The Lord continues to blow me away with the incredible opportunities He gives to me in this life. To be able to say I was baptized in the Nile River, the same waters that baby Moses floated down in the ancient days, is a memory I will treasure for a lifetime.
Acts 2:38 says, “Peter replied,’ Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” After I accepted Christ as my savior at the tender age of 11 years old I soon thereafter completed the requirement of baptism. I know in my heart I was sincere and I truly loved God as a child. So while I have no doubts of my salvation and that the Lord was pleased with my original baptism, I have felt in my heart that I wanted to have a second baptism to renew my commitment to walk with the Lord.
Since that day at only 11 years of age, my life has taken many twists and turns and unfortunately I lived many years of my life not seeking God and not living a life that honored my King. After the Lord pursued me and began a new work in me a couple years ago, the idea of having a second baptism to signify my rededication came to me. And now since starting the race, I have come to know God as a loving Father in a way I have not known before. And for the first time, I am able to see myself as His daughter and to know that He loves me just the way I am. So when I heard that our debrief site was on the water of the Nile and our alumni squad leaders who were so influential for me would be returning to see us, I knew that would be the time.
Sunday, September 1, 2013 I symbolized my new commitment to Christ with baptism. The old life with its old sins has died. The old life not knowing my worth as a daughter of God has died. The old life of insecurities and living with an orphan heart has died. The new life has risen. I am loved by my Father. I am living with worth and value. I am free from the sins that previously entangled me. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 I am so blessed knowing how much God loves me and looks at me as His little princess. It is my prayer that you experience Father God to that same degree.
I would like to extend a huge thank you to my squad leader Vanessa O’Neil for taking part in my baptism but mostly for the ways she pointed me toward Christ and helped me to see His great love for me. I would also like to thank my dear friend Chanell Copeland who served as my team leader for 3 months of this incredible journey and Kelsey Shultz who was my team leader during our time in Uganda. All these ladies have helped to shape this year into an amazing time of growth in the Lord for me.
