Brandt is Baptized

Our boy Brandt was baptized today.  I can hardly believe it.  It was a beautiful day; we couldn't have asked for a nicer.  We met shortly before 11am at the stake center to get Brandt dressed.  He has been so excited for months talking about it, and he was fairly bouncing off the walls as he prepared.  He did express a bit of nervousness, but Kent showed him how they would stand and how he would hold his arm, and they practiced being immersed in the water before we left.  We assured him it would all be okay.

Brandt was baptized with two other children from our ward, Teva Mataoa who has only been here a month, and Katie Chan.  Initially we all tried to squeeze into the Relief Society room, but we all ended up in the chapel.  Three families were too much for a smaller space.  We had a very good showing; those who came to support us were: Grandma Sue, Eugene and Sharae and their four children, Christopher and Tysen and their five children, Bryan and Missy and their three, Guy and Mikayla and Brick, as well as Aunt Georgianne and Uncle Lauren, Grandpa George who flew in from Indiana to be with us for the special occasion, Craig, Lee and Cammie and Aaron, Brent and Brenda who happen to be here from Taiwan, Papa Scott and Grandma Dawn with McKenna, Greyson, and two of Blythe's cousins we hadn't met and who had never been to a baptism before, Jim Draculis, Heidi and Simon Tanner, Tami, Jarom, Sarah, and Sam Oyler, Todd and Eva Fisher (Brandt's Primary teachers), and the Drake family with Mike conducting.  There were some other ward members, Charleen Doman and Irene Clark representing the Primary presidency, the Renchers, and Elyse Currey and her kids, but I think the Renchers and the Curreys really came to support Katie, their neighbor.  There were others there for the Chans and the Mataoas, but Brandt was rather pleased that he had the most men in his confirmation circle.  But who's counting?

The baptismal service was nice, with members of all three families taking part.  We sang When I am Baptized and If the Savior Stood Beside Me with Brenda on the piano and Mikayla leading.  I gave the talk on baptism and Sister Mataoa gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.  A friend of Katie's gave the opening prayer, and an aunt of Teva's gave the closing prayer.

When we went in to the Primary room where the font is located, there was a very large group of children on the floor skootching up towards the glass by the font.  It was delightful to see them all so keenly interested.  Brandt reported that the water was "freezing cold," which Kent assured me was an exaggeration.  It certainly wasn't warm, but they went down into the water near 11:30 and the font had probably been filled at nine that morning.  It won't stay warm very long.  Brandt did manage to keep his feet under him, so he only had to be immersed once.  

Kent's confirmation blessing was very sweet and very powerful.  After bestowing the Holy Ghost, Kent told Brandt he had been born in a dramatic and important time.  He is part of a battle against Satan, and the Lord needs his strength and good heart.  He told Brandt the Holy Ghost would give him strength to fight the battle which he could do with kindness and love.  Brandt has a desire to do what is right which is obvious in his actions.  Kent also counseled him to continue to be sensitive to others' needs as they fight with him.  He concluded by telling Brandt he is a blessing in our lives. 

I felt the Spirit very strongly and hope Brandt did too.  He was cute as he gave everyone a handshake and a hug to Grandpa George and Kent.  He looked radiant and pure.  He was also somewhat distracted by the gifts that several people gave him.

After the service, all the family gathered at our house for lunch.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs, salads, watermelon, and root beer floats for dessert.  The children played and ran around the house and yard, and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.  I am grateful for a sweet, good, righteous son who made the choice to be baptized.  He wants to do what's right, he wants to be obedient (almost all the time), and he has a desire to serve a mission.  I am grateful for wonderful family and friends who love us and support us and are with us as we celebrate significant milestones in our lives.  And I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for ordinances and blessings, and for the opportunity to improve and progress.  

Craig, Jim, George, Brenda, Brent

Same group with Cammie and Kent

Tysen holding Rowan, Mikayla, Sue, Katherine, Lyla

Grandpa George

Uncle Lee got Brandt a little wooden car he could assemble. 

