El Oasis baptisms produce ripple effect in community and families

The El Oasis campus ministry team in Santiago, Chile, celebrated three baptisms this semester, and each was an event that caused far-reaching ripples in the faith community, into the students’ families and beyond.

“The first baptism this semester was Belén, who was baptized on Sunday at our October retreat,” said campus minister Philip Linkous. “She was accompanied by her parents, who traveled five and-a-half hours from Concepción to be with her at this significant moment.”

As the semester was winding down, Xime, a student who’s been involved at El Oasis for several years, decided to be baptized.

“In speaking about her decision, Xime remembered the impact that (fellow student) Nacho’s baptism a few years ago had on her,” said Philip. “And former exchange intern and El Oasis team member Caleigh Fowler, who was one of the people who had an impact on Xime’s life, traveled all the way from Georgia to be a part of Xime’s baptism! Now Xime will be part of the team starting a new campus ministry in Viña del Mar this year!”

Then there was Romina, who came to El Oasis very recently, and yet, said Philip, “her hunger and God’s Spirit brought her to a place of faith during this second semester.

“We closed out the year circled around her and a simple kids’ pool on the patio of the El Oasis house,” added Philip. “Her family was there, and while they don’t share the same faith that Romina was professing, they expressed tremendous words of love and affirmation in support of her decision to follow God. Romina was led to faith in part through her conversations with fellow student Ayelen, who was baptized last year, and now helped baptize Romina.

“In all this, we’ve become more convinced than ever that baptism is a community event,” said Philip. “The inter-connectedness of how the Holy Spirit works in these events causes ripples that we don’t always see in the moment.”