Vada Lewis-Kirby is in a pensive mood as Reverend Barrington DaCosta gives her instructions before baptising her with the help of church officer Paul Cohen. - George Henry

"Thy vow is upon me, oh God. This time until death."

It was a proud Vada Lewis-Kirby whostood before the congregation at the Sanguinetti New Testament Church of God, in Clarendon, recently, to testify about the goodness of the Lord before being baptised.

Although her testimony was short, it will always remind her that serving her Maker is the best thing she will ever do in this life.

Confident

Lewis-Kirby told the crowd that God is a good God and she wanted to serve Him to the end. These words left a lasting impression on the congregation and the air rang with shouts of 'Praise the Lord!', 'Hallelujah!' and 'Amen!'

Members of the congregation, especially Vada's sister Jennifer Lewis, were happy with Lewis-Kirby's reconversion. Vada was once saved in the Sanguinetti church, but left the faith, and was now returning to serve God.

Congratulations were offered to Lewis-Kirby after she repeated her vows, got immersed in the water and walked out of the pool a new creation.

Witnesses were in a pensive mood as the baptismal candidate repeated the vows she once said in the church many years ago in front of a different pastor, Reverend Samuel H Thomas.

This time, however, Reverend Barrington DaCosta asked her to repeat: "Thy vow is upon me, oh God. This time until death."

Not ashamed

Reverend DaCosta told Lewis-Kirby and her fellow converts that Paul, in the New Testament, said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he expected the same from them.

DaCosta reiterated that God was indeed good and His mercies endure forever. He said many Christians who are saved and following the Lord did not know that they would have been saved.

"And some of us, when we got saved, were never even ready to be saved, but God saved us. We were not planning to be Christians at the time we got saved. We were planning so many things in life to do, but God saw that what we were planning would be our destruction. But God said you have been selected for the kingdom, so I called you before you went in the wrong direction," said DaCosta.

The pastor noted that God is still in the business of saving His people and that no matter what was taking place in the world, He will continue to do so.