Where There is Hope, There is a Baptism

Sunday, 12 June 2005

New Hope is a popular church in Hawai'i whose membership is so large that they have movie screens and stages set up for the outdoor Sunday services, and it's almost franchising out all over the island. It's also been rumored as the place where single Christians can meet other single Christians, fall in love, and get married (Believe me, I know someone who did that.). But, this afternoon, I went to Magic Island lagoon to see my Auntie Stevi get baptised, along with the other hundred people who got full body baptised in the Pacific Ocean today. It was insane how many people were there. With the huge New Hope tent, people with numbers hung around their necks, and the six stations lined up in the water, you might have thought we were entering a swimming competition or a biathalon. But, oh no, just hundreds of people taking their picture with the pastor, then picking a line, and then getting baptised. I stood in as family photographer of course, and, in the process, got some nice shots of Diamond Head in the background.