This past week yielded yet another highlight that I would say ranks up there with my best moments on the World Race. On Sunday, Amber and I had the privilege of baptizing Sarah Olmstead in a big lake in Rwanda. Her story isn’t mine to tell, so I won’t give all the details, but here’s the main idea:
Three months ago, when I became squad leader, I talked to Sarah for one of the first times since coming on the race. We hadn’t been on the same team or ever done ministry in the same place, so we didn’t really know each other. We talked a little and she was just telling me about her life and the struggles she had been through. Basically hesitancy to moving forward in her relationship with God because of past crap. We talked through a lot of it and she did a lot of processing. You can read about that more
here if you’re interested.
Anyway, over the past three months I have had random chances to see her and talk with her and every time she was looking more and more free. It was easy for all of us to see how God’s was moving in her heart and restoring all those broken places. I’ve always loved her because she’s just fun to be around… but it’s just been different in an amazing way. This past month I was with her team and I shared a mattress with her and Samantha, so as you can guess spooning all month brought us even closer. She’s become an amazing friend and confidante and even more importantly she is just rocking life and speaking out what God is saying and doing in her. One night she asked me what I thought the biggest and most encouraging victory as squad leader has been so far. I honestly think it is her.
So when she rolled over in bed on Saturday night and asked if I would baptize her the next morning at the service as a friend and not just as a squad leader, I got a little emotional
J.
We made the two hour drive in the back of a ghetto van over even more ghetto dirt roads and finally arrived at the beautiful lake.
Here is her description. We got in the water and as Amber is ridiculously petting Sarah’s face and asking her the questions pastor was telling us to ask, I kind of had one of those surreal moments where you step back and just see the beauty in the moment. Having the privilege to baptize one of my most treasured friends on our squad with another great friend and being a part of something so important in her life- an outward showing of an inward change, renewal, redemption, and a moving forward with God.
mmmm that’s good.
