We have seen an incredible year of breakthrough this past year at Ice Angels, the youth group of teenage girls at Sparrow. By the grace of God, many hearts have begun to heal from scars of the past, lives have changed, and girls have encountered Jesus.
To celebrate and commemorate the decisions several of them made to follow Christ, we held a baptism service at Sparrow today. Twenty-three girls showed up to be baptized!
Rev. Corine McClintock, the founder of Sparrow, pulled out robes for all of them, had the baptismal pool filled up, and then she and I had the privilege of baptizing each girl. On this beautiful summer morning in Joburg (in freezing cold water), we prayed for and blessed each one of them. It was a beautiful day of new life, full of God's promises for them. They walk with Jesus from here out. Their lives will never be the same. Amen and amen!
[Rev. Corine and me baptizing
L. and her mother (a former patient at Sparrow)]
[Me and S., a girl in whom I have seen the greatest transformation
over the past year. I nearly cried when she got into the pool to be
baptized! Jesus has done so much in her life, and I cannot wait to
see all that she is destined for.]
Amazing!!! What an incredible day to share with the girls before you have to bid them farewell...I'm so glad you could be there with them for this moment in their lives. :)
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