One of our students, Raelynn Chambers, has been through quite a journey with the Lord lately. She has experienced more of Christ’s love, peace and miracles in this past semester than in her whole life living as Christian. I have had the honor to walk with her through some of her past hurts only to see the freedom and redemption that Jesus has given her.
The day before she left to go back home to the U.S. for Christmas, Raelynn experienced the depth of this freedom when she got baptized. She asked Chris and me to baptize her in the oceans of Jeffrey’s Bay, which literally translates into “healing waters”. We have seen God do so many healing miracles in this town, both physically and emotionally, but this one was uniquely powerful. 
Raelynn had a chance to share why she wanted to be baptized in the midst of our whole team. Several other teammates read passages of scripture that reflected Rae’s journey until this point. We sang songs of worship, and prayed over Raelynn. It was a beautiful moment of a community loving and supporting their sister in Christ. Soon, Rae headed toward the ocean once again in obedience to God before she got baptized. She had a pile of rocks in her hands, on which had been written different struggles, temptations or addictions. One by one, she threw them in the ocean, claiming her freedom against these past sins that at one time held her in bondage. As she threw them away, she experienced God’s sweet forgiveness and relentless love knowing that she no longer was a slave to sin but now to righteousness.
Now that she had, as Hebrews says, “stripped off the sin that so easily entangles”, we proceeded into the biting cold waters for the baptism. We walked out into the crashing waves, holding hands. Chris prayed, thanked Jesus and asked Him to come and fill Raelynn with the power of the Holy Spirit. As Chris held her, she was dunked under the waves and came up a new creation! As we turned to walk into the shore, the most amazing sunset came forth, declaring God’s glory and His delight in His daughter, Raelynn.
Please pray for Rae that she would continue to experience
the depth of God’s love for her and experience absolute freedom of walking in His presence. Amen!
awww christina.
you’re so sweet.
thanks for everything.
i love you!
Thanks for the photos and wonderful journey you are having. This story is so beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes. What joy!
Hi Christina and Chris,
You guys are such a blessing to Ivan and I! Christina, I must say it again, that hearing your stories has been the absolute highlight of my year, if not the past ten years. I am full of so much joy to see what God is doing in your lives, and I am challenged to see God move more in my own life, and in the life of my family.
Praise God that He is your strength, even in the darkest times when there is sadness all around you. He is the light in the darkness and the Hope of the nations! Keep up the good fight!
Much love,
Rachel and Ivan and family
That is such a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing that and I can only imagine how beautiful that sunset was! You both look so great and I am the luckiest girl to get to be apart of your guys lives forever 🙂 Keep changing the world for Jesus~Brian and I are waiting anxiously to see you.
All my love,
Taylor