a JOYFUL heart.

Meet Amalia. She is the youngest of six children in the Rodriguez family. She beautiful and sweet, and the most JOYFUL person I know!! Every time I see her, she runs up and gives me a hug with a HUGE smile on her face! She has a heart for service, and loves helping with anything and everything that needs to be done. She just jumps right in whenever she recognizes a need, without ever being asked.

[with Amalia]

On Saturday, Amalia was here with her mom. We were hanging out in my room as she browsed through my pictures and pointed out all the friends she recognized. Next thing I knew, she left the room and came back with a piece of tissue to dust off all my pictures. Later, she came in with a broom to sweep the floor. 

As we cooked dinner that night, I found out that Amalia also loves to cook. She was running all around the kitchen helping with preparations as we made tacos. In between tasks, she washed all the dirty dishes that were in the sink. She was constantly asking what else she could do to help.  And she did all this with a JOYFUL heart. 

This precious daughter truly reflects the heart of her Father in heaven.

The next morning, I was in my room listening to Spanish worship music and reading my Bible. She came right in, jumped up on my bed with me and started singing to Jesus. It was such a sweet time we had together! The time I spent with Amalia this weekend was a great reminder for me to be thankful always and to serve the Lord with a JOYFUL heart.