Last night, during their nightly routine, Ethan told Daddy that he wanted to pray and ask Jesus into his life. He had just heard the story of the five virgins being left out of the wedding feast because they weren't ready (Matthew 25:1-13). Well, he responded with his child-like faith and with great joy, he prayed to Jesus, asking Him to take away his sins and to come into his life. We were so touched by the whole thing. Even before we all prayed together, he was excited and giddy, as if he had already made the decision and done so in his heart. MyLove had explained that the bridegroom was Jesus and we are like the bride waiting to be united with him in heaven (the feast).
Ethan's prayer went something like this:
"Dear God, thank you for this day and all the things you give us. Jesus, please take away my sins. In Jesus' name, Amen"
MyLove then led him in praying and he repeated. Afterward, he told us that he wanted to be baptized! We are so excited and will continue to pray for fruit and ask him questions to be sure he knows what it means. Of course he doesn't understand everything, but the most important things he knows:
1. He does bad things (sin)
2. Those bad things keep us from heaven
3. Jesus paid for our sins by dying on the cross for us
4. He can take away our sins (and the guilt thereof) if we ask him to and receive that gift
5. We should be baptized to show others our new life in Jesus
We rejoice! We rejoice! We rejoice!
Thank you Lord!!! The angels rejoice as well!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
How Precious You Are, Martini!
Martini has been so helpful and respectful and precious lately. I just want to jot down some things that he has been doing so I don't forget:
1. Buckling himself in his carseat
2. Unbuckling himself and Ethan when we arrive somewhere
3. Entertaining Carmelita in the car, making her laugh and singing to her
4. Playing with Carmelita in her highchair while I am cooking and sometimes feeding her Cheerios or whatever else is on her tray
5. Picking up his toys
6. Responding with "Yes, Mommy." when I tell him to do something (this is not 100% of the time, but he's getting better. This is something we've been working on for a loooooong time!)
7. Taking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe shelf as soon as we walk into the house
8. Helping me unload the groceries
9. Reminding me to pray or suggesting to pray often (four times today)
10. Eating his "good food" before eating sweets/snacks without arguing
11. Telling me he loves me (twice this evening after I gave him a snack and then later we made snow cones)
12. Telling Carmelita and me how beautiful we are (thank you, MyLove for being the example for Martini!)
13. Opening my Bible saying, "oooh, a Bible!" then asking me to read it to him
14. Exercising with Daddy
15. Picking out his "day clothes" after breakfast and changing himself
16. Sometimes picking out "day clothes" for Ethan as well!
17. About three mornings this week, he got out two bowls, two spoons, poured cereal and poured milk for himself and Ethan while I got to sleep an extra hour or so!
18. Preferred the shower over a bath
19. Gotten braver at swimming
20. Pushed Carmelita around in the umbrella stroller to keep her from running in the street while trimmed bushes (He made it look so fun that Ethan pushed Carmelita some as well, then went inside!)
Martini, what a jewel you are! You are growing so fast and the years are flying by. I don't want to forget these special moments you have blessed me with. Your interests are changing and you are growing more mature every day. What a realization that is to your mommy! I love you so much, my son.
1. Buckling himself in his carseat
2. Unbuckling himself and Ethan when we arrive somewhere
3. Entertaining Carmelita in the car, making her laugh and singing to her
4. Playing with Carmelita in her highchair while I am cooking and sometimes feeding her Cheerios or whatever else is on her tray
5. Picking up his toys
6. Responding with "Yes, Mommy." when I tell him to do something (this is not 100% of the time, but he's getting better. This is something we've been working on for a loooooong time!)
7. Taking off his shoes and putting them on the shoe shelf as soon as we walk into the house
8. Helping me unload the groceries
9. Reminding me to pray or suggesting to pray often (four times today)
10. Eating his "good food" before eating sweets/snacks without arguing
11. Telling me he loves me (twice this evening after I gave him a snack and then later we made snow cones)
12. Telling Carmelita and me how beautiful we are (thank you, MyLove for being the example for Martini!)
13. Opening my Bible saying, "oooh, a Bible!" then asking me to read it to him
14. Exercising with Daddy
15. Picking out his "day clothes" after breakfast and changing himself
16. Sometimes picking out "day clothes" for Ethan as well!
17. About three mornings this week, he got out two bowls, two spoons, poured cereal and poured milk for himself and Ethan while I got to sleep an extra hour or so!
