Baptized... and Transformed!

Written by Dr. José Rodríguez, Lead Pastor of Central Church Panamá and Panamá Country Director

Forty miles outside of Panama City, in an area called Panama Oeste, people either work in agriculture or they travel daily into the capital city. It is here that Eduardo lives with his family. Eduardo is a leader of Central Church Panama, a Lifeline church.

Over the past year, Eduardo’s family experienced problems and discouragement due to the pandemic. Being quarantined and under pandemic restrictions, experiencing economic struggles, and coping with the reality of COVID deaths in Panama took a toll on them. Eduardo’s greatest wish was that the entire family come to Christ and be baptized; yet, two family members remained reluctant to be baptized. One of them was Enrique, Eduardo’s son.

One day, Eduardo and I decided to talk to Enrique about the hope, strength, and love of Jesus Christ. As Enrique and the family listened and came to understand the gospel message, Enrique’s eyes filled with tears. Enrique realized that he was not alone. That day, he and the other family member accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts!

Eduardo joined me to baptize both of them, along with 14 other people! What an emotional moment for the family! They experienced tears, joy, and many blessings. Before Enrique’s salvation, the family had been discouraged; after the baptisms, they were encouraged and felt new strength. God moved in mighty ways!

Since then, Enrique has decided that he wants to be a preacher at Central Church Panamá. He said, “I believe that Jesus is my Savior and will take care of my family.” 

Through this story, we hope you can see that God is impacting and changing lives and giving encouragement to many people in Panama through the church!