Down to the River?

Yesterday our congregation with "down to the river" for a baptism.  Technically this time we went to country house with a swimming pool that belongs to the parents of two of the baptismal candidates.  Usually our baptisms are held in the Sobradinho Lake but due to extreme drought conditions and the low water level this year, Byron thought it would be better done in a place with more water.  Interestingly enough when locals go to the lake to swim or just to have fun they almost always refer to it as "the river" and not "the lake."

There were six yesterday that were baptized...

Eveny

Taynara

Agnum

Raiane

Pedro Henrique

Bruno

Eveny and Agnum are brother and sister.  They along with Taynara live on a little street that's one block long.  Pedro Henrique also lives on this same block!  One of their neighbors is a frequent church go-er who often invited them and brought them along to Sunday School and Bible clubs.  All three made decisions over the past year.  Taynara and Eveny made their decisions before the two fellows.  They asked me to help them with some Bible study after they'd gotten saved.  Agnum and Pedro decided to do the little classes as well and started going to youth meetings.  It's really exciting to see all four of these in church.

Raiane is yet another indirect result of the free children's retreats that were held out on the old island camp.  Her brother and sister went to the first retreat.  Raiane's older sister got saved at camp and started bringing her little brother and sisters to church right away.  Often it was hard work to get to church as they lived on a farm outside of town at that time.  But the older sister, Werica, never gave up and little by little others in her family and even neighbors began getting saved and coming to church.

Bruno was the oldest that got baptized yesterday.  When he gave his testimony, he told about a life of parties and skipping school.  Someone asked how his life had changed since his choice for God.  One of his answers included going back to school and really studying!  Before he had even finished a discipleship study right after his decision, he began the same study booklet with cousins, friends and brothers.  Already several of these young men will be the next to head "down to the river."