Baptism

Yesterday my grandson was baptized! What a day of rejoicing that was for our family. And the icing on the cake, he asked my son, his uncle, to baptize him.

He and his mother, my beautiful daughter, attend a small extension of a larger church they used to attend when they lived at a different location. My grandson loved his church and eagerly wanted to join the smaller extension when their new condo moved them too far away from his original church home. He sought out baptism and asked his pastor about it. My grandson is blessed to have people on both sides who love the Lord, support him in his young walk with God, and who rejoice in his decision to follow Jesus.  

His baptism brought back memories of my baptism long ago in a faraway land. I was eight years old when I made a profession of faith at the mission Vacation Bible School at the seminary building in Ogbomoso. My parents spoke Yoruba fluently so they/ we attended a Yoruba speaking church. Our pastor at the time had not yet been ordained (a high honor and achievement in Nigeria), so my father asked the hospital chaplain to baptize me. He wrote a letter to my dad shortly after my baptism.

In case you have trouble reading the letter it says:

11/12/67

Dear Dr. & Mrs. T. Keith Edwards,

The occasion of yesterday afternoon was one of those I will never forget in my life for the meaning it has for me and the course of Christ in this land.

Your daughter was the first American Baptist Missionary I had the privilege to baptize. The most important thing about it is this--that oneness in Christ you preach is practicalized. That is to prove to us that you do not say by mouth that you love the Nigerians but you demonstrate it. May the love of Christ continue to flow through you to many more in this land as you dedicate your lives for the service of our Lord. 

I am yours sincerely, 

D. A. Asju

Today, I have so much to be thankful for! 

Confessions of a Prayer Warrior

“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” John 17:11(NIV)

This passage is from a prayer Jesus prayed at the last supper. He was praying for His disciples and other followers yet to come. He prayed that we, His followers, would be one just like He and the Father were one.

Becoming one with other believers is not always easy, especially if those believers live in a strange land, speak a strange tongue, and have different customs, languages, and even skin color from you. When my parents served as missionaries in Nigeria, they and the other missionaries worked at becoming one with the people among whom they lived and ministered.

When I was eight years old, I made a profession of faith in Jesus and wanted to be baptized. Being a doctor, my father felt he should not be the one to baptize me, but desired instead to have me baptized by a minister. Though there were other missionary ministers he could have asked, he chose to ask Reverend Asaju, the hospital chaplain. Here is the man’s response as written in a thank you note to my parents which they still posses.

In a letter dated, 11/12/67 from Rev. Asaju , the chaplain of the Baptist Hospital Ogbomosho.  Address: Ogbomosho Baptist Hospital, Ogbomosho Nigeria, Po. Box 15.

Dear Dr. & Mrs. T. K. Edwards,

            The occasion of yesterday afternoon was one of those I will never forget in my life for the meaning it has for me and for the cause of Christ in this land.

            Your daughter was the first American Baptist Missionary I had the privilege to baptize. The most important thing about it is this – that oneness in Christ you preach is practicalized. That is you prove to us that you do not say by mouth that you love the Nigerians but you demonstrate it. May the love of Christ continue to flow through you to many more in this land as you dedicate your lives for the service of our Lord, Amen.

                                                                                                I am,

                                                                                                     Sincerely Yours,

                                                                                                             D.A.Asju