Meet Dilcia. I just met her about three months ago when she first visited our services with Nuris Reyes. (You may remember reading about Nuris’ conversion here: https://thecolleyhouse.org/crazy-happy.) Dilcia attended, first, on a Wednesday night with Nuris, with Nuris’ kids and with her own three children, ages 1-4. Her children loved their classes and Dilcia was surrounded quickly by Christians who welcomed her. Thankfully, one of them, Kendra, was a Spanish teacher, so she was translating for us all. That very night, Dilcia agreed to study the Bible with me. What a great privilege for me! Kendra agreed to translate and, within a week, Nathan and Ellen invited Dilcia’s sweet family into their home for a meal. (I know that was a fun time with seven children playing together in two languages.) Dilcia attended faithfully and our studies progressed.
On May 26th, as we were studying the cleansing of baptism, I asked Dilcia if she would like to be baptized to access the blood of Jesus. She read, among lots of other verses, from her Spanish Bible from Romans 6: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ, were baptized into his death?” We’d spent two weeks on repentance. We’d spent some time delving into Acts and examples of conversion prior to this question. I’ll never forget Dilcia’s answer when asked if she wanted to be baptized.
“I sat in my car the other day and just prayed, ‘Please help me God, to know how I can be forgiven for all the shameful sins that I have done….Yes. I want to be baptized.’”
We talked a bit more about how different the church of Jesus is from her background of Catholicism. She got it. She understood how that babies do not have the ability to believe and repent prior to baptism as the Bible directs. She understood the egregious departure from Scripture of the entire papal system. Dilcia wanted to be just a Christian.
It is with DIlcia’s permission that I tell of her rejoicing with you. She came from those waters rejoicing. That afternoon, after her baptism, I took Dilcia to the home of Nathan and Ellen again for lunch and to spend the afternoon with some Spanish-speaking brethren from a nearby church. A few days later, another precious family helped Dilcia to get the transportation she needed. We have a wonderful family in Him.
I know there are some of you who’d like to encourage Dilcia. She has expressed to me how very encouraged she is when she receives mail from her new family. You can reach her here:
Dilcia Benhumea
℅ West Huntsville church
1509 Monrovia Road NW
Huntsville, AL 35806