All the little boys wanted to help, and Brandt was very good to share.

I love that Sam is on the table, missing none of the action.

I wanted a group shot of everyone who was at the baptism, but I didn't act fast enough either at the church or afterwards at our house.

Oh well.

Here is a copy of my talk on baptism.  I want to have it for future reference, and what better place to have it than on the blog?

When Jesus was just beginning his teaching, he went to his cousin John the Baptist to be baptized.  When he came to John, John “forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee.”  John knew that Jesus was the Son of God, that he was perfect, and that he didn’t need to be baptized.  But then Jesus said, “Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”  Jesus wanted to obey all of his Father in Heaven’s commandments, and so he needed to be baptized to show his obedience.  After he was baptized and came up out of the water, a voice from heaven was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Today Brandt, Teva, and Katie have chosen to follow Jesus’ example and be baptized.  At our house, we have been so excited for this day, we've been talking about it for months, and as Brandt’s parents, Kent and I are so pleased that Brandt is being baptized.  I’m sure the same can be said about Katie and Teva.  I know, too, that Heavenly Father is as pleased with your decision as he was with Jesus’, and I hope the three of you feel that you are His beloved children.

The scripture that talks about Jesus’ baptism says that Jesus came up out of the water.  He was baptized by immersion, which means he was put all the way under the water and then brought back up again.  You three will be baptized the same way.  Immersion is symbolic—that means it represents something else—of the death of a person’s sinful life and the rebirth into a spiritual life, dedicated to the service of God.  You are saying, just like we sang in the opening song, “I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.  I want to be the best I can and live with God again.” 

When you are baptized, you make a covenant, or a promise, to do three things.  You promise to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments, and to serve Him to the end of your life.  You renew or promise again to do these things each week as you take the sacrament. 

What do these three things mean?  When we promise to take upon yourself the name of Jesus Christ, you see yourself as His.  Our names represent where we come from.  When someone asks Brandt his name and he tells them, if they know me and Kent or other Barruses, that tells them something about Brandt.  They know where he came from.  When we take the name of Christ, that lets others know what we believe, and how we should act.  We put Jesus and his work first in our lives, we try to do what he wants rather than what others might want us to do.

This helps us keep his commandments, the second thing we promise to do.  We work had to remember Jesus and his example and do what he did.  We promise to keep our thoughts and actions pure.  We participate in activities that are uplifting and bring the spirit into our lives.  We choose good friends and we treat others kindly, even if they aren't kind to us.  We go to church and we serve and avoid things that are harmful to our bodies.  We pray and read our scriptures and do everything Heavenly Father has asked us to do. 

The last thing we promise to do is to serve the Lord.  How do we do that?  We serve others.  We bear one another’s burdens which means we help them out.  We mourn with those that mourn, which means when someone is sad, we feel sad with them and we do our best to comfort them.  We show Heavenly Father our willingness to serve Him as we serve his children. 

Baptism isn't just about what we promise to do.  Heavenly Father promises us some things too.  When you are baptized, your sins are all washed away.  Now, I live with Brandt and I watch him and I know that he doesn't really have any major sins to wash away.  The water wouldn't be very dirty.  He’s a good kid and he wants to do what’s right.  I bet Teva and Katie are just like that too.  But sometimes he does get upset with me or with his sister, and I know that will keep happening.  I was baptized when I was eight and I felt clean and pure and perfect, and I was, for a short time.  Then I did things that weren't right.  We all do.  But we can repent and promise to do better each time we take the sacrament.  We renew, or promise again, to keep Heavenly Father’s commandments and then we can feel clean and perfect again. 

We also get the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I'm not going to talk about that because Teva's mom will.

Bear testimony.  I know the gospel is true.  I'm so happy Brandt is choosing to be baptized.  I'm grateful for my baptism.  I know Heavenly Father and Jesus are pleased with the decision Brandt has made.  I'm pleased too.  I know Heavenly Father loves us.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.