Kendra's Baptism

Yesterday was a good day. Our oldest daughter has turned eight years old and made the decision to follow Christ's example and be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Todd performed the ordinance and it was beautiful. He also confirmed her and she was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. I asked her if she would let me share what she wrote in one of her many new journals she received yesterday: "Today I got baptized. It made me happy and glad. Why was I happy? Because I felt warmth coming out of the water. The warmth I felt was from the Holy Ghost telling me I made a good choice."

It is awe-inspiring to watch my children grow, mature and develop a pure testimony of their own. Kendra has grown so much this last year and I watch her becoming all that our Lord wants and needs her to be. She has a simple understanding of the gospel and of the Savior. She bore her testimony in sacrament meeting today for the first time. I'm proud of her choices and I'm proud of who she is. She is a girl who wants to do good all the time. I appreciate that attitude and hope it will continue as she gets to be a teenager. (Yikes!)

Family and friends were there to support her and we are thankful for their love and constant support. The BBQ here afterward was fun--thanks to everyone for bringing food, shade and chairs!

The only damper to the day was that my sister, Kilee, had her car window smashed in and her purse was stolen. Yes, in the church parking lot. Yes, during the baptism. Yes in broad daylight in our "safe", suburban neighborhood. She and Dainon immediately cancelled all credit cards, but not before the thief charged a few hundred dollars on one. It's hard to understand the nerve of some people. He truly must have felt desperate enough to commit this crime and that is a very sad place to be in life. I hope he or she is caught and that no one will have to suffer the way I watched them suffer yesterday. Truly Satan was trying his darndest to ruin a seemingly perfect day.

Watching my daughter be baptized has reminded me of my own baptism. I was baptized by my Grandpa because my dad had been called Home only a year previous. I remember never wanting to do wrong again. In fact, later in the day I think I got in an argument with my brother and I thought I had tainted my cleanliness forever. I wanted to go back to the water and do it over, start afresh. That's the wonderful thing about the gospel. We can be made anew any time we want, if we will only use the Atonement and ask. It's amazing! I love you Kendra and I am proud of the decision you made to be baptized. Just listen to that still small voice and you will never be led astray.