Baptism in the Mission Area

Szöveg: Lt. Eszter Jánosi | 2018. március 1. 8:15

The peacekeepers serving with the 17th rotation of the Hungarian Defence Forces KFOR Contingent (KFOR-17 HUNCON) recently gathered for a ceremony inside the Saint Christopher Chapel of Camp Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny – generally known as Camp Novo Selo – in Kosovo. At the service, two soldiers requested the holy sacrament of baptism.

The service that included a baptism was held by Capt. Ferenc Szabó, the evangelical military chaplain of the contingent. The military chaplain preached to the congregation about hope and commitment. The teaching of baptism also testified for this, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength". As the captain said, although one can live without hope, that is not the life worth living. Baptism symbolizes God’s commitment to every human being.

The chaplain asked the questions: what is the purpose of baptism, and what is its real value? “We can see that baptism is not a kind of magical force that can keep all dangerous situations away. It does not protect us from enemy bullets and shells. When baptized, we all remain vulnerable, fragile and mortal humans. It is also true of the soldiers on duty. Still, baptism is a great gift to us, because we can have God’s grace through it. Whatever calamities we suffer, however difficult our decisions may be, however perplexed we are, we do know that we can always count on God’s merciful presence", he said.

After the service, Capt. Ferenc Szabó gave L/Sgt. János Papp and Cpl. János Fejes each a copy of the military New Testament – which includes the teaching of baptism – and a Protestant hymn book.