Emry's Baptism

On Saturday Emry was Baptized!  It was such a beautiful day, the spirit there was so strong and brought such a peaceful, calm feeling.  Even Emry said she felt something a little different than usual!  I was able to give the talk on Baptism, she thought about who she wanted and she chose me!  I was honoured because I was able to share a little bit about my own Baptism which only happened 11 and a half years ago, so I was able to remember it quite well!  

Emry's Baptism Talk 2012

Emry, do you know that you are about to participate in your very first saving ordinance and make your first official promise to Heavenly Father?

When you were born you came into this earth pure and clean, much like this glass of water.  But as we grow and learn we tend to make little mistakes along the way.  Mistakes like telling lies, or taking things that don’t belong to us, or hurting someone’s feelings.  (PUT THE LITTLE ROCKS INTO THE GLASS) But when we turn eight, we have the opportunity to fix all of the wrong we have done, and all the wrong we will do as we grow even more.  It is really hard sometimes not to make mistakes; it is hard for everyone to choose the right every single minute of every single day.  Heavenly Father knows that too, and because you have chosen to be baptized today you are taking the first step, and then Heavenly Father promises you a very special gift, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which Uncle Jason will talk to you about.  And this gift will help you always choose the right.  (POUR THE WATER WITH THE ROCKS INTO THE OTHER GLASS WITH THE CHEESE CLOTH OVER IT) 

Today when you are baptized you will promise Heavenly Father that you will remember and follow Jesus and keep all of His commandments.  That you will bear one another’s burdens by giving help to those in need, and that you will stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things, and in all places, this means to always be a good example to others.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that whenever we make a promise to Him, He makes a promise right back to us.

Today Heavenly Father promises you that He accepts you as a member of His church, He will forgive you if you make mistakes and do something wrong—if you are truly sorry for what you did and get on your knees and ask for His forgiveness.  He also promises that you can have the gift of the Holy Ghost with you, and He promises to bring you into the kingdom of God in heaven if you remain obedient for all of your life.

Being baptized and confirmed is your key to living with Heavenly Father in the Celestial Kingdom forever and ever.  All of Heavenly Father’s children need to be baptized, it is the only way there is for us to return and live with Him when we die.  Adam was the first man on earth, and he was baptized.  Alma in the Book of Mormon was also baptized.  Jesus too, was baptized, even though Jesus had never sinned; he still needed to do it to set the example for us.  (SHOW PICTURE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST BAPTIZING JESUS)  Emry, I was only baptized 11 and a half years ago, so I remember my baptism really well!  I want to share a little bit from my journal of how I felt that day…December 29, 2000 was the most glorious day I have yet encountered.  It was the day I was baptized.  It was such a beautiful service, with all of Jared's family taking part.  My mom and dad and sister even came to support me in the life changing decision I was making!  To start the service off Charmaine said the opening prayer, what she said set the service at peace.  We then sang "The Spirit of God".  Dave gave the talk on Baptism.  What a wonderful talk.  He first thanked my family for being there because it meant so much to me.  I was so thankful and so happy that he had said what he did.  It truly did mean a lot to me.  He then went on and talked about what baptism meant to him and how important it is.  He talked a bit about his own baptism, which was really fitting.  I'm so happy he gave that talk.  He did an excellent job and truly spoke from the wisdom and knowledge of Our Heavenly Father.  From the beginning of the service to the time I was baptized, Jared and I sat in the front row dressed all in white.  It was marvellous.  After Dave's talk, Myrna, Lalainia and Rachel sang "I Believe in Christ."  What a beautiful hymn, my favourite in fact.  They did such a wonderful job, and sounded so beautiful.  While they were singing I felt a pull on my right arm, almost as though someone was sitting beside me and hooked their arm through mine.  I told Jared about it on the way home, I don't know if he completely believed me, but I know what he told me he truly meant.  He said he believes there were many others in the chapel that night, more than those we could actually see.  The Spirit was very strong and that little pull on my arm gave me more reassurance that the choice I was making was the right one.  After the hymn was over Jared and I made our way to the baptismal font, everyone followed to witness this very important event.  As I entered the water I felt warm, and very much at peace.  My heart was beating very fast and very hard, I wasn't nervous but very overwhelmed by the spirit.  When Jared said the prayer, I don't remember exactly what he said, but what he did say made me feel calm and comfortable.  After the prayer he baptized me, when I went under the water it was like I had lost all feeling, like I wasn't even there but looking down at myself from up above.  I believe this is what we feel when all of our sins are washed clean.  It was truly wonderful.  When I was changing back into dry clothes I couldn't stop smiling.  Even now as I write this, my heart is pounding hard, it feels like there is joy all throughout my body!...

