On January 23, my teammates, two of our new Burmese friends, and I went on a hike down into a valley. There was a series of small waterfalls leading to the grandest one of all. As we hiked down, I felt the Lord nudging me to take a step of faith. In this case, it was baptism.
My parents chose to raise me in a community of Christians who supported me and loved me as I grew up. They had me baptized in our home church when I was a baby, as a sign of their dedication to teach me to know and love Jesus, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful. Today was the day for me to reaffirm that promise by my own decision.
My two teammates, Mallorie and Irene, baptized me in a small pool at the foot of a beautiful waterfall. They’ve been on a team with me since the start, allll the way back in August (!), and it seemed appropriate. They’ve hugged, cried, and prayed with me as I’ve stumbled through these past seven months and come out a different person on the other side.
It was quiet, sweet, and a little uncomfortable, but totally worth it. Praise God for providing a perfect venue for such an important day. It could have been a bathtub or a swimming pool, but it turned out to be one of the coolest places I’ve ever been.
Below is a snippet from my journal later that day:
The waterfall itself was a reflection: great, awesome, and majestic. A bit mysterious, as they usually are. Its components are common enough–moving water, a cliff, some greenery–but something about the combination makes it breathtaking. Gallons upon gallons crashing into the depths below. So powerful, I could be crushed, snuffed out and carried away. Though deserving of all the attention, it remained the perfect backdrop. Rushing, moving, continuous, and fluid, an influencer. Consistently acting in the same manner, unhindered, day after day up until that day. Creating a place of stillness and peace: a space to encounter, fall, hope that something better is to be found.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
I apologize for the delay in blog updates over the past month, but here are some other January highlights from Myanmar:
Living Water Children’s Home
Their vision: Take in children from remote villages (who have no access to school) and house them near a government school, provide extra tutoring, skills training (cooking, cleaning, hygiene), and discipleship. Pastor Jojo and his family are investing in the next generation in Myanmar who can bring the Gospel to unreached people in their home villages.
The kids: We walked in the first day to a group of 80 kids, dressed in the most colorful fleece outfits, and grinning widely. They watched/stared at us giants with silent interest. Their faces were usually adorned with “thanaka,” a white paste made from tree bark and water, and/or copious amounts of glitter. Their haircuts were all short little pixies or buzz cuts. They could run for miles and never tire out. They understood some English, but were always too intimidated to use it with us. By the end of the month, we each received 80 high fives and hugs, and waved goodbye tearfully. It was kind of crazy to think about how close we’d become, though our interactions were rarely verbal.
We couldn’t catch most of their names, so we made up some nicknames for them. My favorites included “Brown Shirt,” “Little Fleece,” and “Lil Homie.”
Pyin Oo Lwin was surprisingly COLD (disclaimer: 50 degrees at night with no heating can be quite chilly, though I know it can’t compare to most of you at home). I promptly bought a hat and a sweater that I wore every night to bed (and most days). The sweater was not the most flattering—a Burmese men’s XL (what an ego-boost)—in a style I can only describe as geriatric loungewear. Or, in its place, I layered every other article I owned. I was talking to my sister today about the state of my mobile wardrobe, and the Race’s effect on my rapidly declining fashion sense left her moderately horrified.
Reflecting back on that month, God did so many things in and through my team. It’s so cool to think about how Myanmar wasn’t even originally on our route. Clearly God had bigger plans for us, and He was preparing hearts before we knew our destination.
