By: Gary James, Ascension Lutheran Church, Witchita, KS
It was a pleasure and an honor serving with the team in Tanzania, and a very moving experience for me helping do the LORD’s work there
Having never baptized anyone I was amazed at the reception and open hearts the locals showed us during our time there. I performed the Sacrament of Holy Baptism on many people ranging in age from 2 weeks to one elderly gentleman that was so old he did not know how many years he had. We baptized sick children and the elderly but the one that stuck with me most was Lucas.
Lucas was picking cotton in his field as we walked by, and we called out to him. After a few minutes of conversation, he walked over and Pastor Frank told him what we were about. He stopped what he was doing and invited us to his home to hear the Good News about Jesus Christ. When I finished telling the story and I asked him where he would like to spend eternity he said, “I don’t want to spend it in eternal fire, I want to go to heaven!.” And so he chose to be baptized and then escorted us to several other homes in the area helping us look for others to share the Good News.
This must have been what it was like when the disciples walked the earth, and when Jesus said, “Come follow Me.”
