David was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, June 9. It was his 8th birthday. It was serendipitous the way that worked out. It was extra special because David's dad was baptized on his 8th birthday too.
It was a very special day.
To make it extra memorable, our bishop (and good friend) accidentally drained the font right before the service! Oops! But have no fear, our friends pitched in with buckets to hasten the refilling of the font. And we didn't end up starting too late after all!
It was a very nice program. Greg had insisted that I give a talk, so I spoke briefly about baptism, focusing on what Nephi teaches in 2 Nephi 31:16-20 about following the example of Jesus Christ. Then David's Primary teacher, Juanita W, shared a beautiful message about the gift of the Holy Ghost. She bore a strong testimony of the importance of living in such a way as to always have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Following the messages shared about baptism and the Holy Ghost, a group of children sang "Baptism." Singing were David and Mary; Liam and Whitney N; Zach and Tessa R; and Jack W. Brooke N accompanied them on the piano. It was so sweet and powerful. The children sang their testimonies. The warmth of the Spirit filled the room as they sang. (You can see a video of the children practicing HERE. But please note that this was just a practice and the kids knew it. They were even more serious and sincere and focused when they performed before David's baptism.)
After that short program, David was baptized by his father. (David was so excited to be baptized--and the water in the font still wasn't particularly deep--that his foot popped out the first time. So he got to do it again! All with a huge smile on David's face!) I met David as he came out of the font. There has never been a happier kid. He leaped into my arms and declared that this was the happiest moment of his life. And it was absolutely sincere and spoken from the heart.
After Greg and David changed their clothes, Greg, David's grandfathers, and the bishop put their hands on David's head and Greg confirmed him a member of the Church and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. David was reminded in the blessing that he has a special gift to feel the Holy Ghost. It was simple and powerful.
The presence of the Spirit of the Lord was felt so strongly in the room that afternoon--there was peace and warmth and power. It was a special, sacred experience.
I cannot say enough about how happy David was. (Everyone commented on it!) He was glowing and smiling and giddy and bubbling and bursting. He was so joyful.
It was wonderful to share the joy with David afterwards. We had root beer floats for refreshments, and David was congratulated by many people. We are so grateful for the friends who joined us for the event. David (and our whole family) felt very loved. (And thanks to my friends who helped prepare and serve the refreshments!) David was especially excited to see his good buddy Isaac from school there. And our cousins Mikhael and Deserae and Elim came to support us. And, most special of all, David's four grandparents were there to share this special event with him.
To mark the occasion, afterwards we took the requisite pictures. I have to give a huge thank you to my good friend Shannon for taking pictures! (It was so nice to not have to worry about bringing a camera and finding someone to take them.) I am so grateful we have these pictures to remember this happy day.
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| All the family in attendance! David has a family who loves him very much. Grammy, Grandpa, Mom, David, Dad, Sara, Mary, Grandpa Mike, Grandma Evie, Mikhael, Deserae, Elim |
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| David with his family and grandparents. We are so grateful all of his grandparents made the effort to be here to share this special time with David! |
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| A family picture with our handsome David |
There really is something special about turning eight. A year ago, or even six months ago, I could not have imagined David being capable and responsible and mature enough to make a covenant with God. But over the last few months, David has matured leaps and bounds. He developed enough emotionally, mentally, and spiritually to be able to choose to be baptized and confirmed. Sure, he's growing up in an active Mormon family, so there was little to zero doubt he was going to be baptized when he turned eight. But when the time came, I know it was David's choice. It was his sincere and honest desire to make a promise to follow Jesus Christ. That is why he felt such pure joy when he came out of the font. Not because he was pleasing his mom or his dad or his grandparents. It was because he was pleasing God. He was feeling pure love--love for God and the love of God. I am happy that I could be there for that moment. And, as a parent, I am grateful for the opportunity and responsibility to facilitate that moment. But that moment was truly between David and His Savior. We were all on the sidelines.
David is a remarkable boy. He certainly experiences struggles, some quite challenging. And I will admit that he has caused me and his dad a great (great!) deal of stress throughout his life. But there is no doubt that he feels close to God. And I hope he will draw strength from his relationship with God throughout his life.
This kid is awesome. I love him very much.
