Just a couple of weeks ago, our Mission Jackson site had the opportunity to baptize two young men. This was an awesome experience, one that we hope to repeat in the weeks and months ahead. Below is a photo gallery which shows a few pictures that I snapped with my cell phone. For privacy’s sake (for now), I won’t mention the names of the young men. Our people know who they are and more importantly, their heavenly Father knows their names.
This post is a tribute to the occasion and to the Mission Jackson ministry. I am so blessed to be a part of it. I want to give a special “shout out” to our EBC leader, Pastor Robert McBroom, for his leadership and for presiding over the baptism service. On top of that, he did all of the cooking for the neighborhood! Now, to recap the day’s events…
- First of all, just to give you a sense of the scope of the event, we had about 29 MJ students, 5 adult visitors, and 9 volunteer workers there. So, this was not a large gathering, but it was very appropriate for the setting and quite intimate. To “me,” it was similar to what some early church baptisms may have been like.
- Robert was our outdoor chef! He grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, which were well received my lots of hungry folks.
- Our volunteers worked with the MJ kids to do crafts, play sports, have fun! This is a typical week for us.
- Before Robert came up to lead in the baptismal service, I felt led to sing an old song to the group. It was “The Family Prayer Song” and Grace Carbonell accompanied me on the violin. This was not the typical song for these kids, but they really listened to the words… and… that was the idea. Thank you Grace!
- Instead of our usual Bible story time, Robert shared with the MJ kids about what baptism is really all about. Then, he invited the kids to come up close and witness the baptisms. This was a neat moment. Of course, some of them simply wanted to stick a hand into the water, but most really listened and showed a sense of wonder about what was happening. During the day, several kids asked me if they could also be baptized. Naturally, I told them that first, they needed to understand what comes “before” the baptism. We have lots of opportunity to continue sharing Jesus with these kids because of this special service. May the Spirit of God work in these young hearts.
Well, that is a short description of what the day was like and I pray that it will bear much fruit in the days ahead. Let me end this post by saying a BIG thank you to all of our Mission Jackson volunteers. If you did not sacrifice your time and love, these days could not take place. Please remember that God sees what you are doing for His Kingdom’s sake. God bless you. I love you all.