Just because you have been baptized does not mean that you won’t make mistakes, (TAKE THE ROCKS AND CHEESSE CLOTH OF THE SECOND GLASS AND THEN PUT THE ROCKS INTO THAT GLASS) but you will have the Gift of the Holy Ghost to help you know when you shouldn’t be doing something, and as well as the Holy Ghost you also have an opportunity each week to renew the promise you will make with Heavenly Father today.  Each week when you take the Sacrament, you are renewing your baptismal covenants.  When the boys bless the bread and water they are reminding us to always remember that Jesus died for us and was resurrected so that we can live with Him and Heavenly Father again.  (POUR THE WATER AND THE ROCKS FROM THE SECOND GLASS INTO THE THIRD)  And while you are waiting for the bread and water to be passed to you, you can think about what kind of person you were during the week, were you obedient, were you a good example…You can also make a decision on how to do better during the week coming up.  And remember if you make a habit to always say your prayers, to read your scriptures, and to obey the commandments it will be much easier to always choose the right.

Remember this is the first day of the rest of your life; you are absolutely clean in the eyes of your Heavenly Father.  I know you are a daughter of our Heavenly Father, and I know that as you strive to do what is right you will be blessed.  We are so proud of you Emry and we are so thankful for the beautiful, caring and always-helpful daughter you are to us.  It is my prayer that you will always remember the promise you made today and do all you can to keep yourself spiritually clean like you are today!  I say these things in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Just before Jared and Emry made their way to the baptismal font, Cora and Leah sang "As A Child of God", they sounded amazing!  And once the two of them got into the water, they both couldn't stop smiling!  While I was helping Emry change I asked her how she felt now that she was baptized, she said she felt different, cold but different!  She said she couldn't stop smiling!  While everyone was waiting for us they each wrote a little note of encouragement to Emry.  It is so nice for her to have these notes to look back on for many years.  Jason gave the talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost, and did great.  He had such a wonderful analogy of what the spirit feels like.  He wrapped Emry in a huge down comforter and told her how the spirit can feel like the same warm feeling we get when we are snuggled tight in a cozy blanket!  Bishop Ellis then closed with a few welcoming remarks toward Emry, it was nice to have so many there to support her and make her feel totally welcome!  After the service was all over we convened in the gym for refreshments!  The cupcakes were a real hit!!

I need to send out a huge thank you to Myrna, Lalainia, Char and Rachel for bringing the fruit and vegetables.  It was such a nice refreshing snack in the middle of the afternoon! 

It was a beautiful day and I am so proud of the young girl Emry is becoming.  She is so helpful and so caring and so sincere toward others.  I am so thankful for the wonderful sister she is to her two younger brothers and for the example she has set for them.  I know that she will always strive to do what is right and as she does so she will be blessed.  She has brought so much joy to our lives and has given us a great deal of hope for the future!  Our Home Teacher, Brother Durand wanted to give Emry a set of her very own scriptures, we thought that would be a great idea so we let him.  She hasn't parted with those scriptures since and together we have been reading.  I hope the scriptures always remain apart of her like they have these last few days.  I know she will need to rely a lot on them throughout her life.