Baptism

Today I want to share some things about our daughter Malan's recent baptism, a very special and important day for our family.

We believe as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that children under the age of 8 are innocent and pure and have no need of baptism or repentance. Then at eight years old, children have learned and matured enough to be held accountable for their own actions and, following the example of Jesus Christ, are ready to be baptized and make their first important covenant with their Heavenly Father.

At baptism, we promise to keep the commandments, to take the name of Jesus Christ upon us, meaning in part that we will try to represent him in our words and actions, to always remember Him, and to help and uplift others. In return, Heavenly Father promises us he will forgive our sins as we take advantage of the Atonement of his son Jesus Christ and as we repent, and that he will give us the gift of his Spirit to be with us as a guide and a comfort.

Malan has been learning about this covenant for a few years and we've had many conversations and lessons in our family about it. We let her know it was her choice whether or not she wanted to, and felt ready to make this covenant and be baptized. She asked lots of deep questions! We talked about how day to day life will really be the same for her, except that now when she makes mistakes or does something she feels badly about, she will have the gift of the Spirit to help her know how to make things right, and to let her know the ways in which she can become a better person and more closely follow the example of Jesus Christ in her life. I've been so impressed by her maturity and desire to prepare for this day. She decided she felt ready and last Saturday, October 13th, was Malan's baptism.

Malan was baptized in a font in our local church building. A font is like a large bath, with stairs leading into it and water about waist deep. It is open at the front so friends and family can watch the baptism. She was baptized by immersion, just as Jesus was, by her father Caleb. Caleb holds the same priesthood held by John the Baptist when he baptized Jesus. This priesthood has been passed down in a direct line from Jesus Christ and is the power of God given to men on earth to perform his work, just as was done by Jesus and then by his apostles after his death. After Malan was baptized, she was given the gift of the Holy Ghost by her father through this same priesthood power. 

I remember my own baptism day. I try to always keep the covenant I made with the Lord that day and I'm so grateful for the gift of the Spirit I received. I rely on that Spirit for guidance every day and in every major decision I make. This is such a huge part of who I am and how I live my life.

I am so grateful Malan now has that same gift. When she has to make decisions, or to face tough choices or hard times in her life, she can feel the guidance of the Holy Ghost and know what the Lord would want her to do. What an amazing gift.

It was such a special, happy day for Malan and for our family. So glad we were able to share it with some dear family and friends, and wish some of you farther away loved ones could have been there, too.

More about what we believe on baptism and the Holy Ghost here and here.

And a couple of pictures:

Malan and Caleb(holding down his tie on a windy day) in front of the Memphis temple, before Malan's baptism at our church building (adjacent to the temple).

Our family:

The lovely Malan, a day before her 8th birthday.