Meet Zarah Joy Salvatiera, a member of the Filipino Fellowship at Wesley Methodist Church and a dedicated HR professional balancing a demanding career with her faith and a love for travel. In this inspiring interview, Joy shares how she navigates challenges at work, finds strength in her Christian beliefs, and organises her busy life around family, church and personal time. Discover how she sees God’s hand in both the mundane and extraordinary moments of her life.
Tell us about yourself, Joy.
As you might guess from my name, I am a Filipino. I have an older sister, my parents are retired, and my family lives in Singapore. I’m known to my friends and family as Joy at home and in church, but I’m known as Zarah to my colleagues and schoolmates. I’ve lived in Singapore almost my whole life, attending kindergarten through university here. I’m a full-time employee and recently graduated with an International Business degree from Birmingham City University.
I love to travel and try to visit a new country at least every other month. I also love food – it’s all it takes to make me happy! I’m always jolly, but if you see me in a bad mood, it’s usually because I’m hungry. This is pretty much me!
How did you come to know the Lord?
I was fortunate and blessed to grow up as a third-generation Protestant Christian.
Please share with us more about your job.
I work in the HR Department of a hospitality company. I lead the HR team, working closely with the CEO and CFO. My responsibilities include payroll, staff benefits, engagement, dispute resolution, work passes, supervising junior HR team members and overseeing recruitment, among many others.
How do you live out your faith in your working life?
I strive to live out my faith by being helpful, understanding, loving, and compassionate. God first loved us, and we should do the same wherever we are. I love helping people, and through this job, I’m able to be an instrument to spread positivity and kindness.
What are some of your challenges at work or in your life?
No job is ever calm and easy all the time. Being the most senior HR person in my company, I constantly interact directly with top management and employees, dealing with various problems daily. Things can get complicated when people have differing opinions, and I get caught in the middle. But I try my best to see things from their perspectives. I’m also often put in emotionally charged situations. When people get frustrated and upset, it affects and stresses me out. But I try my best to keep my cool and de-escalate conflicts or disputes.
I recall a situation where no one wanted to take on the difficult task of addressing sensitive issues. I decided to step up, but the outcome wasn’t as positive as I hoped. It happened the night before my birthday, while I was on leave. I had to stay on a call till just before midnight to try to resolve the situation. But I know I am still young and must learn from all kinds of situations.
As much as I can sometimes get emotional, I remind myself to be the bigger person. I could have left my job and its stressful environment, but thank God he sustained me. I am now in the fourth year of my very first full-time job. I couldn’t have handled the problems or stayed in this job if it weren’t for God. He is where I draw my strength, patience, and perseverance from.
Are you serving in any ministry?
I’ve served in the Wesley worship team since I was in my teens. Recently, I have also been helping out with the liturgist team. Sometimes, I volunteer to do backup singing or play the piano. I am also in charge of scheduling other church members and myself for the weekly liturgy.
How do you organise your time around your family, work, church ministry and personal time?
My best friend once asked me, “I don’t know how you manage to juggle work, school, travel, and personal life.” She had missed out on my church life. But my answer is simply, “But only by the grace of God!” I thank God for enabling me with a lot of energy too.
On my part, I think it is all about willingness and time management. This is my usual schedule: I work every morning and afternoon on weekdays and go to school in the evenings. I keep my Saturdays for leisure, baking and cooking. Finally, my Sundays are set aside for the Lord!
Every now and then, I will also squeeze in time for traveling! I am fortunate enough to have bosses who trust me and allow me to work flexibly. This allows me to work from overseas.
How do your beliefs and life as a Christian help you to live a life that is worthy of His calling, enriching, and meaningful?
I have experienced and received so many blessings from the Lord. I am fortunate enough to have a family who loves God. My parents and church teachings have molded me into what I am today.
I want to live a life not just to fulfill my own desires but to be an instrument to be a blessing to others.
Where do you find God in the mundane and ordinary?
Most often, we look for God in the darkest times and brightest moments. But even if it is just a regular, boring, same old day, I know He is there watching over my life. This requires me to be more intentional, to remember God is in control of every aspect of my life.
How and where have you seen God working in your life so far?
God is truly amazing and works in beautiful, unexpected times and in mysterious ways. I believe God is working in my life every single second, even in my darkest, deepest sorrow moments. I owe all my blessings and wonders to him. If I experience any mishaps or sorrows, I try to remind myself there’s always a reason for it. I believe after every rain, every storm, comes a beautiful rainbow.
I know God is there to help me overcome my pain, and I am gradually trying to heal after the death of my friend last year. She is still on my mind all the time. I’ve never imagined in a million years I would lose my best friend to suicide. Just like that, my world was shattered. But I pray to God, He would not let me falter. I had to be strong to be there to help my friend’s family who was lost and devastated. I had to put aside my own pain and grief to be there for my friend’s family. In a matter of hours, and with the help of Wesley, I was able to organise a funeral and assist the family as much as I could. My bosses were understanding, and I was able to take a few days off to help with the funeral arrangement. I couldn’t have done all this without strength from the Lord. I have a church who was able to help me during my times of need. I had family and friends as my support system. I lost my best friend, but He gave me hope and comforted me through the love of my spiritual family.
That’s just one of the many times God has worked in my life. What I have learned from my life so far is regardless of how God responds – how fast or slow or nothing – to my requests and pleas, I know He is in control and working in my life.
Photos courtesy of Zarah Joy Salvatiera
Everyday Christianity: Faith@Work is an interview series with Wesleyans from diverse age groups and walks of life. In this series, published in conjunction with our Church’s theme for 2024 – Directions 2024: Discipleship in the Workplace , we hope to discover more about the perspectives of Wesleyans in different vocations on how they live out their faith every day, specifically in their workplace, homes, or communities they serve. More than just stories of success in victory, we also want to hear their stories of perseverance that point to the reality that our Father is a living God who is ever present in the mountain peaks and valley lows of our everyday lives. For more on Workplace Conversations, please listen to our podcasts by Rev Raymond Fong at Wesley Podcast • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters .
