Baptizing in Paradise

I’m in Raja Ampat for the second time this year for Reaping meetings.   Raja Ampat has the best diving in the world according to several Dive magazines.    The location of our meetings is in the capital of the Raja Ampat regency and so its hard to be in a city and think that just 20 minutes away is the best diving.   So I jumped at an opportunity to go to Yarweser, a small village on the edge of one of the 4 Raja – or King islands.   This island of Batam is one of the 4 largest of the 600+ islands in this island paradise in West Papua, Indonesia.

The First thing I did when we arrived at this village is to go to the church.   When I turned around to I saw this view.   I thought out loud, “Wow! I’ll be Baptizing in Paradise.” Then I added,  “This must me like heaven.”

The View out the back door of the Adventist Church in Yaweser

We came to Yaweser to Baptize those who had requested baptism and preform 2 weddings.   First, West Papua Mission President Pastor Ted and the district Pastor, Son Rumbiak, made sure the baptismal candidates were ready doctrinally.

  

Then the church enthusiastically voted 13 new members into the church subject to their baptism in a few minutes latter.   See the hands of the members voting.

Then I was given the opportunity to baptize all 13 candidates.    And because the last two pairs were husband and wife I baptized them together a couple at a time.

 

Yes, it is wonderful to baptize in perfectly blue water as you watch exotic fish dart this way and that to miss the baptismal candidates bodies as they are laid down in the watery grave and then symbolically resurrected as a celebration of Jesus victory over sin for us.   “Thank you Jesus!  For your free offer of eternal life and may many more make a public expression of Christ’s Re-birth, Resurrection power.    And Thanks Jesus for letting me have the opportunity to work for You.   The only place more beautiful than this will be when we are in Paradise.   Thank you Jesus!”   I wonder if Jesus will baptize me in Paradise?

 

Pray for our new believers in this almost paradise place called Yarweser in Raja Ampat.   They are struggling to build a bigger church now with more termite proof boards built from Iron Wood.

The current Church is the one below but its way too small for the current population let alone the future.

Oh and here are the Wedding Couples (see below)

One more “OH”. . . to my pastor friends. . . have you ever baptized a kid in a Harley Davis shirt in such beautiful water as this?

Too Bad we had to leave Paradise.   Thanks to my friend Max Ammer, owner of Papua Diving,  for loaning his boat and driver for the day in Paradise to Yarwesar.