Mission Moroto Stories: River Sermon

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Mission Moroto Stories: River Sermon

In December of 2022, we had been spreading the gospel in the villages just north of Mission Moroto for almost 2 years and we had a group of new believers who wished to be baptized. We set a date and a location at the Nakiloro River and about 150 people showed up on the riverbank. We had been having a 2-year drought and most of the rivers had dried up and the Nakiloro River, a typically strong one, was just above ankle deep. We found a spot that we believed we could use for immersion baptism if the people lay flat down on their backs in the river. Just as we decided on the deepest location, a demoniac woman appeared and walked out to the baptism spot and let out an unnatural amount of urine in the very spot. Then she began to undress. Papa Matthew walked into the river, laid his hand on her shoulder, and said, “Jesus says come.” She jerked as if shocked by something and obediently followed Matthew out of the river. He turned her over to some local women pastors and they began to pray over her (sadly, she was killed by raiders a few days later). Papa Matthew quickly decided that we were not baptizing until he had preached the entire gospel to these people and explained baptism thoroughly first. So, he stood in the river and started with explaining the Holy Trinity before creation and then creation, the fall, then the coming of Jesus, his death and resurrection and ascension, and then the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then he explained baptism thoroughly. Just then, out of a clear blue sky a black cloud appeared just above us and it began to pour rain! The people cheered and clapped. One of the local pastors turned to Papa Matthew and cried, “Papa Matthew! This is a miracle! It never rains her in December!” We cheered and praised the Lord. Suddenly, the river rose about 2 feet. Papa Matthew exclaimed, “Well! Today they are going to get sprinkled and immersed, hee hee!” The rain quickly stopped and that day we baptized about 150 new believers. What we couldn’t have known that day but happily learned later was that first, the town drunk, Loduk George, had seen the gathering and came to see what was going on. He heard the sermon and he often reminds us of the words that touched him most that Papa Matthew said, “There is no magic in this water, it is just a symbol, but the Holy Spirit will change you from the inside out and when you come up out of the river, you will be a new person.” He came and was baptized and he says that when he came out of the water he felt the Holy Spirit change him and he has not had a drop to drink to this day and he is now one of our village pastors. Nearly every time he sees Papa Matthew he says, “My baptizer, my baptizer!” and gives him a big hug. Second, there were 5 prominent elder ladies, called grandmoms, present that day who believed and were baptized. They went back to large villages farther north than we had ever visited and began to tell everyone about Jesus and a revival broke out and in the spring of 2023 thousands were saved and baptized. Praise the Lord Jesus for His power and His kindness to us. www.missionmoroto.org #missionmorotostories