The Joy of the Lord

This week we didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary; however we did me an extraordinary young lady. Samira is an 11 year old girl who lives with her mom and older sister. She loves the color purple and wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Her favorite food is meat and she loves to jump rope. I first met her at the school; she came right up to me hugged me and asked me to play with her. On Friday her social worker took us to her house for a home visit. We were greeted by her mom with a huge smile and offered tea and bread. Samira’s social worker brought her a letter and gift from her sponsor, which was very exciting for Samira and her family. Samira’s father passed away long ago and her mom works at a school cleaning. During the home visit I gave Samira a jump rope left by another missionary; so of course we had to go outside and break it in. (I am a terrible jump roper by the way).  When we came back inside Samira sat herself between me and Brant and had fun trying to tickle us and ask us questions about our families and our likes and dislikes.  I remember leaving and thinking that she was probably the most smiley family we had visited yet and that they were truly full of the Lord’s joy. I didn’t realize how true that was until later when I learned that both Samira and her mother are HIV positive. I never would have thought that, based on the way their eyes were lit up and they never stopped smiling. It’s strange to think how small insignificant things can make me unhappy, while this small girl has a life threatening incurable disease and she was full of joy. This home visit made me think about a verse in James that I now fully understand, “My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience.” If you are facing a difficulty in your life that seems impossible to overcome, it isn’t. If an 11 year old girl can be full of joy and never stop smiling despite having HIV you can find that joy in the midst of whatever you are going through.