as we were closing our time at the river on saturday, one of the leader's of the college group from eastview christian church asked if there was anyone feeling prompted to be baptized. the spirit was moving.
one by one, young men and women began to step forward. twenty of them to be exact.
as they were being baptized i began snapping away, feeling like i was getting a front row seat to something so intimate. watching people be baptized is so incredibly moving. i didn't get a chance to get to know many of the kids on this trip throughout the week but as i sat there photographing this monumental moment in their lives it was as if they were sharing their stories with me.
about halfway through, this young man and young woman walk up. they were obviously a couple. as he began speaking it completely moved me. i began crying (as i feel seems to be a theme these days).
his words were so simple. he said their relationship before had been "dead and dirty" and because of god's saving grace and abounding mercy, they were standing there that day in the river, new creations. when they got down in the river he began to speak to her. too quiet for any of us to hear but as i took their photos you could see her face change. you could see how much she adored him and how grateful she was that she had a boyfriend that truly desired to be a man after god's heart. she trusted him. and as he submerged her in the river and she came up for her first breath...celebration. cheering and clapping rang through that place. an example of transformation and new creation.
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