18. Preferred the shower over a bath
19. Gotten braver at swimming
20. Pushed Carmelita around in the umbrella stroller to keep her from running in the street while trimmed bushes (He made it look so fun that Ethan pushed Carmelita some as well, then went inside!)
Martini, what a jewel you are! You are growing so fast and the years are flying by. I don't want to forget these special moments you have blessed me with. Your interests are changing and you are growing more mature every day. What a realization that is to your mommy! I love you so much, my son.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Carmelita Wraps!
On Friday, Carmelita picked up one of her blankets and tried wrapping it around herself! It looked like she was trying to wrap the way that I wrap her. So, I took the blanket and wrapped her little baby Pooh to her belly. It was just adorable. She kept walking around the room and looking down at her "baby." The doll plays music, so everytime she pressed the belly and the music would play, she would start dancing. It was a fantastic sight. If I had a camera, I would have been shooting away, but we are still looking. Hopefully I will have some pics to share soon. It is so very precious.
In the interim, here are a couple of pictures of our princess and another picture of my precious Carmelita wrapped to my back in my Didymos Sequoia Waves wrap.
In the interim, here are a couple of pictures of our princess and another picture of my precious Carmelita wrapped to my back in my Didymos Sequoia Waves wrap.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Our 2-Week Vacation
I had mentioned in an earlier post that I would tell you about our vacation and post some pics. Here they are!
Our vacation was pretty packed, especially compared to what we are used to in our everyday lives. We had something planned almost every day.
First, on our blessed agenda, MyLove and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! MyLove and I dropped off Carmelita at Mom's and had a little celebration with the boys. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A and then saw Kung Fu Panda with them. It was a lot of fun and we all loved the movie. We dropped the boys off at my mom's, nursed Carmelita, and ate great sushi for dinner.Then we got some Tapioca tea. So yummy! We picked up Carmelita and headed home while the boys spent the night.
After sleeping in so peacefully the next morning, we hung out at home then went to pick up the boys and went shopping at Academy.
Forbidden Gardens: we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy and really had a great time. It is amazing. On our tour, there was a couple who had actually been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they had a slew of knowledge and interesting tidbits to share.
MyLove posing like the chariot driver.
Carmelita loving her wrap. Behind us are the thousands of soldiers lined just the way they were discovered.
Each face was different representing real soldiers. Even the armor matched that of the soldiers!
MyLove, Carmelita, Martini and Ethan.
Martini playing the battle drum. It was so loud.
Ethan playing the battle drum. They loved this drum.
Ethan going at it!
The kids and me in front of a chariot and real weapons.
MyLove and Martini by a massive shield.
The kids and I are in front of the Emperor's wife's seat that was carried on the shoulder of men. On the bottom left of the picture is her luggage!
Father's Day: We had breakfast with MyLove's dad (below). For my dad, MyLove, Jimmy and Uncle Daniel played golf with my dad and then I made them some enchiladas for them afterward.
For MyLove, we had homemade waffles and served him on our best China ware. We also got him a grill. It is a Chargriller Duo; complete with a grill for charcoal and a grill for gas grilling. He loves it and grills yummy things for us on it!
Rainforest Cafe: After the Forbidden Gardens, we went to the Katy Mills Mall and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids just loved the "rainstorms" and moving animals there. The food was yummy and the kids' pizzas were awesome; an unexpected surprise. We then took advantage of some awesome sales at a couple of stores in the mall.
Carmelita sleeping at the Rainforest Cafe. She was so tired and slept through all the noise!
Stephanie's 8th Birthday: The kids had a great time with their cousins celebrating Stephanie's 8th birthday. Mary and Craig generously held the party at Build-A-Bear and allotted $25 to each of 10 cousins! Martini chose a panda bear and named him Po after Kung Fu Panda, and Ethan chose a monkey and named him Monkey.
