SUNDAY BAPTISM AND MONDAY REST

Sunday. I had a rather emotional morning baptizing six young people, the last of whom in the batch is a real good friend- Justine, a girl I've known since she was five, now a bright-eyed beautiful twelve-year-old. She's a daughter of one of our volunteers worship leaders, Kit, editor of a business newspaper whose wife Ruth, is a member of our Worship Creative Planning Team. I don't get to baptize often because as worship pastor, my presence is needed in the new worship center. Incidentally, I was asled to baptize last Sunday, the same day Justine is scheduled to be baptized.

Baptism was set to happen after the preaching in relation to the topic based on Acts 8 where Philip the Evangelist explained the Gospel with the Ethiopian Eunuch. Baptisms take place in our old worship center where the baptismal pool is, and the ceremony is fed via a closed-circuit television system.

While we waited for the Director's queu from the new worship center, I gave some thoughts to the kids about our view of baptism and gave final instructions, and just had sheer fun spending time while we waited for the queu. Noticing that one of the kids, a 13-year-old, stood four inches taller than I am (I'm 5'8.4"). I asked if I could actually do a "practice" baptism with him in the pool. He agreed.

Finally, our queu came. The kids one-by-one came, each shared a brief testimony and was baptized. Then it came down to Justine, my 12-year-old friend. As she walked down the steps into the pool to join me in the water as I called her name, memories of her as a little kid who used to sit on my lap and ask for a story, who used to sit beside me as I practice piano in the choir room, who used to sit with me on the floor while we made art stuff in between services- now going public with her faith and willing to be baptized. In my wallet is a little piece of art work she made for me when she was six.

She read her testimony. I lifted my hand and as I pronounced the baptismal formula ("...I baptize you in the name of Father, Son and the Holy Spirit"), my voice cracked a bit, and I had to pause, overcame by emotion.

After the service, all her godparents (at her dedication as a baby) who sat around the baptismal pool earlier brought some goodies and food in celebration of her baptism which we shared at the Fellowship Hall. Justine walked to me and asked, "Why did you pause?" I told her, "I paused because I didn't want to cry infront of 2000 people!"

Monday. A holiday- Ninoy Aquino Day! I slept almost through the day- something I have not done in quite a while! I always knew I needed that but never had the chance until today!

Sleeping hours were interspersed with two movies, and a short paper work.

Ninoy Aquino. Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., was a Philippine senator and a leading oppositionist to the autocratic rule of Ferdinand Marcos. He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport (now named the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor) upon returning home from exile in the United States. His death catapulted his widow, Corazon Aquino, to the limelight and subsequently to the presidency, replacing the 20-year-old Marcos regime.

The following is an interview by Pat Robertson of Ninoy Aquino in the 700 Club.