To The River

Acts 2:38  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.

To the river, I am going, bringing sins I cannot bear

Come and cleanse me, Come forgive me, Lord I need to meet you there.

Precious Jesus, I am ready, to surrender every care.

Take my hand now, lead me closer, Lord I need to meet You there,

In these waters, healing mercies, flows with freedom from despair

And I am going to the river, Lord I need to meet You there

Come and join us in the river, Come find life beyond compare

He is calling, He is waiting...

Jesus longs to meet us all there!!

Romans 6:4,5  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 

Easter Sunday service at Boca del Rio (Mouth of the River), with a breathtaking ocean-front view. Two bus loads of our Marcos 16:15 congregation came out to celebrate our Risen LORD.  Jake preached a powerful resurrection sermon, and afterward we took communion.

Ten beautiful testimonies were shared, and then down to the river for the baptisms. I'm so overjoyed to say that 3 of our girls from the orphanage were among those baptized that day. My heart swelled with pride and joy as I watched them declare their faith and all I could think was, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth, 3John 1:4 Praise the Lord.

Gisella. She reminds me of myself in a lot of ways.. very shy until you get to know her, and just unique (in a good way!) but in a way that she finds herself never quite fitting in with the other girls. When she shared her testimony, I couldn't help but think back to my own baptism 10 years ago.. I had been so shy and nervous that when my turn came to share my testimony and I saw all the people, I suddenly could not utter a single word. Thankfully I had written down my testimony and was able to have the pastor read it out. lol. Like me, Gisella did not like the idea of speaking in front of so many people, so at first she refused to go to the front, but after a lot of encouraging from the crowd, she eventually went up. She was so brave - she shared her testimony beautifully! Gisella got saved just this past January through hearing the gospel preached by the Baptist Church mission team. She heard, believed, and got baptized. So proud of this girl!

Rosa. This girl has been in love with Jesus for a long time. I remember when we first moved to Peru and being amazed at seeing such a young girl (she was about 9) with so much love for God, and I didn't need her to tell me that; it was clear to be seen in how she abandons herself in worship, and always thinks of others before herself. Rosa's hand was the first to shoot up when the question was asked 'Who would like to be baptized?". This girl inspires me!

Maria Jesus. One of the sweetest girls I know, with big heart of compassion for others. Maria has a younger brother at Casa de Paz, and had really wanted her little brother to be baptized too with her that day. She understands that he has to make that decision for himself, and until he makes that decision, he can't be baptized. We encouraged Maria by reminding her that she now gets the great privilege of being a light to guide others to Christ by sharing the gospel with others, including her brother. Love this girl's heart!

Everyone was hungry by the time the baptisms were done, so we had a wonderful picnic lunch of egg salad sandwiches, potato salad, watermelon, and muffins for dessert. Altogether, it was a perfect day. Thank You Father!

He is RISEN!!