In a place where the government patrols religious activity, following Jesus is a risky choice … but two East-West missionaries are witnessing fruit bud from their efforts to declare the glorious news of the gospel.

Taking the Next Step in Secret

Under the cover of night, they joined a group of believers to celebrate the new faith of six university students.

They’d heard about Jesus and accepted Him as their Savior in the privacy of the missionaries’ home, and that evening they were ready to take the next step of obedience in their new faith.

Taking the Next Step Through Baptism

The group opened their Bibles and two local leaders explained the symbolism of baptism—a public display of their new life in Jesus Christ. They knew the choice they were making could lead to abandonment, rejection, or worse, but they stepped into the waters anyway.

Those who’d played a role in sharing the gospel with them submerged the new believers, and excitement swelled as they broke through the water’s surface with a joy found only in Jesus.

In that moment, the missionaries were overwhelmed by the graciousness of God to let them see results from their labor among the unreached. To them, this baptism ceremony not only symbolized the eternal cleansing of the students’ sins, but God’s promise to move His mission forward despite adversity.