|
|
 LaAurora candidates take baptismal vows. |
No Turning Back
July 24 2008 / ShareHim in Costa Rica C, Jun. 27 - Jul. 12 '08 #306by Patrice Hieb
Personal Testimony of Patrice Hieb.
As he stepped down into the baptistery waters, he broke into singing, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” The entire congregation exuberantly joined him, in Spanish of course, and recognizing the melody, I quickly blended in with my English version. When he came to the part, “No turning back, no turning back,” he shook his clenched fist in the air, and with a determined look on his face, sang with his whole heart. Tears mingled with the smiles of his wife and church family as he was lowered into the watery grave and then raised up with his face beaming toward heaven.
This distinguished grey-haired gentleman was the sixth baptism of the morning, following our final church service together—a culmination of my 15-day preaching campaign at the LaAurora Iglesia Adventista near San Jose, Costa Rica. I am anxious to hear about others who came forward for another baptism in the future.
Each of the six had become special to me, a new part of my extended family—the eighth-month expectant mother caressing her unborn child; the man who had recently moved from Peru, whose troubled face had silently begged me to pray for him from his seat in the audience, but now is filled with a peaceful smile; the young lady who joyfully announced she will celebrate her 16th birthday in two days with her new life in Christ; the young boy who insists he must be baptized today in spite of the cast on his arm, and the pre-teen who so bravely came forward in front of her giggling friends and scrunched up next to me.
These souls are one of the reasons I went to Costa Rica. In addition, the ShareHim experience was designed for me and my spiritual journey, and it has certainly strengthened my faith in a living, loving God who is interested and involved in the things that help me and others grow closer to Him. The ShareHim sermons are in the perfect format to affirm the fundamentals of faith for both speaker and audience. And the training and technical support of our coordinators, as well as my team member, a nursing student who gave health talks and three of our eighteen sermons, made it possible for me to see my way through the marathon days of preaching.
There are some side benefits to my trip—Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places in God’s earth and we managed to squeeze in some day trips to see waterfalls, a volcano, wildlife, beaches, and the most beautiful flowers imaginable. I’m also delighted that I now have my own missionary story to share in my work at Southern Adventist University, where our mission is to train students for a life of Christian service.
This distinguished grey-haired gentleman was the sixth baptism of the morning, following our final church service together—a culmination of my 15-day preaching campaign at the LaAurora Iglesia Adventista near San Jose, Costa Rica. I am anxious to hear about others who came forward for another baptism in the future.
Each of the six had become special to me, a new part of my extended family—the eighth-month expectant mother caressing her unborn child; the man who had recently moved from Peru, whose troubled face had silently begged me to pray for him from his seat in the audience, but now is filled with a peaceful smile; the young lady who joyfully announced she will celebrate her 16th birthday in two days with her new life in Christ; the young boy who insists he must be baptized today in spite of the cast on his arm, and the pre-teen who so bravely came forward in front of her giggling friends and scrunched up next to me.
These souls are one of the reasons I went to Costa Rica. In addition, the ShareHim experience was designed for me and my spiritual journey, and it has certainly strengthened my faith in a living, loving God who is interested and involved in the things that help me and others grow closer to Him. The ShareHim sermons are in the perfect format to affirm the fundamentals of faith for both speaker and audience. And the training and technical support of our coordinators, as well as my team member, a nursing student who gave health talks and three of our eighteen sermons, made it possible for me to see my way through the marathon days of preaching.
There are some side benefits to my trip—Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places in God’s earth and we managed to squeeze in some day trips to see waterfalls, a volcano, wildlife, beaches, and the most beautiful flowers imaginable. I’m also delighted that I now have my own missionary story to share in my work at Southern Adventist University, where our mission is to train students for a life of Christian service.