Wednesday, October 18th, 2017
Acts 22:16 Have you been Baptized?Â
Below is a very personal account of one of our missionaries who joined us in May, 2017 for the Palm Beach Atlantic University, Gregory School of Pharmacy Medical Mission trip. Â This is another beautiful testimony of why mission trips are so valuable.
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For those who don’t know me, my name is Chelsea Harlan and I am here to tell you about my experience on the Uganda Medical Mission Trip. So I could probably talked to you guys for hours about all the experiences that I had in Uganda that I will never forget, but one big one that really stands out, is how I got baptized in the Nile River on our fun day. I wanted to start by giving you a little background.
I grew up in a Christian home, with my grandfather being a pastor and going to church every Sunday. But in my church getting baptized was a personal choice. I remember accepting the Lord into my heart at a young age (I believe at church camp), but I never made that next step to asking to be baptized. I’ve always believed and had faith and I remember watching my friends in the church and my cousins getting baptized, but for some reason I never really felt to desire to and my parents never forced it.
So this is what I wanted to point out with going to Uganda; I was going on 25 years, my whole life, of not really having that desire to “EVERYTHING†up to the Lord, to put it all at his feet, have him wash away my sins and fully accept him, but within six or 7 days, so a week in Uganda I had that desire.
And it probably was because when you ask me about Uganda, the first thing that comes to mind is LOVE.
Love and joy and gratefulness for the things that the people do have, because they give EVERYTHING up to the Lord. These people have so little, but are living like they have everything they could ever need or ever want in life, because they put all their trust in the Lord, because they have so much faith.
I saw how these people have so little, yet still exert love and joy. They were always happy, always singing/dancing and praising. I saw this and knew that that’s how I want to live. I want to be happy and exert love and joy in any situation I’m in or no matter where I’m at in life, because I have enough trust and faith in God that it’s His will. That no matter what happens He will take care of me, but to live like that I knew I had to give EVERYTHING up.
When I say my decision to get baptized was quick and unexpected (I mean you guys know Dr. Marrsingh, I said one thing and ten minutes later we’re all standing in the Nile River), it was… but it wasn’t rash. I knew if I wanted this I had to hand everything over to HIM. It may have been unexpected, but it was the right decision for me.
And of course, nothing you experience in Uganda can be expected. I sat in your same seats year after year, listening to past students come up here and talk about all their amazing experiences and how you always leave a piece of your heart back in Uganda, and what you get out of the trip is worth more than anything a simple medication could do. But, words can’t describe how Uganda works and changes your heart for the better. No one can prepare you for how the LORD can work on your heart if you are open to HIM.
So I encourage you if you are thinking about going, keep your mind and your heart open to the Lord, and you will be surprised at what work the LORD does. It may sound selfish, but the countless medications we dispensed, the numerous patients we counseled and the crazy amount of kids we played with was astounding, but the work the LORD will do on you is eternal and will always be more powerful than any kind of medication dispensed.
So with that I would like to end in a bible verse Acts 22:16 –
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name.
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Posted in Project Updates, Uganda | Comments Off on May 2017 – Nile River Baptism
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