SOOO much has been happening lately in Japan. So busy and so crazy and so good. Recently, two people from FUSE got baptized!! It was so exciting!! One was a guy and the other a girl. And actually, the girl, Saki, is in my lifegroup, and she was the first girl in FUSE to be baptized. And I got to baptize her!
I've not often said this, but it was one of the most perfect days. I started by accompanying the team that was visiting to Enoshima, by the beach, where the baptisms were going to take place. We walked around, climbed up... well, it was a hill, but the amount of steps-- it felt like a mountain... and then everyone showed up in the afternoon to celebrate the baptisms.
It was a sunny, BEAUTIFUL day at the beach. There was a large number of us in attendance, and we sang in Japanese and English together, listened to the testimonies of these two, and talked about the meaning of baptism as well. Then, off into the water we went, and it seemed like joy just fell over everyone! There were shouts of joy, clapping and high fives as the two came out of the water, and lots and lots of hugs on the beach. Then, after splashing and falling around in the ocean, we came back up and everyone gathered around to pray for them.
We spent quite a bit of time fellowship around the wa
ter's edge (and some of us back in the water), and then packed up to head back just as the sun was setting over the ocean. On the way home, I had a great conversation with a new girl, and she is joining my lifegroup (discipleship group) now! Afterward, we celebrated lots of birthdays for October, though mainly focusing on 3 different guys' birthdays. We ate, talked more and more, and finally, around 12:30am, I made it back home, thinking as I walked home-- I don't know how I could have made this day any better.
ter's edge (and some of us back in the water), and then packed up to head back just as the sun was setting over the ocean. On the way home, I had a great conversation with a new girl, and she is joining my lifegroup (discipleship group) now! Afterward, we celebrated lots of birthdays for October, though mainly focusing on 3 different guys' birthdays. We ate, talked more and more, and finally, around 12:30am, I made it back home, thinking as I walked home-- I don't know how I could have made this day any better.
love hearing what's going on in Japan! reading this makes me think about how we take baptism for granted in the US. maybe that's not the right word, but it seems to not be a big deal here sometimes. ya know?
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