Baptism

Sandy invited me to her baptism the other day. She is the friend that came up to me at the bar and asked our group of foreigners if any of us were Christians and wanted to study the bible with her. 6 months later she gave me credit for bringing her to church and leading her to be baptized. I told her that she had helped me more than I helped her. She was the first person in china that looked up to me as a Christian role model, and it forced me to become a good example. I had stopped going to church after I had been in china a few months and I had become busy with new friends. I told Sandy I believe God sent her to me to give me a purpose in church here. Everything is more fun with someone to share it with.

I barely remember my baptism. I was dedicated as a baby when my parents promised to raise me as a Christian and then baptism as something I had to check off the list before I could be confirmed in the Methodist Church. Sandy’s Baptism was much different. We met at the home of one of the church elders. 8 Chinese people about my age came forward to be baptized. We gathered around in the living room with friends and family and each person gave their testimony of their life before Jesus, how it has changed and what they plan to do differently in the future. Every one brought me to tears. Most spoke in English, but one of my friend interpreted for a few.

One of the guys said all this life he has been different. His friends and family didn’t understand why he wanted to help people even very young. He was confused and felt there was something wrong with him. Then he met some Christian friends and realized they were like him, and he finally felt he was where he belonged. He was different because God had chosen him. I love the idea that he was a Christian and living a Christian live even before he knew about Jesus.

Sandy gave her testimony of how she learned about God from her foreign teacher in college. Her main reason for getting baptized is she was so eager to share in the communion. She said she is getting closer and closer with God and wants so badly to experience God with her Christian brothers and sisters. I never thought about being so eager for communion. It is so common to me after being raised in the church, but hearing and seeing someone go through the beginning stages of their faith gives it such excitement and deeper meaning. It also gives me great pressure to hear so many of my Chinese friends say that they learned about God from their foreign teachers. It is a constant struggle to know that my students look to me as a role model but also that the government has strict rules about foreigners witnessing.

After the testimony everyone went into the back yard where a baby pool was blown up and filled with water. One at a time the new Christians sat in the pool with 2 of the elders and laid all the way back in the water. The crowd clapped and sang “I have decided to follow Jesus” and “amazing Grace” Thinking back now, what must the neighbors have thought! But it didn’t matter. They were shivering and soaking wet but she still gave big hugs and took a million pictures!