Baptized In Jesus Name

As we have shared with you, eight people got baptized in Jesus name on Sunday July 1st. Each of them carried a story, a background, a unique past with them into the water. They stepped inside the water, many of them smiling brightly, and some with faces touched by God, with eyes filled with tears. As I watched each one become immersed into the water and rise a new person, everyone around rejoiced. It was a beautiful sound. But what about the sounds from heaven? Imagine what the voices of the angels sound like as they rejoice as people are saved. We see people rising up out of the water and lifting their hands toward heaven. What does it look like from heaven? Like a star being born, making the world a little brighter with each one. Each person that rises up out the water is a star shining on earth so that the world can see the light of the Lord.

Here are some of their stories:

The first to be baptized was a Trinitarian pastor’s wife. The pastor and his wife were among the seventeen who received the holy ghost in this church and are both now baptized in Jesus name.

The second was a young girl that I mentioned in Sunday’s blog entry. She had tried to end her life. She came to service on Sunday because it was advertised as a free concert with a choir from The United States. She came with her sister. Pastor Davis started to tell a story about a woman who was very educated. The woman he told us of had many degrees. She was successful. She seemed to have everything going for her. However, she felt so empty inside. Nothing could fill this void in her heart. There was something on the inside that told her that there must be more than this. There must be more to life than just living. She tried everything she knew to try. Nothing seemed to satisfy her. She came to the conclusion that life was not worth living. She stopped eating. She decided that there was no use going on any further. She decided to end her life. She went to her calendar. She marked the day she would end her life. Two weeks before that date, someone spoke to her and invited her to church. At first she thought that the people were all crazy, worshipping the way they did. However, she began to feel the presence of God. At the close of the service, she went to the altar. God baptized her with the Holy Ghost and the hunger she had on the inside, for the first time, was satisfied. God satisfied her hunger. That was twenty years ago. Pastor called on Sister Fotine to stand up. She is still living for God today. The young Sri Lankan girl in service whispered to her sister, “How does he know about my life?” It wasn’t until he said that it had been twenty years and asked Fotine to stand that she realized it was not her he spoke of. However, she was so touched by the testimony that she rushed to the altar and got the Holy Ghost. We watched her get baptized in Jesus name.

The third person was another Trinitarian preacher from the Trinitarian church in town. He just came for a free concert. He was so touched by the service and wanted to be baptized in Jesus name.

The fourth and fifth was a couple that lost their homes in the Tsunami. They carried their blind baby and ran for their lives. As they were about the lose their lives, the wave stopped. They survived. God had other plans for them. They were Buddhist but they came to church and God ministered to their lives. Today they were both baptized in Jesus name. Please pray for their blind baby. We have a miracle-working God and with Him nothing is impossible.

The sixth and seventh were Buddhist women and the eighth was a Hindu girl. They also came to hear a concert. We are witnessing true miracles.