On our recent trip to French Africa, Mark Mickelson and I had the opportunity to meet our brethren from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where there were 20 adults and 14 children present, and Douala, Cameroon, where there were approximately 30 adults and five children present.

It is so amazing to see that even though we live many thousands of miles apart and we come from totally different backgrounds and cultures, there is still something that unites us as one family. It was as if we had always been family and we were seeing each other again after a long time apart. At the Feast of Tabernacles every year we have an opportunity to live this very exciting family reunion.

The fact that we have the same views and the same understanding of God is why we all come together as one family. But even more important is why we do what we do and why we believe what we believe. It all has to do with the choice that we made at baptism and our purpose in this life.

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

This is one of the most well-known verses concerning baptism. And by God’s grace, four new members have had the opportunity to get baptized: Yvon Mabout, Sadrack Ndjewel, Laurette Balla and Richard Wasafuka. What a great blessing it is to be able to welcome new brethren into the family of God.

All four members have interesting stories concerning how they came to the truth, but Richard Wasafuka’s story was especially interesting considering his age of 81.

It was 1967 when he first heard about the Worldwide Church of God through La Pure Vérité (The Plain Truth, French edition). For five years, he kept receiving the magazine and reading the material carefully. In 1972 he was visited by Harold Jackson, after which he began attending services.

He asked about baptism, but for unknown reasons his request for baptism was denied. For many years afterwards, he remained faithful to the teachings that he knew were biblical. In 1995, Mr. Wasafuka left the Worldwide Church of God due to doctrinal changes he could not agree with. He was still not baptized, but certainly longing for it 28 years after his first contact with the Church. It was only in 2010, 15 years later, that he came into contact with the United Church of God.

Throughout those years, Mr. Wasafuka told us that what kept him alive spiritually was the old La Pure Vérité magazines, which he had kept. He would go back to them often as a reminder, knowing that what they taught was the Word of God.

On our visit in June and July of 2011, his dream came true. When we visited him in his house, he immediately asked about baptism and how he could be baptized. After counseling, Mr. Mickelson and Mr. Mabout judged that he was ready. After patiently waiting for 44 years, at the age of 81, Richard is now part of the family of God. He was so happy to finally be baptized that he couldn’t withhold himself from praising God out loud, thanking Him for this most wonderful gift.

What an inspiring story and a reminder of the commitment we have made to God!