Yaoundé Baptisms July 21, 2012

Baptisms in our mission happen in remarkable numbers. We have often said that the Lord's hand is over Africa and He is gathering His children here in record numbers. There are many who seek baptism.   That doesn't mean that it's always easy to make that happen. Cultural differences, concerns about the ability to get legal  marriages, concerns caused by distances and ability to attend church and other things sometimes block the progress of investigators.  This week in Youndé they had another problem that sometimes happens. They had ten people ready for baptism and NO water anywhere in the area.  We got a call from the Evansons, our senior couple in Yaoundé, appraising us of the situation.  Everybody was ready, but there was no water in the area.  They asked permission to buy enough water to do the baptisms. It would cost $300. At first Brent recoiled at spending that much money, but then he thought about it and it felt like it was the right thing to do.  How could we disappoint those 10 candidates, the missionaries and members who had worked so hard to prepare them for this day?  As he thought about it, he once again realized that this is just part of doing the Lord’s work in Africa. He has often had to swallow hard and make decisions allowing for our unique circumstances.  So, he gave his  approval. He  believed that  the Lord would have approved of doing this in order to bring His children back to Him.  Today we got pictures of the services.  These pictures are worth a thousand words and some dollars too. It was a great occasion and the work takes another step forward.