Man Dies One Hour After Being Baptized While Rescuing Drowning Teen At Texas Lake
One hour after being baptized in a Texas lake, a man tragically drowned while rescuing a teenage girl from his church group.
Lincer Mejía Lopez, along with his church group from Garland, Texas, went to Lake Waxahachie for a baptism ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Shortly after the baptism, while the group was still at the lake, a teenage girl began to struggle in the water.
21-year-old Lopez quickly jumped in to help her, but drowned in the process. His uncle, Jacobo Lopez, described him as a "hero" for selflessly risking his life without hesitation to save someone else.
The teenage girl was rescued by Jacob Bell, a nearby boater who performed CPR and revived her. Bell also assisted in recovering Lopez's body. He expressed his grief, noting that he has not fully come to terms with the loss, partly due to his own past tragedy of losing his younger brother to drowning.
"He was a hero. He had just been baptized and gave his life to the Lord," he said. He extended his prayers to both Lopez's family and the girl's family, acknowledging Lopez's strong character and the pride they should feel.
Jacobo Lopez shared that his nephew was eagerly anticipating his baptism and had worked hard in construction to support his siblings in Mexico. Despite his young age, Lopez's uncle believes his actions will inspire others to help those in need and live a life of service.
A GoFundMe campaign has been organized to assist in sending Lopez's body to Mexico for his family. As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised over $27,000 of its $30,000 goal.
