Lena's Baptism

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones.

For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 18:10

Lena was baptized today!

God's own child, I gladly say it; I am baptized into Christ!
He, because I could not pay it, Gave my full redemption price.
Do I need earth's treasures many?
I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free
Lasting to eternity!

God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It, verse 1

We are so happy to welcome Lena into God's Kingdom! She did really well, not crying or fussing at all when Dad poured the water on her head. It was an especially neat experience for him, as it was his first baptism as pastor. He even sang a solo for her:

I bind unto myself today
The pow'r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need,
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The Word of God to give me speech,
His heav'nly host to be my guard.

I Bind unto Myself Today, verse 3

This is the dress she wore. (She was not this unhappy-looking during the baptism, just when we tried to take her picture later!) Her Grandma Tammy made this beautiful dress for her. Well, not just for her; it will be used for each one of our children.


Grandma Tammy did make a slip that is just for Lena. On it she embroidered her name, birth date, baptism date, and she even did her entire baptism verse. It is so pretty. Here is some of the detail of that.


Rev. Tom and Brenda Chryst are her sponsors. They came to visit us over the weekend. We had lots of fun spending time with them and their three adorable daughters, Bailey, Helena, and Morgan. On Saturday we went to the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. It was really fun watching the Chryst girls explore and play.

Church members Brian and Gayle provided us with a lovely reception at church following the baptism. They even had a cake made with her picture on it! It was really neat. And delicious! (Yes, her middle name is misspelled on it, but that's ok!)