Glorious Joy

1 Peter 1:1-9

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” – vs. 8

It has been such a long journey, but Father I am thankful. Thankful that “though now for a little while I had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials” (vs. 6) I will rejoice in these times that you pulled me ever closer to you. You grabbed a hold of my spirit and loved me despite my insignificance. Because even though I am an imperfect daughter, my father is worthy of all praise! How lucky are we that we serve a perfect God who covers up our messy imperfections?

So today I praise Christ and thank him for the adventure we have been on together up until this point. Each trial “has come so that my faith- of greater worth than gold, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (vs. 7)

Joy spills from my heart when I talk about these children, but today I had a different experience. I spent a good bit of time talking with the dorm moms. Salene and Gladys are there names, and they were made for this role. They are nurturing, loving, and in all ways compassionate towards these children.

After a long hard day at the clinic I came back to Salene and Gladys calling my name. They insisted we sit and talk for a while. They wanted to know about my life. They asked questions about America, about my family, and about why I came to Kenya. I loved telling them what draws my heart to their country. I told them I experience Jesus in a whole new way over here and I love the people. Kenya stole my heart and I can’t get enough of what this culture represents. Salene and Gladys sat shocked. They said they didn’t understand why I was so giving. I told them it was Jesus.

They both smiled and said that I am blessing people. At this point I sat shocked. I didn’t realize the impact I was having on them.

Salene asked if I would visit again and I told her absolutely. She said that we Kenyans had a lot to learn from Americans. She explained how they lacked the heart to give because they have been desperate for so long. “People tend to keep for themselves in fear they will not have enough” said Salene. I guess you can say we both have a lot to learn from each other.

Each day passes and I learn more things about myself than I ever thought possible. Jesus is alive and working and I am thankful to join in His effort to change these kids lives.