Beautiful Baptisms

Yesterday, for me, was not Super Bowl Sunday (the Steelers' victory confirmed that notion), it was Super Baptism Sunday.

Last week, Pastor Gerardo, one of my great friends in Costa Rica, called me to let me know of his church’s baptism service on Sunday. He wanted me to meet him and his family at their humble home at 8:00am. I told him that of course I would be there, and I’m so thankful to the Lord that I did.

At 9:00am, Pastor Gerardo’s church (based in Llano Grande, halfway up Volcan Irazu), loaded a bus for Valle de Orosi, or Orosi Valley. And let me tell you, the 45-minute ride was more than worth it. Here’s a picture of Orosi Valley from above, which I took in Ocotber. That’s the river we did our baptisms in . . .

So we show up at the Valley on this beautiful sunny day, and the pastor tells me I’m to help him with the baptisms. There I am in my long-sleeve collared shirt, khaki pants, and leather shoes (his church is at 7,000 ft elevation, and I thought we were having the baptisms there when I showed up at his house in the morning . . . I was more than unprepared). So the pastor’s brother gives me some capri-style swimming pants/shorts, and I make do with my undershirt.

Then the seven individuals who were being baptized gathered together. What a blessing it was to see those seven: one of them was the pastor’s nephew, Ismael, whom I had met that morning. He’s a funny guy, but he definitely came across as one of those “I’m too cool for school” kind of characters. To see him humbly stand there, waiting to be baptized, was a special moment for me.

Another was Diana, a young girl, maybe 7 years old, who made great friends with my mom when my mom visited their church and is always integrally involved in the life of the church. Then there was Fernando, the husband of one of the strongest women in the church. Typically, in Costa Rica, the women go to church and the men stay away. To see this man coming to accept Christ in baptism was just amazing.

The final one I’ll talk about is Gustavo and this was an absolute wonder from the Lord. Gustavo is 18 years old and an incredibly charismatic young man. Back in October, Amanda and I went to a youth group meeting at Pastor Gerardo’s church, and it was at that meeting when Gustavo first peaked his head in the Llano Grande doors. And it was at that youth group meeting when Gustavo accepted Christ into his life, a very touching moment for both Amanda and me.

And then there I was, about to help baptize Gustavo, finishing an incredible blessing of being able to be present for two of Gustavo’s most moving moments in his Christian walk. Both he and the pastor, at different times yesterday, excitedly ran up to me when they realized that was the case.  Just awesome.

So Pastor Gerardo speaks to those being baptized, and does something in front of the whole church that usually happens behind doors in the States, he explains the importance of baptism and the power of welcoming people into the body of Christ . . . for a good 15 minutes. He basically gives a mini-sermon, reading Scripture, following Methodist baptism doctrine, and letting everyone authoritatively know why we were gathered in the Valley that day. It was great.

Then we head for the water. The pastor, the pastor’s brother, and I get in first, and the pastor is adamant that we hold hands and pray over the water. The water was freezing, we couldn’t feel our toes, and we were about to fall over on the plethora of unsteady rocks below, but none of that mattered. Right then and there, they prayed in the name of Jesus like I’ve never seen before a baptism. It was one of those “the Spirit is in this place” moments.

Next came the baptisms, and I’m simply running out of adjectives to describe how moving they were. There we were, standing in the middle of a beautiful valley—green mountains looming in the background, trees shooting up from every direction on both sides of the river, fresh rushing water bubbling through our legs—I couldn’t have imagined a more picturesque setting, and it made me understand why the Jordan River was where Jesus was baptized. 

The seven came into the water, one at a time, to recite their vow to follow Jesus for the rest of their days, and to be dunked in the water. And when they came out of that water, there was an eruption of cheering, applauding, and praising like I’ve never heard at a baptismal service. The church congregation raised its hands in the air, sang loudly, clapped louder, and shouted praises to the Lord. For we had just welcomed new members into the body of Christ, and that’s cause for celebration.

And when the baptisms were over, it wasn’t time to head back home, it wasn’t time for everyone in the church to resume their daily lives . . . no, they came on the bus, and they were staying. Remember how I said they got on the bus at 9:00am? Yeah, they didn’t leave the Valley until 4:30pm. Non-stop picnicking, swimming, soccer playing, coffee drinking, and excited chatting until it was about to get dark. Talk about something you’ll never see in the States . . .

I won’t be forgetting Super Baptism Sunday anytime soon. As a matter of fact, I’ve told Pastor Gerardo that he better not let me miss the next one.

*The baptism pictures are of Gustavo.