As you can read by the title, I GOT BAPTIZED!!!! It’s been a cool process and here’s why;
When I went to Los Angles for a missions trip going into my senior year of high school God brought me back to him and I gave my life to Jesus. My heart was never on baptism all of senior year. I was still living in sin, shame and in bondage to the world.
Going to training camp everything changed and I felt ready. I wanted to get baptized to represent the chains Christ had broken in my life and to fully give my life to Christ!
God simple said to wait. So I did.
Then we get to Cambodia and God Spiritually BRINGS ME TO LIFE! Like whaaaaat! I felt so alive, I felt the Holy Spirit rushing through my veins and I thought to myself, “surely now Father?!” But again he said to wait. I shrugged it off with slight wonders if this was fear and not God.
At ICF, the church we went to in Siem Reap they had this incredible night of baptisms. Jaynna & Elena both got up and stood at the front to get baptized. I remember thinking why am I not up there, but fear completely filled my body and I didn’t movie from my seat.
I remember being so torn up because I thought God was asking me to get baptized and I let fear get in the way of that moment. God later spoke into that moment and told me it wasn’t my timing and to be patient with His perfect timing.
Again and again and again since that moment in Siem Reap I have had opportunities to get baptized but every time God says to be patient, to wait. It became this immediate feeling, I knew it wasn’t the right timing.
Then, we get to Costa Rica and we’ve only been here for maybe 4-5 days. Easter was that Sunday and my incredible squad mate, Paige stood up in front of all of us. She had secretly planned a beautiful Easter for our Squad on the BEACH! As she was explaining the day, a service, worship, hangout time, swimming, meals…. BAPTISMS! I’m not the kidding the second that word hit my ears and traveled to my heart I was so ecstatic! Every part of my internal spirit was going insane because God was saying “YES YES YES ITS TIME!”. I couldn’t believe it, I was going to get baptized!
God started to speak more into it and I was astonished. Looking back at all the times I could have been baptized and God revealing to me that He has perfect timing. That the reason why He had me wait is because I was getting baptized on the day that Jesus literally raised from the dead. God said to me, “On that day you will get baptized to be a symbol of how I pulled you out of the grave 6 months ago”. WOWOWOWOWOWOW. I get Holy Spirit chills every time I tell this story because it was such incredible timing. God showed me that patience is so rewarding because I got to feel the perfect way God had laid out for me to get baptized.
Looking back at this race and HOW much I have learned. God knew I needed to learn, see and grow in my pride, fear, love, patience, self-control but most importantly my relationship with Him to feel this how he wanted me too.
Guys it felt so right. So solid. It’s crazy what we feel when we are in alignment to God’s will.
Getting to this beautiful beach in Jaco, Costa Rica. Seeing monkeys in the trees, water crashing against the sand and all my family surrounding me. Getting to spend the morning in worship, celebrating the greatest victory of all mankind. Then, standing in front of my whole squad and sharing this incredible journey with all of them.
Walking into that water with Luis, my squad leader, my brother and my friend. My family surrounding me and my teammates, my sisters with the biggest smiles on their faces.
Declaring YES to Luis as he asked me if I would follow Jesus for the rest of my life through the good and the bad.
Coming above that water and jumping for JOY. Declaring that JESUS is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6).
I could not have imagined a better day and that is because God knows me better than I know myself. He’s got me and He wants to take care of me, I just have to listen and be patient.