Galveston: We did various things in Galveston. We rented a neat bike and we all rode up and down the seawall for about an hour. We even went through the McDonald's drive-thru! Right after this picture was taken, I handed our digital camera to MyLove and then immediate knocked it out of his hand with my elbow. The camera broke on the concrete seawall! So much for more pictures!
Our vacation was pretty packed, especially compared to what we are used to in our everyday lives. We had something planned almost every day.
First, on our blessed agenda, MyLove and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! MyLove and I dropped off Carmelita at Mom's and had a little celebration with the boys. We took the kids to Chick-fil-A and then saw Kung Fu Panda with them. It was a lot of fun and we all loved the movie. We dropped the boys off at my mom's, nursed Carmelita, and ate great sushi for dinner.Then we got some Tapioca tea. So yummy! We picked up Carmelita and headed home while the boys spent the night.
After sleeping in so peacefully the next morning, we hung out at home then went to pick up the boys and went shopping at Academy.
Forbidden Gardens: we visited the Forbidden Gardens in Katy and really had a great time. It is amazing. On our tour, there was a couple who had actually been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and they had a slew of knowledge and interesting tidbits to share.
Here are some of the thousands of terra-cotta soldiers replicated at the Gardens.
MyLove posing like the chariot driver.
Carmelita loving her wrap. Behind us are the thousands of soldiers lined just the way they were discovered.
Each face was different representing real soldiers. Even the armor matched that of the soldiers!
MyLove, Carmelita, Martini and Ethan.
Martini playing the battle drum. It was so loud.
Ethan playing the battle drum. They loved this drum.
Ethan going at it!
The kids and me in front of a chariot and real weapons.
MyLove and Martini by a massive shield.
The kids and I are in front of the Emperor's wife's seat that was carried on the shoulder of men. On the bottom left of the picture is her luggage!
Father's Day: We had breakfast with MyLove's dad (below). For my dad, MyLove, Jimmy and Uncle Daniel played golf with my dad and then I made them some enchiladas for them afterward.
For MyLove, we had homemade waffles and served him on our best China ware. We also got him a grill. It is a Chargriller Duo; complete with a grill for charcoal and a grill for gas grilling. He loves it and grills yummy things for us on it!
Rainforest Cafe: After the Forbidden Gardens, we went to the Katy Mills Mall and ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The kids just loved the "rainstorms" and moving animals there. The food was yummy and the kids' pizzas were awesome; an unexpected surprise. We then took advantage of some awesome sales at a couple of stores in the mall.
Carmelita sleeping at the Rainforest Cafe. She was so tired and slept through all the noise!
Stephanie's 8th Birthday: The kids had a great time with their cousins celebrating Stephanie's 8th birthday. Mary and Craig generously held the party at Build-A-Bear and allotted $25 to each of 10 cousins! Martini chose a panda bear and named him Po after Kung Fu Panda, and Ethan chose a monkey and named him Monkey.
Galveston: We did various things in Galveston. We rented a neat bike and we all rode up and down the seawall for about an hour. We even went through the McDonald's drive-thru! Right after this picture was taken, I handed our digital camera to MyLove and then immediate knocked it out of his hand with my elbow. The camera broke on the concrete seawall! So much for more pictures!
We then went to our campspot at Galveston Island State Park and were in the midst of setting up our brand new, 10-person tent when a storm flew in at a pace I've never seen before (it wasn't supposed to even hit that night. It was forecasted for the next day). There was lightning, thunder and it started to pour. Thankfully, there was a precious, elderly couple (who happened to be precious believers) who were watching our desperation and invited us into their RV before the downpour. The gentleman helped MyLove do as much as he could and then they housed and took care of my kids and me for the next three hours. MyLove and the gentleman went back out and pushed out tons of water and used towels to finally dry it out. MyLove worked so hard.
