Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Let's Do This Now

I met up with the Oras Team today on their rest day. It was great seeing everyone again and I have some great news to relay from them and a very amusing story as well.

This team has been doing great work and this past week. God has given them opportunities to preform a total of 13 baptisms! 5 in Village B and 8 in Villages C & C-t. 

Taylor & her translator, Di, were speaking to an elderly woman named Nani Mary about the importance of baptism after the decision to follow Christ and eventually she agreed to be baptized. Excited, they suggested going to river and asked when, but she requested they instead did it in her house.

Confused they asked, “Why?” and she responded that she didn’t want others to see it happen.

Realizing that they hadn’t gotten through to her yet they continued to explain about the significance of showing the whole world your dedication to Christ.

She agreed again and said that the river would be fine…but maybe they could do it at 6PM? The only problem is that it's pitch black by 6PM here in the Philippines.

Disappointed that they still hadn’t gotten through to her they sat there confused as to what to say next.

Taylor turned to Di and asked her if they could just do it right now!

Di asked Nani Mary and after a slight pause she silently nodded her head and immediately started to strip off her clothes! She wrapped a bathing cloth around herself, grabbed a bag, and marched right out the door and down to the river.

Standing there shocked, Taylor looked at Di and started slowly pulling everything they had out of their  pockets before they both followed quickly after the elderly woman.

So there they were, in the river, Taylor’s clothes completely soaked, but not a care was given.

The baptism was preformed. Right afterwards, Nani Mary and Nani Delia, who had joined them during, invited Taylor to bathe with them.

Caught completely off guard she looked down at her soaked clothes and tried to beg off the excuse of having no soap but instantly a bar of soap appeared in Nani’s hand and was shoved in Taylor’s hands.

She tentatively soaped up her bare arms but the women would have none of it. They swiped the soap from her and lifted up her shirt to start scrubbing vigorously at her back. This next part is a quote from Taylor.

“And all of a sudden I’m standing there being washed by two, old Filipino ladies and Kuya Luigi and Dylan come walking by and I just wave and am like “Lets not talk about it”.

As Taylor relayed this story to us she had us all laughing till it was hard to breathe.

-Kiera