Pure Joy
When someone asks me how my time serving at the Point of Hope was, it’s hard to respond with a concise answer. Often, I want to ask, “Well, how much time do you have?” It was full of God’s goodness and faithfulness from start to finish, but if I had to sum it up in just a few words, I would say it was pure joy. Our week flew by as we filled our days with Bible stories, activities and games with the kids, devotional time with the moms and grandmas, painting part of the fence, putting shoes on precious feet, celebrating the end of the school year with worship and a community-wide hot dog party, and serving alongside an incredible team.
I don’t think I can pick just one favorite part, but I can share a moment that brought tears to my eyes behind my sunglasses. We had the honor of witnessing the presentation of the new Hope in Action Award, which was given to two students in recognition of their character and academic success throughout the school year. Each student received a sum of money and was challenged to create a plan for using it to serve their community.
One of the students, Roberta, chose to bless a family that had experienced unimaginable hardship by purchasing much-needed household supplies and food for them. We had the privilege of accompanying her as she delivered the gifts. It was incredible to watch the family graciously receive her generosity while we prayed over them during their time of need.
As we left their home, I took a moment to praise Roberta for her efforts. I told her how proud I was to know her—not only because of her hard work throughout the school year, but because of her willingness to see a need and do something to help. Keep in mind that these kids all live in significant generational poverty. For Roberta to look beyond her own family’s needs and recognize that someone else could benefit from these resources even more is remarkable.
Watching Roberta serve so selflessly was one of the greatest joys of the week for me. God used this award to lead her to bless a classmate’s family, and in doing so, He reminded all of us that true joy is found in loving and serving others. Roberta truly has a heart of gold, and I’m so thankful her teachers recognized her character and hard work and gave her this opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Written by Jessica Huettel (team leader)
