If anyone has read my previous blog and was not too offended to read until the end, then this blog probably will not come as a huge surprise. As a Child of God, choosing the next step after giving your life to Him can look many ways. I’m not saying that there is a perfect answer that fits every person. But, after much research, reading the Bible, many late-night talks and mentoring from Hilary and Chelsea, I finally came to a decision. This decision was based off a conviction that I felt for my own life, my own heart.
After making a full commitment to God in Cambodia, my team had asked me if I had considered getting baptized. My answer at that time and for much time afterwards was that I was in the process of thinking about it. And I did. I thought long and hard and I never found the answer. When we arrived in Vietnam, I realized that I hadn’t thought about it in a long time when Hilary and Chelsea asked once more.
That month became a search. A search for an answer, a search for how I truly felt about that step of becoming a disciple of Christ. Is baptism necessary? What does the Bible say about it? Why do it? Is it that important? There were so many questions that I didn’t have the answer for. So many facts I didn’t know. I asked for guidance through my team, my squad leaders, wifi even and of course, most importantly, the Bible (both my physical one and my study Bible app on my iPad [which I highly recommend getting]).
What I learned changed my perspective on baptism and why it is done. The Bible tells us that to receive Salvation we are to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, repent of our sins, ask God to come into our hearts and then be BAPTIZED by water. This baptism by water allows us to be fully cleansed of all our sins and to receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:38 it says, “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each 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”.
In the Bible, when people were baptized, they received the Holy Spirit. It is the same for us today. Jesus commanded that we should be baptized in His name, baptized by water and receive the Holy Spirit when we do so. That is how we become one body as the church, through our baptism. And that is exactly what I chose to do. I chose to be baptized in the name of Jesus, with water.
While in Vietnam, I found the answer I was looking for. On our last night in Vietnam, my team went to a sky bar to have a great night time view of the city. While sitting at the table, over-looking the city lights, I felt the strongest pull to ask my team to do something very special for me. I knew that God was asking me to have them baptize me in the South China Sea the next morning.
It was a beautiful morning when the five of us hopped on our motos and drove across Da Nang towards the beach. The sun was bright and the early morning was already beginning to get warm. Teresa and Crystal met us at the beach. I knew that I couldn’t possibly be baptized without Teresa being present. We found a quiet place on the pale, sandy beach. It was a beautiful moment between our team as Chelsea prayed, Lauren P read from Colossians 2 and then we all walked out into the ocean together.
The waves were strong that morning. They came large and smooth, crashing over our whole bodies. It felt like the ocean was trying to baptize me without the help of anyone else. Finally, when we had a pause between the waves, With Lo holding me on the left and Hilary on the right, Lauren spoke and then the two of them dipped me straight down into the water. I came up baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
