A Heart Overflowing with Joy!
I feel like my heart might explode with joy!! This was such a beautiful night as I got to see 9 of my youth baptized: Gissell, Jennifer, Carla, Leo, Raul, Marlon, Charly, Manuel and Jesvic.
Cadence and I have been working with these teen for the last three years. A couple months ago, we began to see the Lord move upon their hearts, but the week that we were away in Colombia a Spirit fire just set their hearts ablaze! Many of them were experiencing God’s presence for the first time. And they were seeing the truth: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” -Psalm 34:8
Gabriela, Cadence and I spent the next week teaching on salvation & baptism, inviting our teens to take the next steps in their faith and meeting with them one-on-one to talk about what Jesus was doing in their lives. Ultimately 9 of them decided they were ready to be baptized (Gissell’s baptism pictured below).
We held a special church service on April 2nd dedicated to our students who were being baptized. Their family, friends and church surrounded them as they made their public professions of faith in Christ (Jesvic’s baptism pictured below). “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” -Galatians 2:20
As each of these students came up out of the water, my heart just filled with more and more joy! By the end I was practically jumping for joy. There is nothing that I want more for my teenagers than to see them fall in love with Jesus and to walk in the abundant life that He has for them. Cadence, Gabriela and I loved celebrating with each of them as they made this decision. I know that so much transformation lies ahead of these incredible teens. I believe that they have the power to walk in big Kingdom destinies and change their community. Pray for them as they continue to give their hearts fully to the Lord and learn to walk in His Spirit.
