The more and more I realize that the way He has brought me from the Katie at training camp – who wanted nothing to do with leadership, felt completely inadequate, like she didn’t belong, didn’t know anything and just wanted to hold babies and play with orphans and love on people – to the Katie I am now – squad freaking leading with 2 other incredible men, confident in who I truly am and more willing than ever to be challenged into more of who He wants me to be, more open and obedient than I have ever been before, and truly understanding what it is to LOVE and steward love, along with everything else God has so freely given me, Oh and did I mention allowing myself to BE LOVED as well? Anyways back to my point
It wasn’t until Launch in Antigua that I was hit hard and baptized in the spirit (the first time. . .I really think this happens more than once and I have been hit on more than one occasion! Oh I love you Holy Spirit!) oh how beautiful that night was! And it wasn’t until 4 months into the race that I was actually water baptized.
Now I had been baptized before, into the Catholic church, and I remember it like it was yesterday. My little brother was running screaming through the pews as my sister and I were lifted up over the baptismal fount and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. The trinity, the purpose behind baptism is something that was even hard for me as a 7 year old to fathom. I knew that my original sin was being washed away, that sin that Adam and Eve had left me with (thanks guys!), but there was so much more. Throughout my life I went to Catholic schools and still learned plenty (which I truly appreciate), but didn’t really know the meaning of baptism.
So needless to say it was an incredible experience! Not only was it a public declaration, but a prophetic act. I love what Chris Vallotton says about it “Prophetic acts, like prophetic declarations, release God’s power to bring about change in our lives. In the case of baptism, being submerged under water is the act of dying with Christ, but being pulled up out of the water is equally important as it brings power to live in Christ!”.
I Get it now. . .
and am still learning more
about it each day.
What made it even more special was I had the honor of being baptized by my former squad leaders Andi and Sean! Ahh it was perfect. The weather was beautiful, the water cool, the waves were rough and the Lord completely present. It will be a day that stays with me for eternity!
