What an AMAZING day!!!! Have I mentioned yet what an amazing trip this has been. We just finished our daily team share time - it was amazing! What can I say?
This morning, around 10:00 am Malawi time - meaning at 10:00 they thought about starting to organize everyone- we had scheduled a baptism. On Wed. from 9:00am to 5:30 pm, John, Prince (one of the house parents of the children and also an interpreter) and I had interviewed candidates for baptism to make sure of their salvation and to make sure they understood that the baptism did not save them - it is merely a picture of what Jesus has already done in their lives. Today a few more came to be interviewed because they could not be here Wed.
They had heated water in two 55 gallon drums over an open fire to get the water hot. I was afraid I would cook when I got in the water because they were getting it so hot!! We need to get us some 55 gallon drums to use when Piner's baptistry is not working. That was the warmest water I have ever baptized in.
It took about 1 1/2 hours to baptize everyone - a total of 50. I had already gotten out of the water and Lucas was preaching a short message to the people. Instead of changing out of my wet clothes, I just sat down in the back to listen to Lucas. I heard the gate behind me open - and I knew who was there. It was Chief Katayila. It is the Chief I have worked with for the past 2 years. Every day last year and every day this year he has attended the Bible School and the preaching service to follow. On Wed., he was one of the 6 chiefs who came here to the orphanage for us to talk with about the Gospel. All 6 of the chiefs got on their knees and prayed to receive Jesus. Chief Katayila was the main chief that I have been working with. I had baptized 2 of the other chiefs today.
Needless to say, after Lucas finished preaching, I got back into the water and baptized Chief Katayila. This was a HUGE answer to prayer - for one of the main chiefs to accept Christ and to follow through with baptism. It is unheard of in this area. Lucas will be staying here and he is starting a discipleship class at Chief Katayila's home. God is so good!
Tomorrow morning we will have an earlier than normal service here before we leave. Pray for the team - it is hard for them to leave. Pray for John, Lea Anne and Lucas as they stay here. It is hard for them to see us go. And pray for the children. They have gotten so attached to the team. Several of them were baptized today as well. Pray for all those who were baptized. I am bringing a list of all their names back with me so that we will have them to pray for by name. Pray for them to grow as Christians.
This will be the last time I blog in Malawi this year. Pray for our looooooooooong flight home. It will be 30 hours from the time we fly from Malawi until we reach Cincinnati.
In His Care, (here, in the US and in between)
Wayne
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