Emma's Baptism Part 1

I was thinking last night about all the things I could have/should have blogged about this summer. The most important was Emma's baptism. In Mormon-dom when children turn 8, they've reached an age of accountability and decide if they want to be baptised into the church.

For several months we talked with Emma about gospel principles, the importance and significance of taking on the name of Jesus, repentance and baptism. She was ready and excited to get baptised.

The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no paid clergy, but instead a lay leadership. Every worthy male in the church can hold the priesthood, which allows him to perform ordinances within our church. My husband, Wendell, holds the office of Elder (the most common office for actively participating young adult men) which gives him the authority to baptize and confirm.

Emma was so excited to be baptised by Wendell and it was the first baptism he had performed since his mission in Brazil. It was, perhaps, the first baptism he had performed in English. We were able to have our own program. Emma's Uncle Tyler gave the talk on Baptism and my little sister, Aunt Annie, gave the talk on the Holy Ghost.

It was wonderful to see Emma descend the stairs into the baptismal font (like a large bathtub) and hear my husband baptise her in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Emma didn't do a very sturdy job of planting her feet and her toes popped up so they had to do it again. Her toes came up the second time, but she quickly pulled them back down and my dad and Wendell's dad, who were witnesses, said that she had been baptised by immersion, so she didn't have to do it a third time.