It was one thing for her to talk about the rite in the dry setting of some church but quite another when the moment arrived in the pool. The very thought of having her head and upper torso under water was too much. Suddenly she startled everyone, including the evangelist, by raising both her hands above her head and pleading in a loud voice. To say that the occasion was a memorable one would be a vast understatement. For the evangelist to secure her hands, then get her entire body immersed and lifted upward without being pulled clear under himself in the struggle was a major accomplishment that few who witnessed it will ever forget.
Nature has a way of enhancing the beauty of baptism.
But it also has a way of totally shattering the sanctity of the rite, causing wild thrashing and splashing at the most inopportune moments. Smoothness of operation depends on water temperature and the clearness of the stream or lake. Blue lips and chattering teeth are only one aspect of the inherent dangers. The prospects of either the candidate or the officiating minister suddenly disappearing down some hidden hole always lurk as a distinct possibility. And the danger of these natural hazardous possibilities is often in direct proportion to the size of the person being baptized.