeps coming in.I have published just two but I have written five. I am working on one now. so if money is not coming in immediately after school, I think my writing will help.
CB: We would like to ask this funny question and we would like you to be very honest. We know you are a mama but still...(laughs). At home or in school, is there any special guy in your life? (ghen ghen!!!)
JOY: There's no boyfriend. There is no boyfriend here in school and prior to coming to school, there was no boyfriend. I have male friends, but no boyfriend.
CB: So is it that people haven't been walking up to you...
JOY: There are. It is supposed to be.
CB: So this means all of them have been receiving this "I don't want" punch?
JOY: No punch. (laughs). But a polite no. Truth is, personally, I feel it is a distraction to me keeping a boyfriend when I am not ready to get married. I would usually ask people what a boy friend will do for me that I can't do for myself or that my good male friends can't do for me? If there is something extra that a guy thinks he can do for me that my friends who are guys can't do, then I don't think it is necessary or important. That is how I see it. Thing is many people especially in school here go into relationships because other people are going into it. I believe a relationship should have a purpose.
CB: So mama Joy, what are those guiding principles that have kept you in this race. academic race and christian race?
JOY: One thing that has been guiding me is that before I do something, I try to know what God would think of it. Trust me, I have so many things I would love to do, so many things I would love to say, but then I ask myself, would God be happy with it? I make jest a lot but when I want to make Jest I just imagine God looking at me and so I don't do it. That's what has been driving me.
CB: So what are your expectations from the Chapel of Restoration in the next five years?
JOY: I would want CORE to grow, to grow and to grow. I won't want CORE to stop growing and I think that would stem from the leadership majorly. I would want CORE to have leaders who Know God and who know themselves and who know what they want. And I think that would help to a large extent in the growth of CORE both numerically, spiritually and academically. I would also want CORE to be a place where not just FUNAI would know about. It is possible for Ebonyi state to know CORE. I would want CORE to have enough influence, down to the state level. Not just here in FUNAI. So that when I see people and someone says I was a Corite in FUNAI, I can stand for that person and say that this person would not disappoint anywhere. Because I am sure that by virtue of being a member of CORE, you have been impacted with values that the world would want to see.
JOY: (puts on her serious look). I do. Ok, I am not saying it because you expect me to say it, I am saying it because I do love God. Sometimes I feel I don't love Him enough, I feel even though I love him, I don't show it enough, but since he sees the heart and he sees us as we are, I know that He knows that I love Him loads.
CB: So I will love to ask you. there is misconception between Religion and Christianity. People say Christianity is a religion and some people say it isn't. So I will like to know, how can you separate the two?
JOY: Personally, I think Christianity is more than a religion.I think Christianity is a lifestyle. It is the life of Christ impacted into a man. So Christ lives in you and makes you a christian. So I see it as an adjective that qualifies someone that Christ lives in and by your lifestyle, they see Christ in you. This is not something you tell someone, "I am a christian", people are supposed to see you and say you are a christian. So it is more than religion. Religion might be self righteousness. It has to do with laws, Do's and Dont's. But Christianity is Christ living out his life through you.
CB: So now to simple questions. What is your favourite colour?
JOY: Turquoise Blue
CB: Blue?
JOY: Turquoise Blue.
CB: I don't understand. (Note that it is not CORE blog that doesn't understand. CORE blog is good with colours but the interviewer who happens to be confused).
JOY: Me too I don't understand (laughs) but it's Turquoise Blue.
CB: Your best food?
JOY: Apart from drinking garri, I like swallow. Best soup is Egusi.
CB: Best friend here in school?
JOY: I don't have a best friend. Right from when I was born, I have never done bestfriends. But I have close friends. people who have been very close to me like Enema Peace. As for the guys, I have always liked having guys as friends. From Sammy...
CB: Ejedegba?
JOY: Yes. Oshiomole. Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. Stress it like that. I also have Okwute John, Princewill Okechukwu, Agbo Uche, Darlington and many others.
CB: Alright, it has been lovely talking to you mama Joy. And we wish you well and all the best in life and we would miss you so much. We are proud of you mama Joy. We wish to see your husband very soon.
JOY: (laughs). Very soon don't worry.
CB: Thank you so much.
JOY: Thanks for having me.
ODDS AND ENDS
1. After Death: Calm down! this isn't about after death but it is quite a nice coincidence that mama Joy's favourite Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5 is actually one of the core verses from the book, After Death: The Lisa side of Life. CORE blog is proud to be thinking in the same direction as mama Joy!
2. KR drawing people since 1880: Ok not necessarily 1880, but you get the point. many people are Corites due to the awesomeness of the Kingdom Restorers and how much this incredible choir ministers to lives. Isn't it great that these same set of people brought mama Joy into CORE? Ok, they were not officially named the Kingdom Restorers then, they where not even as good as they are now, and they did not even have a leader then. But still, their singing drew one of the greatest minds in Chapel of Restoration into this great house. Keep it up KR!
3. Talents: CORE BLOG is not into bragging but come on! Chapel of Restoration is blessed with talents. Now we believe these talented individuals keep coming to us for a reason and that is simple. God wants us to sharpen these people and use them for his work. we have fashion designers, we have rappers, we have writers, actors and so many others. it would do a lot of good for the members and the house if we can build platforms to sharpen these talented individuals. CORE writers club maybe? A fashion and music school? Maybe CORE blog is thinking too far but we don't think we should let these people come in and leave like that!
4. Secrets: Mama joy is a writer...with two published books...let that sink in!
5. Money, Money, Money: Lecturer, Writer, Fashion Designer, Motivational speaker and many other things. Mama Joy is going to be huge!!! this a good thing for CORE because we know we wi;; never lack. Please keep her number like Gold!
No comments:
Post a Comment