150 inmates baptized
in Cameron County Jail
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___BROWNSVILLE--"I am freer now in jail with Christ than I was without him before."
___That was how one of 150 prisoners baptized recently at the Cameron County Jail described his new faith.
___The baptisms were the culmination of nine months of work by Drew Vail, who preaches more than 15 sermons a week--if you only count the ones in English. Vail also serves as his own interpreter and preaches the same message for Hispanic inmates.
___After several inmates professed faith in Christ, the county provided him with a tub, and the baptizing commenced. Vail was assisted by education and missions pastor Tim McKeown and youth pastor Joshua Gartrell, both of First Baptist Church of Brownsville, and Emilio Castillo, pastor of Iglesia Bautista La Trinidad, also in Brownsville.
___Many of the inmates gave brief testimonies before their baptisms, and that led to 20 additional baptisms.
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Wedgwood students visit
Kosovo, bring gifts for kids
___By Todd Starnes
___Baptist Press
___FORT WORTH (BP)--When Kevin Pratt saw the suffering of teenagers and children in Kosovo, he knew his life wouldn't be the same.
___"In the most profound way, I've been changed," said the 15-year-old survivor of the Wedgwood Baptist Church shooting.
___Pratt, who recounted his trip on NBC's "Today" show Dec. 21, and 16-year-old Lisa Jackson, along with their parents, traveled to Kosovo the week of Dec. 13 to help deliver more than 400,000 gift-filled shoeboxes to children in that war-torn region. The project, called Operation Christmas Child, is a part of Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse ministry based in Boone, N.C.
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San Marcos Academy students
rally around teacher hurt in fire
___By Shelley Henry
___San Marcos Academy
___SAN MARCOS--The evening before her apartment went up in flames and nearly took her life, San Marcos Baptist Academy teacher Stacey Herron was putting in extra hours at school. For nearly a month, Herron had been staying on campus or driving back after supper to help a group of drama students rehearse their one-act play. Herron is the kind of teacher who rarely stops working just because the bell has rung. If students need her, she is there for them, even if it means putting in 14-hour days.
___With her love and dedication as their example, students wasted little time when they heard Herron had been injured in the fire. This was their chance to help her, and that's what they have been doing ever since.
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Houston
David Bleakley wanted to escape from Buckner Children's Home when he arrived at age 4. Now he's "Daddy Dave" to the kids there.
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