Maddie's Baptism, November 14

Looks like an angel, huh? Well, she is now part of God's kingdom as of November 7, 2009. She was so excited and never had a moment of fear with being "dunked"! Maddie has talked to us for a long time about getting saved. She is such a smart, intuitive child and understood so many things about Jesus and who He is. She really began talking to us during the spring and asked a lot of questions. We continued to encourage her to pray and to learn as much as possible so she could understand God's gift of salvation. When her Bammy died, Maddie wanted to get saved so she could see her Bammy again. We spent many bedtimes talking about why she needed Jesus as a savior, and it wasn't just to see her Bammy again (although that is definitely a benefit!). It took her a long time to realize that she needed Jesus to come into her heart and cleanse of her sin so she could go to heaven. You see, she finally understood that God would not let sin into His heaven and that Jesus died to take the place of our sin. Maddie had several reactions to her salvation... " Now I can see Bammy in heaven", "Now our whole family is saved and we will all be going to heaven together", among other comments. She sees the big picture and understands how her decision will affect her future. What an awesome moment.

A week after Maddie made her decision, a little friend of her's, Hailey, also gave her life to Christ. That was really exciting, too, but she was really nervous about the baptism part. Bro. Ric took Maddie and Hailey up to the baptismal pool and and showed them how deep it was and how he would baptize them. Hailey decided to get baptized on the same night as Maddie which was very special for our families. I think that was orchestrated by God so that Hailey would have a friend with her going through the same thing. Maddie loved encouraging Hailey and was able to joke around to lighten the mood as you can see in the pictures. I know they will always remember this time they had together as I always will. Now the real prayer begins for God to protect our children and keep them pure as they grow up. Thanks for all the adults who have taught Graham and Maddie and encouraged them to be confident in their Savior!

Blessings!!!!

Jenny

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