Ben's Baptism

Sunday was without a doubt one of the best days of my life.  My youngest child was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He decided that he wanted to be baptized in the Puget Sound.  During Sacrament meeting a few weeks ago, a woman spoke at church recounting her baptism experience in Puget Sound and how she felt warmed by the Spirit even though the water was cold.  Ben leaned over to me and whispered, "I want to do that!"  When we talked about the exact location, he remembered our friend Nya's baptism and said he wanted to have it in the same place.  Fortunately, the same friends who graciously hosted Nya's baptism were willing to let us use their home and beach.  When we discussed the details of the baptism, Ben said that he wanted Nathan to baptize him.  At first Brad was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be baptizing his youngest child, but after thinking about it for a while, realized what an amazing experience it would be for Nathan.  Not to mention the fact that the Puget Sound is really cold!

I admit that I was a little nervous about Ben actually going through with the baptism. I had horrible visions of him stepping into the water and feeling the cold then turning around and running out, yelling, "NO WAY!  I'm not doing this!"  Saturday night when I tucked him into bed, he had a serious case of the jitters.  He was really nervous and not sure he was ready.  We talked for a long time and I tried to reassure him, telling him that I knew he was ready because he really tries hard to do what is right.  He knows what baptism means and wants to be baptized.  I reminded him that we don't have to be perfect after we're baptized, and that having the gift of the Holy Ghost will help him.  We prayed about it together and when he woke up in the morning he was really excited.  Still a little nervous, but ready. 

The weather was another thing I was worried about.  It rained most of the day Saturday and was raining hard when we left for church Sunday morning.  By the time church was over, the rain had stopped and it the clouds were thinning out.  When we left our house at 3:15, the sun was struggling to break through the clouds and by the time we were at our friends' house, it was beautiful.  We decided to hold the whole service outside on their deck, which was a good thing because so many people came they wouldn't have all fit inside the house. 

Before everyone got there, we took a family picture. 

I can't believe how grown up my kids are.  It was so special to see Nathan and Ben both dressed in white.

Of course while we were waiting for everyone to get there, Ben found his way down to the beach and started throwing rocks into the water.  When I called him up from the beach, his pockets were full of shells and seaglass.  Typical boy!

Ben invited his best friend, our neighbor down the street.  They've been friends for about 3 years.  I was so glad he came with his mom and older brother.  Ben was so happy to have them there.  I know it doesn't look like it from the picture, but really, he was!

The only glitch in the day was with the programs.  While I was trying to print them out, my printer ran out of toner.  I called Brad's parents to ask if they could print them, as well as Kylie's talk.  When 4:10 came around (we were supposed to start at 4:00) and they still hadn't arrived with the programs or the talk, we started to get a little nervous.  Brad's mom and sister arrived about 4:15, very apologetic, with one program and Kylie's talk.  They had also run into printer problems, but at least they were able to get Kylie's talk printed!  I felt so badly that I had caused them extra stress and made them late.  Kylie did an excellent job explaining baptism.  She is so confident and well spoken. 

By the middle of Kylie's talk, Brad's dad still hadn't made it there, and Brad subtly urged her to extend her talk a few more minutes.  If he hadn't said anything, no one would have known she was stalling for time.  Brad's dad got there just as we were walking down to the water, and of course we would have waited longer before the actual baptism to make sure he was there.  It is such a blessing to have both sets of grandparents living on Bainbridge. 

Everyone gathered on the water's edge.  Another small miracle, the water was perfectly clean and clear.  Sometimes there is an edge of foamy brown stuff and seaweed along the beach, but not today!

The sun broke through again right when Nate and Ben were getting ready to step into the water. 

 And they walked right in, no hesitation at all. 

Nathan's voice was strong and clear.  The people who had stayed up on the deck said they could hear perfectly.  A thrill ran through me as Nathan said the prayer, then lowered Ben into the water. 

Look at those faces!  Pure happiness!

Jillian and Brad had warm towels to wrap Ben in.  I love the lighting in this picture, the dark clouds in the background, but the sun shining right on Ben.

Brad took Ben and Nathan up to the house tp get them warmed up and into dry clothes.  During the wait, we asked a few people to share a baptism story.  Outi shared part of her beautiful conversion story, Micah talked about being baptized in the Mediterranean Sea, James told us how grateful he his for his conversion, and Mike told a funny story about baptizing a pregnant woman during his mission.  Picture very little water and a very pregnant belly sticking up out of the water! 

After Ben returned, Aunt Ashley spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost.  She had a gift bag full of things to remind Ben about what the Holy Ghost does for us:  a soft, fuzzy blanket, a flashlight, a compass, a picture of the sun, a stuffed animal, and bell. 

Then Brad performed the confirmation.  Another thrill ran through me when I saw all the men surrounding Ben.  I hope he realizes how much he is loved and that he can turn to any of these men, or any of the people who came to his baptism, for support at any time in his life.

After the service, everyone crammed into the house for refreshments.  I wish I could have talked to everyone who came to thank them for sharing this wonderful day with us.  It meant so much to have so many people there and know that they are truly our brothers and sisters. 

As we were driving home, the big black clouds opened up and dumped on us, but the setting sun in the west cast a beautiful rainbow in the eastern sky.  It was definitely a day of little miracles and one our whole family will always remember.