Tired and worn out, we made our way inside our temporary abode and tried to get settled. It became so hot and muggy after the rain, but it was a bit cooler because of the rain. Finally, we all laid down and the kids conked out. We were exhausted. MyLove then started having a coughing attack. He was having drainage and being out there, I think, irritated his sinuses. He could not stop coughing. It took about thirty minutes and then had found rest.
About an hour or two later, Ethan woke up suddenly. He was confused and not knowing where he was. He had to pee. I told him in a firm voice to wait just a second so I could unzip the tent so he could pee outside. I knew it was a matter of seconds. I picked him up, but it was too late. He peed on his blanket and all over me.
We took off our peepee clothes and put on the minimum (it was so hot) and threw everything in a corner.
Literally two hours later (4AM) Carmelita woke up coughing uncontrollably and vomited on my shirt and our sheet and on herself (she had some congestion too). I almost started crying, I was so tired and exhausted. I stripped her down, wiped her off, and laid her down. I wiped up as much of the vomit as I could then MyLove, (trying to help in any way he could, seeing how desperate I was) laid a towel on top of it. I couldn't find another clean shirt, and I was so hot. MyLove gave me one of his big shirts and we all went back to sleep again. I prayed for sleep.
I opened my eyes to the sun and my ears were welcomed by the soothing sounds of the water on the beach. We laid there for quite some time just enjoying the sounds and the nice breeze flowing through the tent. We spent a few hours playing on the beach and talking with a lovely German lady with her two grandkids, Cokie and Hans! She spoke German, Spanish, Catalan and was learning English! She was so pleasant and it encouraged and rejuvenated our hearts toward the mission field and how much we love foreigners.
We packed up, ate lunch, visited the Lone Star Flight Museum and stopped by Moody Gardens (but didn't do anything because it was late and prices were expensive) where we played with and touched the ice wall they had on display for the Titanic exhibit. We drove home, unpacked, did laundry and got ready for our next adventure.
Dallas: We spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Dallas. My cousin Tim and his wife, Becky, were so gracious in hosting us. The kids grew accustomed to their two poodles and we watched movies and ate great food. They also got us tickets to Six Flags and we let the boys go on as many rides as they could. We adults got to take turns joining them while the others would watch Carmelita. It was so much fun.
Thank you Lord for our family, for my hubby of seven years!!! for his great job that allows vacation for two weeks! for wonderful memories (even though some are hard at the time ;-) and for Your love and the love that we have for eachother. Everything is more enjoyable when you have the joy of the Lord in your life and everything is fulfilling because of Jesus. We have purpose and true satisfaction. Not emptiness.
Thank you, Lord. You are so good to us!
Ethan's Comments on Dying
It was pouring down rain in Houston today and the streets were flooding. I was driving to pick up my sewing machine and yelling with panic at my poor Honey who was trying to tell me alternate routes on the phone. Intersections around me were flooded and I was forced to drive through a couple of them. Praise the Lord, we reached our destination safely and were heading to the Y when Martini asks, "Mommy, is it still flooding? I'm scared."
"No, Sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about." I tell him, fully aware that he heard me panic earlier on the phone with MyLove.
“If it keeps flooding, then we’re going to die, then we will go to Heaven.”
“That’s right, Martini, but it’s not flooding anymore; it’s not even raining."
"How are we going to die then?”
“I don’t know, Love. That’s up to God.”
Ethan then pipes in, “Martini, this is how you die. You smoke, then you die, then you go to heaven and you get a new body!"
. . . Aaaah, theology in the eyes of a three year old! We have been praying for my mom and that she would be able to quit smoking. Well, it is sporadic, so to hear Ethan bring this up is quite amazing, because we realize how much our little ones really do listen!
"No, Sweetheart. There's nothing to worry about." I tell him, fully aware that he heard me panic earlier on the phone with MyLove.
“If it keeps flooding, then we’re going to die, then we will go to Heaven.”
“That’s right, Martini, but it’s not flooding anymore; it’s not even raining."
"How are we going to die then?”
“I don’t know, Love. That’s up to God.”
Ethan then pipes in, “Martini, this is how you die. You smoke, then you die, then you go to heaven and you get a new body!"
