Baptism & Confirmation

This is the whole reason for the trip to California this weekend, my Grandma Shirley has decided that she wants to be baptized, and there was just no way I was going to miss it. 😉

Grandma moved in with my parents a few months ago, because she didn’t want to live alone anymore. She has been living on her own for the past 16 years since my Grandpa Denzel died, but she’s getting older and felt that it was time for a change. She started going to church on Sunday’s, looking forward to the 3 hours of air conditioning each week (my parent’s don’t have air conditioning at their house). The missionaries, would come and talk to her, but nothing seemed to be serious. Really I don’t know much of the story, but she felt something when she would come to church. When the Bishop of my parent’s ward put his hand on her back in greeting her, she FELT something. So she decided to meet with the Bishop, and ask him what our church is all about. WHY was she feeling the way she did when she came to church? What was it that she felt when he touched her? They had a good talk and the topic of baptism came up, to which Grandma insisted that she had already been baptized. The Bishop explained that baptism needs to be done by one holding the proper authority in order for it to be valid. Then, I’m sure after much contemplation, she decided that she wanted to be baptized.

So on 28th November 2009 my Grandmother became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At the service Patsy gave the opening prayer, Wendy gave a talk on baptism, and Kyle gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, I led the music, Dad baptized Grandma, and a bunch of missionaries sang a few hymns while Grandma and Dad were changing out of their wet clothes, and a member of their ward gave a beautiful musical number. After the missionaries finished singing the songs they planned on singing and the pianist was just playing some more hymns as we waited for Dad and Grandma to finish dressing in dry clothes, Dinah was just as happy as she could be holding a hymnbook open and singing to her heart’s content. She can’t read. And she wasn’t singing anything recognizable, but she just loves to sing, so she was just so cute. My whole immediate family was there to support Grandma, with the exception of David and Sandy. Sandy was out of town, and I have no idea where David was. Jenny and Tom were there, and both of their kids. I and Kyle were there and of course we brought all five of our kids.

Grandma was confirmed and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday 29th November 2009. Kyle and I weren’t planning on staying for church. We were hoping to leave town first thing in the morning because Ethan and Tyra had school first thing Monday morning and Kyle had work too. But Grandma personally asked us if we would stay for the confirmation, and she turned and asked Kyle if he would be in the circle. Of course we couldn’t turn her down. So in Sacrament meeting Grandma Shirley was encircled by worthy priesthood holders who laid their hands on her head while Dad confirmed her a member of the church, gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then proceeded to give her a blessing. (Later she said that she hadn’t been expecting the blessing). Dad also was assigned to give a talk in Sacrament meeting which he tied the baptism into.

I’m SO excited, and happy for Grandma Shirley. She seemed so calm and happy, and just at peace with her decision. And I look forward to the day that I’ll get to go to the temple with her, so that she may receive her endowments and be sealed to my Grandpa Denzel, and to have my Dad and my uncle Frank sealed to them, and to have her sealed to her parents. What a happy day that will be, and I just can’t wait! 🙂