A Week of Joy and Service: Christmas in July with OneCompassion and HopeCenter
It has been a very special week here at OneCompassion. Each July, our team looks forward to our annual Christmas in July deliveries, a time when we distribute care packages to local families in need. This year, the experience was made even more meaningful with the help of some incredible women from HopeCenter, who joined us to organize and prepare the donations.
Serving Together with HopeCenter
The women from HopeCenter brought such energy, grace, and joy to our team as we sorted through 75 family bins filled with clothing and snacks. Their presence was a beautiful reminder of the power of community and the hope that grows when we serve together.
At OneCompassion, we frequently partner with the men’s and women’s houses of HopeCenter. This faith-based recovery home, with locations across eastern North Carolina, walks individuals through healing and transformation using biblical principles and a structured 12-step process. We’re always honored to work alongside the residents and witness their strength and joy.
Once the bins were packed and ready for delivery, our summer intern Eva led a devotional titled “Counting It All Joy.” The message was especially resonant, given the personal journeys many in the room have walked.
Here’s a glimpse of the devotional she shared:
Devotional: Counting It All Joy
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of many kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” - James 1:2-3
Life throws many challenges our way. Whether it is stress at work, health struggles, broken relationships, financial hardship, our first reaction to these trials is rarely joy. But James, writing to early believers under persecution, tells us to “consider it pure joy” when we face trials. Why? Because trials refine our faith and produce endurance.
What Does It Mean to “Count It All Joy”?
It doesn’t mean ignoring pain or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it’s a mindset, choosing to view hardship through God’s perspective, trusting that He is doing a greater work in and through us, even when it’s hard to see.
Trials Come in Many Forms
The phrase “trials of many kinds” is a reminder that life’s struggles are diverse. Whether it's a small frustration or a life-altering crisis, each one offers a moment where our faith can deepen. Through them, God invites us to grow, endure, and lean into Him.
May we all continue to “count it all joy” in every season, in every trial, and in every opportunity to serve others.