It's been so cold down here that we couldn't believe we are in Mexico. It looks more like Boston or Connecticut weather! Last Thursday we reached cero Cº and I especially was dying of cold! (Remember that we are from Puerto Rico a very hot weather!)Nevertheless, imagine that beside this cool weather we went on to baptize some new members of our mission in a lake two Sundays ago!
About nine months ago, we started a mission on a marginal area of the city of Mexico call "Las Peñitas." We had some difficulties at the beginning of our work due to the distrust of the community, lack of resources and burden of other activities from the people. Yet, today we can say that we see the first fruits of the labor!
Nine people were baptized including two of our children Tito and Maria, our younger ones! We celebrated the cult at the margins of a lake with a spectacular forest surrounding us in the town called El Jacal, near Villa Victoria, Edo. Mexico, around two and a half hours from the city of Mexico. We decided to do the baptizing in this place, because the families of the group to be baptized live close by and we wanted to share with them the joy and happiness of the moment. The most touching moment came with the testimonies of the ones to be baptize. Their words made most of us cry! Martina said "I have known Jesus for several years now, but now the time has come. I have committed my life to God and I want to give testimony of this." Ricardo and Maria remembered when I led them to Jesus when each of them was around seven years old! I was so moved that they remembered that moment in their lives and that it was so important for them that they brought it up as part of their testimony! Wao! Parents never know what actions will mark their children. It is certainly special to baptize ones own children, but more special to hear them sharing their reasons for doing it. Not because their parents are ministers or because they have lived their whole life in a missionary environment; but because they believe it was the right thing to do and the right time to do it! What a joy! Even the water didn't feel so cold after this!
Another great thing came with Leticia. Leti, a young woman who recently accepted Christ, took all the preparation, bible studies and is active in the mission decided not to baptize after all, due to the pressures of her family. In Mexico, tensions between Catholics and Evangelicals are great. Ethnic communities view changes of beliefs very negative. There is a sense of treason whenever someone accepts the protestant or evangelical way of serving Jesus and the whole community feels a loss because it shares, generally speaking, strong family, social and cultural ties. Therefore, we pushed the candidates to speak with their families to share with them their testimonies and put their decision on the table. We thought that this will avoid problems in the future because families tend to react very strong at this kind of decision if they are not informed. Well, sometimes even when they are informed too! So, Leti talked to her parents. Her father reacted very negatively and made her desist from baptizing. That day she cried during the whole worship service hearing the songs, the sermon and the testimonies of the other people. Some people told her not to feel bad, that the time will come that she will be able to feel sure of her decision. We also told her that we understood that she was struggling and that we supported her. So we went on with the baptisms.
When the time came, the candidates made a line and one by one entered the waters; first Silvia, then Jazmin, Maria, Martina, Ernesto, Raul, Jose Luis and Tito the last one. They looked like angels in their white attire. People praised God and Pastor Alberto and I were filled with such warmth in our hearts that we baptized them with tears in our eyes. When Tito started waking into the waters, it was then that I realized that Leti was standing behind him! I started to praise God and my heart really jumped inside me! I almost cried when I baptize Tito, but I really cried when Leti reached us and open her hands and shouted: "I am ready now; I do not want to be left behind!"
Of course we had a big party! The afternoon passed by very fast in the midst of sharing, singing and eating the "carnita asada, tortillas, green mole, red mole, potato salad, Mexican red rice." What a celebration! Leti was shining! And we all received abundant blessing in many, many ways. We also hope that this good news will also bring blessings to you!
Bendiciones mil, Doris, Ricardo, Tito, María and Yerís.