Baptism: Declaring the Desire to Live for Christ

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

We are happy to share a few pictures from the baptism of our brothers and sisters in Puerto Gaviliana! It was a moving time. You could see that they were nervous but excited. In preparation for the baptisms, we showed them the Jesus film. They were able to see how Jesus was baptized outside in nature. I like that the Jesus film is relatable to their way of life.

Personally, it was a very special time because I baptized my son and daughter. It reminded me of when God said to his son, "This is my son (daughter) with whom I am well pleased".

Such words have a new meaning for me, how through his mercy and grace he calls us his son and daughter. I wish you could have been there also. It was a moment I will always cherish. We are so proud of Saraí and Misael and the example they are to the brothers and sisters in Puerto Gavilana and to the whole village.

Pastor Josef, Pastor Arturo and Ray have been a blessing in the ministry. They have been a big part in discipling the new believers and were able to join me in the baptisms. We all had the privilege to take part in baptizing our brother and sisters. Although the water was muddy...the view was beautiful as they declared their desire to live for Christ.

Pastor Roosevelt and Mrs. Ines' legacy continues to live on through the fruits of their labor! The hard work of making new disciples is sometimes a process of many years using many people. Teni was 16 when we first went to Diwarsikwa and we celebrated her 27th birthday this week with her baptism!

It was an amazing ceremony! We cried and we laughed as we were reminded of Jesus' death and resurrection. We ended the celebration by pushing each other in the lake.