A Story Of Joy

My heart is so full right now. Full of heartache, sadness, pain. But mostly it’s full of hope. It’s full of love. And it is certainly FULL of Joy.

I love stories and I love sharing experiences. So today, I think… maybe, just maybe, I am going to do just that. The complicated thing is finding the right words. I suppose I’ll start with telling you about a little girl named Joy. Her name isn’t really Joy but it might as well be.

This is Joy:

Joy is a precious child that I met on the street in India. There are a fair amount of children that beg on the streets throughout India. Many of them have tattered or very little clothing on their body. All of them are VERY in need of a bath and a good meal to fill their tummies. I love getting to love on them. It has become a part of my daily routine as well as the teams that I’ve been blessed to lead. We simply stop and play, hug, and laugh with these kids. I have a ball that I keep in my bag and it makes a great toy to toss around with the precious little ones.

Some days we sit and share juice boxes, snacks, and broken Hindi. Most days people give us weird looks and tell us not to bother with these kids. Every single day these kids fill my heart with such joy. These children have been on my heart from the day I first stepped in the city back in May. It has been an incredible blessing to watch the Lord move in this city and in these children. 

Back to Joy:

I’m not really sure how old she is. Typically children here look younger than they actually are. So your guess is as good as mine. I have a feeling that regardless of this young ones age… she has seen a decent amount of hardship in her short life span. She doesn’t go to school, but she is old enough. She has a family. Her older sister sometimes begs with her on the streets. I have no idea where her mom is, but she does have a mom. A mom who sends her out to beg.

I’m not sure how often or if she ever is hugged and held. She is extremely good at making people feel loved though. This, I do know. A few weeks ago a group of us got off the bus in the city. As we got off, I instantly spotted Joy. She came up to the group of us and as my friends leaned down to her she cupped her tiny hands around their faces. Joy looked them in the eyes with such love. She didn’t do much … just smiled, held their heads, and walked away.

My friends were talking amongst one another later in the day. One friend said: “I saw Jesus this morning.” The other two instantly responded saying they did to. In that little girl. They saw Jesus in Joy. 

I wish you could meet this child. She is a light. A BRIGHT SHINING LIGHT. She makes my heart hopeful because despite the darkness that roams the streets… the Lord is rising up lights. He is sending people into the nations, but He is also shining through small children. Precious children that are born into darkness but aren’t consumed by it.

I don’t know Joy’s life story. I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again, but I know she is a child of a King. And my prayer is that she won’t stay on these streets for long, but if she does…I know she will continue to be a bright light. 

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” 

          -Matthew 18:10

Blessings,

Danielle - Summer 2012 Volunteer