GULFPORT, Miss. (ABP) — When Tom MacIntosh baptized his two oldest daughters, it was in the war-torn islands of the Philippines, with destruction and chaos all around. He had hoped the baptisms of his youngest two children would be under more tranquil circumstances.
But on Sunday, Sept. 4, MacIntosh baptized his third child, Connie, in the midst of the destruction of Gulfport, Miss., a city decimated by Hurricane Katrina.
A former independent missionary to the Philippines, MacIntosh spent 13 years on the islands, returning home to the United States last May.
He and his family tried to stay in their Gulfport home through the hurricane. But when flood waters began to rise inside their house, they were forced to leave.
“We had to evacuate in the middle of the storm,” he said. “The water was rising and we had to climb through the window. We went through the water about a quarter mile to a neighbor's house.”
During his years as a missionary, MacIntosh said, he spent much of his time ministering to people who had suffered at the hands of disasters, both man-made and natural. Human suffering and hardship are not new to him or his family.
But those hardships had, until now, affected the lives of the people to whom he ministered, not his own.
“As missionaries, we've been through floods, through wars, through attacks and fights, and even kidnapping threats,” remembered MacIntosh. “We were on the other end of coordinating relief efforts as missionaries. But now we're on the receiving end. Now people are giving us food, helping us when we need it. God works both ways.”
After Connie made a profession of faith a few weeks ago, her church, First Baptist of Gulfport, scheduled her baptism for Sunday, Aug. 28. But with the hurricane looming off the coast, those plans were postponed. And when the storm destroyed their church, it seemed that the baptism would have to be postponed indefinitely.
But six days after the storm, MacIntosh and his family were among hundreds of worshipers from their church and others who gathered at Crosspoint Church, a congregation planted by First Baptist about a year ago, whose building sustained only minor damage.
It was during that service, with no electricity, in a borrowed portable baptistry, that MacIntosh baptized his 10-year-old daughter, making her the third MacIntosh daughter to be baptized amid destruction. MacIntosh's two older daughters, Bethany, 14, and Julia, 13, were baptized in the Philippines in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
“They were baptized after a war, along with Muslim converts,” explained MacIntosh, who now serves as missions director for First Baptist. “Last week, before the hurricane, I told Connie that her two sisters were baptized under incredible circumstances but that she would be baptized in peace. Now she's been baptized in the aftermath of Katrina.”
Connie's baptism was part of an emotional service that was filled with tears and hugs and shared pain, with many of those in attendance no longer having homes. But, MacIntosh said, Connie's baptism provided a sweet statement of God's love and providence.
“Before the storm, when we prayed the Lord's Prayer, we were praying for more comfort, more prosperity,” he explained. “But today we are really asking just for our daily bread.”
“Our home was flooded, but we have a place to stay,” he said. “We lost both vehicles, but a stranger loaned us a car. People we don't even know have given us things we needed. God has provided.”
“This just shows us that there are things that are bigger than our petty, material things,” MacIntosh added, smiling down at Connie. “Now we have work to do. We have to preach the gospel with deeds, not just words. That'll speak louder than anything.”
Connie had her own thoughts about the storm and God's presence. “I think he's testing our faith,” she said. “We survived, and he's blessed us.”
With three of his four daughters baptized, Tom MacIntosh turned his attention to the youngest, Katie, 7.
“We don't know what the circumstances will be when she is baptized,” MacIntosh said with a laugh. “But if it's any indication, her name in the Philippines is Katrina.”
— Photos available from Associated Baptist Press.