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| Allie gets baptized |
Allie was baptized on January 7, 2017 at 10:00 am by her daddy. This is something Allie has been so waiting and preparing for this entire year. She could not have been anymore excited, she woke up early, with butterflies in her stomach. She said, it felt like Christmas morning. I loved seeing the excitement in her face. I had gotten her a special baptism book called, "The Holy Ghost is like a blanket." We read that the morning of her baptism, and I gave her a temple journal, willow tree figure of a little girl praying and a mini charm necklace. She was able to choose a few mini charms to inside. She choose blessed, believe, family, Jesus and a white pretty white dress.
Since Allie was the only person scheduled to be baptized from the stake, we were able to have a private baptism for just her and our family. I made personalized programs, baptism cookies, a naked cake, and party favors for all the guests. That is my most favorite part of party planning. I love the small details that make the party memorable.
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| Donut favors shaped in a 8 |
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| The baptism cookies in Allie's favorite colors |
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| Allie's new scriptures that Grandma and Papa Kehl got her |
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| The dessert table at the baptism party |
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| The candy dishes on the dessert table |
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| My first attempt of the naked cake that I made for Allie's party |
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| Allie and Daddy in front of the font |
I spoke on baptism and had my mom speak on the Holy Ghost. This is what I wrote for my talk:
Allie today is that Special day, a day that you have
long anticipated for. A day in which you will never forget. And the day that you become a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Allie, I still remember my baptism day and the
feelings I felt when I went under the waters of baptism and became a member of
His church. I hope you will remember
this day, by writing your thoughts and feelings down in your journal today
after your baptism, so you can always have a memory of this Special Day as
well.
Allie, your Heavenly Father, as well as Daddy and I
are very proud of you for the decision you have made to be baptized.
As you enter the waters of baptism in just a few
minutes, I want to take just a few minutes to talk about this special
ordinance.
I want to share with you the 3 bears of baptism.
These bears remind us of the covenants we make with our Heavenly Father when we
are baptized. As you know, a covenant is a very special kind of promise.
The baptismal
covenant is a promise we make to our Heavenly Father. And it is the promise of
great blessings our Heavenly Father makes to us.
He NEVER breaks HIS promises, but he knows that
sometimes we might break ours. So he has given us a chance every week to renew
our Baptismal Covenant or in other words start over to keep our promises to
Him. It is when we take the sacrament that we can renew the promises we made
when we were baptized.
We don’t hear these covenants or promises when we
are being baptized but we find them in the scriptures.
The first promise or the
first BEAR is in the Book of Mormon in the 26th chapter of Mosiah verse
18. We promise that we are willing to bear, carry or be
known by his name and we will be His children and belong to Him. Just as
you bear your father’s name and you belong to him.
In ancient times the followers of Jesus were called
Christians. Now we can be called Latter-day Saints or Christians. Either one
means we bear His name.
Our second BEAR of baptism
is to bear testimony, to offer or to bear witness that we know Jesus is the Son
of God. That we know He is our Savior and we know His gospel is true. We
must bear this testimony all the rest of our lives. This is one way we show our
love for Jesus and our Heavenly Father.
Our third BEAR of baptism is that we bear one another’s
burdens, that they may be light. That means we help each other with the
work that needs to be done and also we help others when they have trouble and
sorrow so they won’t suffer alone. This is one way we can follow the Savior’s
commandment to love one another, the same way He loves us.
In the Book Of Mormon there a was a prophet named
Alma, And Alma taught these same baptism covenants to the people. He was
baptizing people at the waters of Mormon. … In Mosiah 18: 8-10. Here’s
what it says:
8 And it
came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for
thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into
the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear
one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
9 Yea, and
are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort
those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God
at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until
death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of
the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
10 Now I
say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against
being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before
him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him
and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon
you?
The three bears: which he "called his
people" to bear his name, "stand as witness" for bear testimony
and bear one another's burdens.]
We now know through reading these versus in our
scriptures, what our Heavenly Father promises are if we keep those covenants.
He will pour
out His spirit upon us. I can think of
nothing better than to always have than His spirit with us.
So, If you forget these covenants you can always
remember by listening carefully to the priests as they bless the sacrament
every Sunday. And remember your bears …
You bear His name.
You bear your testimony.
You bear one another’s burdens
Allie, As you prepare now to go into the water, and
to become a member of His church, I testify to you, that you will be filled
with a warm feeling, that being the spirit of the Holy Ghost, testifying to you
the truth of this ordinance.
I want you to know that right before Grandma Kehl
passed away, she had told you how excited she was to be able to see you be
baptized. She, like you had long anticipated this for you, and she really
wanted to you see you be baptized. Allie, I stand before you today testifying
that I know she is here with u and all of us, and is watching you receive this
great gift.
And I leave
these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Here are just a few of my favorite baptism pictures that were taken back in August by Pam Solomon, the young woman's president that passed away on our wards youth conference trip just one week before she took these. What a special treasure these pictures are to have as a keep sake from her.
