JOY and Loving the Poor

I heard another missionary speak on Sunday. He was so humble. I was thinking that if I didn't already want to be a missionary in Japan, I'd be a missionary to China! The thing that struck me the most was the tangible evidence of this missionary's relationship with God: the JOY on his face. May all Christians be as JOYFUL as this missionary! I once heard a story of a man who was rejected by a church as an elder candidate because "he wasn't joyful enough." Christians should be the most joyful people on earth!

Also, I have been thinking a lot lately about the poor in this world. The Bible has so many things to say about this such as:
He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered.
How blessed is he who considers the helpless.
He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.
The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor.
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth...defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
Happy is he who nis gracious to the poor.

Who are "the poor"? Well here are three orphans in El Salvador. They are three of those whom the Lord considers the poor and loves dearly.

I myself used to be an orphan. Meeting oprhans in El Salvador was a profound experience. I was moved by their stories, especially of one of these girls, whose mother was a prostitute who died of AIDS and whose father was a drunkard who committed suicide in 2004.

I have been thinking a lot about these verses a lot and wanted to share them.