On Sunday I got to experience a baptism for the church that meets on the Hospital grounds. This was the first baptism I’ve experienced in Honduras and it was such a blessing to be a part of. There is no baptismal in the church, in fact, right now the church is meeting in the hospital because we are in the process of building a church building for them to meet in. So the church members met at the Hospital at 8:30 and we loaded up two vehicles and the bus.
The bus was filled to the max. We added metal fold out chairs in the back. It was pretty funny because the men from the Pella, Iowa group that is serving here ended up sitting in those chairs. I must admit that I was a bit fearful for them, but not afraid enough to give up my stationary, front seat in the F-250. Let’s just call it pregnant rights. But they said the ride was actually pretty smooth for them.Jason drove the F-250 that was donated from Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens. It was one of the smoothest mountain rides. We carried 6 Hondurans in the cab with us and I’m not sure how many people were packed in the Pastor Mingo’s vehicle. But again, the people were very excited about this day and there was no complaining about the riding situation.
It was a beautiful day for the baptism. We drove up to a river where we first had a service. The people sang with hands raised, no instruments, standing by the river, and it was some of the most beautiful music you can ever here. One of the songs they sang said this: “The Holy Spirit is in the place, move in me, touch my mind and my heart, fill my life with your love, move in me, Spirit, move in me … The Spirit is here to console, to free, here to guide, the Spirit of God is here.” And He was. I got all teary-eyed as I listened, sang the lines I knew, felt the slight breeze on my face, and the river water flowing at my feet. (I was standing in the water to get pictures)
Pastor Mingo preached about baptism, its meaning, what it means in the life of the believer, and reassured his congregations of some fears that they struggle with in Honduran culture. In Honduras, baptism is sometimes viewed as another step of faith after becoming a believer in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Often times people will not want to be baptized because they believe every sin/bad habit must be dealt with and cleaned up before they can be baptized. So Mingo’s sermon focused on the meaning of baptism as a declaration of one’s faith.
7 people were baptized on Sunday. This was the second baptismal for the year totally in 14 people. It was wonderful to join in with the church body in rejoicing for and with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Those being baptized range from an 8 year old boy with the cutest smile to a woman in her 60’s who was scared to death, but followed the Lord in obedience to baptism. After the service, the other church members had brought food to fellowship with those who had been baptized. So we ate, talked, rejoiced, played in the water and fellowshipped by the river. Greatness in Simplicity!
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