Remembering Our Fourth Family Baptism

It's the fourth child. No more already prepared scrapbook pages! However, I do have pictures and programs and notes from his baptism, so we can still remember it properly.

First comes the 8th birthday.

Even before that, there was the "Baptism Preview" fireside. Because I saved the program, we know exactly what happened, and I also can tell that I made it, so this is part of my personal history as well. (I was serving as a counselor in the Primary presidency at the time.)

Just to give you an idea of what it takes to get out of the door on the way to a church meeting. Note the piles of bags ready to be toted along.

And to have an even better feel for what it takes to get out the door, here's what I recorded about that morning.

Yesterday didn't start out wonderfully.  We've been battling the flu all week at our house, and I haven't been getting much sleep, although fortunately I'm not sick either. Wayne missed two days of work due to the illness, the computer totally crashed Friday night, the car's brake repair wasn't done on time, we have company, I made David do the paper route alone in pouring down rain, and Jeff didn't want to take a bath. It was a fairly miserable morning. However, once Wayne decided it was Satan testing us, and we weren't going to let him win, things began to improve. The car was finished in time to pick it up, Jeff took his bath, we practiced our song, everyone was healthy enough to attend the baptism, and we weren't late.

As you can see, it was a stake baptism, but I suspect Jeff was the only one being baptized, hence all the participants were family members and friends. His grandfathers told about their own baptisms. One was carsick on the way to his baptism, so his dad turned the car around, took him home, and he had to wait another month. The other said his baptism took place in a font under the stage floor. 

Jeff has always attracted people to him, and he had a lot of friends at his baptism:

• Elly Moomey, Mark Moomey, Matt Moomey, Emma Krey
• Bekky Peterson (Primary President)
• Tami Hurd, Laura Hurd, Steven Hurd
• DeVictoria family – Paul, Delores, Teresa, Joseph, Samuel
• Mom, Dad, Weston, David, Brad, Steven, Michelle
• Grandpa Beckstrand, Grandma and Grandpa Whitaker
• Bishop Renshaw
• Brother Last 

When we gave Jeff the option of being confirmed at the baptism or during sacrament meeting, he asked which came first. He was so excited to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost that he wanted it as soon as possible. Consequently, he was confirmed on his baptism day. Here's his journal entry from that evening:

In my baptism my two grandpas gave a talk and my grandma said a prayer.  And my home teacher said a prayer.  It felt funny after I went in the water because I was all wet and the water was all cold so when I got out I was shivering.  After I got dressed I sang a song with my family.  After that I got the Holy Ghost.  The people who helped my dad were Grandpa Whitaker, Grandpa Beckstrand, Bishop Renshaw and Brother DeVictoria.  A lot of people came to my baptism.  I felt the Holy Ghost for the first time right after I got it.  It felt really neat.

We celebrated his special day by taking the family out for ice cream at the Velvet Creamery, which was a wonderfully fun experience. Jeff chose the menu for Sunday dinner the next day - rib roast, rolls, potato casserole, peas and chocolate cheesecake. Our celebration dinners haven't changed much over the years.

Don't you agree that our Jeff is a wonderful person? We're so happy he's part of our family!!!