I baptized Ella on Saturday and it was an amazing experience. We arrived and changed into baptism clothes and then waited to greet guests. Ella became more and more excited and the Spirit became more and more strong as each guest arrived. It was especially fun to see her run up to hug her friends and teacher when they walked in.
Dad Lewis said the opening prayer at Ella’s baptism. He set a strong tone to the meeting that “we are Christian.” It was a beautiful prayer. There were several moments when Ella turned to me during the meeting and said, “Daddy, I can’t stop smiling!” The speakers were two young women in our ward who will soon be serving missions. Lauren was particularly thrilled that Noelle Phillips was asked to speak since she has been her visiting teacher for the past three years and has watched her blossom from a reluctant youth into a beautiful woman with a powerful, enduring testimony. She bore witness that the gospel will change your life. We moved into the ordinance room and the girls vied for positions close to the font. Before I could utter the baptism prayer and baptize Ella, I felt emotion well up inside me and I became choked up. When I recovered, we took care of it in one shot. What a beautiful moment. After Ella was baptized and came back to her seat, she turned to me with a beaming face and said, “I’m baptized now!”
Then after Ella was confirmed a member and received the Holy Ghost she said, “I have the Holy Ghost now!” The Bishop said some beautiful words to welcome Ella and address all who were there. He recognized the Spirit that was present and bore testimony that it was the Holy Ghost testifying of the truthfulness of the ordinance. (I, Lauren, will interject here that while Stephen was able to focus solely on the baptism program, I was a bit distracted by the four-year-old who kept on changing seats between her family and Sis. Semones and the baby in my lap! Aiyee!)
Several of our friends came over to our home for food and socializing after the baptism services. It was fun having them over and getting to know them better. The Spirit of Ella’s baptism is still being felt in our home.
After the baptism and blessing, our summer travel plans were to drive to Arizona with Grandma and Grandpa at the wheel and Lauren holding down the fort in the cab. Stephen would not be joining us until his brother’s homecoming date later in July. This meant that we would have to miss Father’s Day with (according to all of the girls) the Best Daddy in the World! We made the day special with a pancake and buttermilk caramel syrup breakfast, new marshmallow roasters for campfire s’mores and a special Japanese dinner (tonkatsu) that necessitated a trip to the Asian market in Carrollton. Stephen and Grandpa claimed that they hit the jackpot! We love the wonderful men in our life—Happy Father’s Day!
Blessing Day!
It was a special weekend for our family. First, Ella was baptized and confirmed a member of the church on Saturday and then on Sunday, Stephen was able to bless our sweet Olena Joan. We were grateful that Grandpa and Grandma Lewis were able to join us for these special events. Stephen noted that he felt impressed to bless Olena with the following:
• Gift of discernment – to be able to decipher between truths and half truths
• Desire to be a missionary throughout her life, and to share the gospel with everyone whom she would love unconditionally
• meeting a boy who would worthily take her to the temple
• A cheerful countenance
• She would be a great blessing to friends and family
We are grateful that this sweet spirit is part of our growing family. She fits in perfectly!
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