Wherever There Be Water...........

Well, girls were extremely excited to get baptized after much waiting and anticipation over the last year. They had previously requested to be baptized over a year ago but they had been feeling under the weather and we just didn't want to push it. So we waited and they asked again. Baptism is a public statement of our girl's faith and their earlier decision to follow Christ; so it's a big deal in our family. We invited any and all who could attend. Pappa came to help with the baptism and even Uncle Jeremy and cousin Maddie were able to come. We were so excited that family was coming! Seeing the faces of much loved friends and family there in church that day was very encouraging for all of us, especially the girls.

As the girls dipped into the water with daddy and pappa, they were greeted with a cool surprise; the water was NOT heated. There was no way that these warm blooded, Phoenix creatures were going under those cold waters. To be honest, I was a bit taken back at first and probably displayed a bit of a disappointed demeanor. So many family and friends had come and we had planned for over a year and...............I was being plain selfish! So we walked the girls back to the dressing room and gently explained that we were not disappointed with them and still very proud of them and understood why they didn't want to be dunked in freezing cold water. This was not the end of the world. We wanted them to have a positive experience with baptism not a forced one. So we asked if they'd like to finish that evening at home in the hot tub and they were more than excited to do so. Hot tub baptism..........why not?! Thank goodness for hot tubs! So some amazing friends from our small group hopped over that evening, as well as one of our pastors from church and we started all over. Pappa and daddy slipped into the warm waters of the hot tub and the girls were officially baptized. It was a unique and memorealbe experience. I think we will all enjoy that memory and maybe even laugh a little about the cool waters at church :-)