Celebration

Yesterday was a day to be remembered. As a baby church we celebrated our first Chirstmas and also had the joy of our first baptism. It was wonderful to have 32 people there. There was a real sense of the Lord's presence with us as we sang Christmas hymns and pondered on the message of the Saviour coming to the world. Sambi gave her testimony complete with hand-drawn pictures to help her tell her faith story. We had borrowed a portable baptismal 'bath' from another church which was set up in our dining area. As it was the first time for a baptism in our house we had to work out how much to fill the bath and what temperature of water to use (allowing for it to cool down a little) but thankfully got both just right! It was a special privilege to be able to baptise our first believer in Izumi Church. Afterwards everyone shared a little about their connection to Sambi and each one spoke so affectionately of her. And then everyone lingered on as we ate, chatted and laughed together. Many young people were there yesterday. Who knows what seeds have been sown? It certainly was a blessed and encouraging day.