. . . Aaaah, theology in the eyes of a three year old! We have been praying for my mom and that she would be able to quit smoking. Well, it is sporadic, so to hear Ethan bring this up is quite amazing, because we realize how much our little ones really do listen!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Lately
MyLove has had the last two weeks off to celebrate our 7th anniversary and spend time with our wee ones doing fun things and just being together. I will blog more with pictures soon, but until then, I will leave you with a comment that Martini made the other day:
"Martini, come on now. It's time for lunch."
"Why? Why do we have to eat?"
It is such a funny comment to me because I looove to eat food that I enjoy, but when I am trying to get things done, I know how incovenient it can be to have to stop everything to eat and feed the clan. My Uncle Daniel once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Martini is definitely the latter!
"Martini, come on now. It's time for lunch."
"Why? Why do we have to eat?"
It is such a funny comment to me because I looove to eat food that I enjoy, but when I am trying to get things done, I know how incovenient it can be to have to stop everything to eat and feed the clan. My Uncle Daniel once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who live to eat and those who eat to live. Martini is definitely the latter!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Martini is Baptized!
Please join us as we praise the Lord! Martini was baptized today!
About two years ago, Martini accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He prayed with my mother, his Mema, to have Jesus Christ in his life and to follow Him and asked that Jesus take away his sins. Since then, we have prayed with him as well, as he has wanted to. We have told him how Jesus commands us to be baptized to show others that your life is Jesus'. Water-baptism is a physical representation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit when one gives their life to Jesus and receives salvation. Well, this was a difficult subject for Martini because he is afraid of water. The thought of being totally submerged was frightening to him, so he explicitly has said that he does not want to be baptized until he is much older. "When I am older, Mommy/Daddy, then I will be baptized. I don't want to be baptized. I'm afraid."
Today, we had a playdate at Mema's house. We had a couple of friends over with their kids and we hung out in the pool and enjoyed snow cones and food. The kids were having a blast. At one point, Martini asked me to lay down in the water. I laid down at the bottom of the pool and came up. Martini says, "Mommy, you were 'ba-pi-tized!' "
"Oh, is that why you asked me to lay down in the pool?"
"Yes, so you can be ba-pi-tized."
"Martini, Mommy was baptized a long time ago. Let me show you how you get baptized"
So I went under the water for a mili-second and came back up.
"See? It's easy! It's not hard at all! It's really fast. "
"Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized!"
"You do? Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!"
"I want to be ba-pi-tized right now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Now I am holding him and talking to him. I am baffled and praying about what I should do.
"Sweety, do you want to wait until Daddy can be here?"
"No, I want to do it now."
A million thoughts were going through my head: MyLove isn't here. Is he doing this just for fun? Can I do this kind of thing? Do I need to wait until a pastor can do it. Wait a minute, I remember my dad regretting not baptizing me and my brother when we were little instead of having the pastor do it. My grandfather, a pastor, baptized my mom and sister and it was very special. What about my friends here, do they understand the significance of this? Will they think that I am doing something that I am not qualified to do? All the sudden, I felt a prompt on my heart and had the thought: what if this was the last chance Martini had to get baptized? It would be terrible not to allow him to obey the Lord because I thought it wasn't the perfect timing.
"OK, Martini. Why do you want to be baptized?"
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And, what does that mean?"
"I prayed and He took away my sins."
"Yes, and with Jesus in your life, that means you need to honor Him."
"Yes, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
"Are you sure, Love?"
"Yes! Why do you keep asking me things?"
"Martini, I want to be sure you know what it means to be baptized."
"I know. Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
My friends are there listening now and I look at them and start crying while I hold him and keep thinking. Martini is all the while smiling so big and continued to tell me that he was ready. There were some other things said, but I can't remember. We were all just proud of him for wanting to do this.
So, I think that I said this prayer out loud with Martini (if not, it was in my head) it was all so fast. "Thank you Lord, for Martini's heart in wanting to get baptized and show others that he has Jesus in His life and that Jesus has taken away (forgiven) his sins. In Jesus name, Amen.
"OK, Martini. Let's tell everyone! Hey, guys (Teresa, