A Surprise Baptism - Praise God!

One of the most meaningful moments God gave us on this trip was an unexpected baptism.

While walking across the grounds at Hope, we noticed a woman entering the front gate whom Josiah immediately recognized, her name is Daw Chow (Mrs. Sweet). She was the grandmother of a six-year-old girl living at Hope named May Myatt Noe. Their story is a difficult one. After May Myatt Noes parents left her when she was a baby, the two had been living on the streets so the little girl could attend school. If the grandmother worked, there would be no one to care for her or ensure she made it safely to and from school each day.

Through God’s provision, someone told the grandmother about Hope, and with a heavy heart, she made the decision to bring her granddaughter there to live. It was not a day she typically visited, so Josiah was surprised to see her.

With courage and conviction, she said, “I have come to be baptized.”

Having grown up Buddhist, she had not heard the Gospel until Josiah shared it with her. The night before, she prayed that if God was real, He would heal the pain in her side. When she woke the next morning, the pain was completely gone. Already deeply grateful that Hope had provided a home for her granddaughter, she now experienced this powerful moment of faith.

One detail we won’t forget- she shared that a Buddhist monk had told her that when Christians say “die to self and be reborn,” they actually drown you in the water. Before agreeing to be baptized, she made Josiah promise that would not happen. :)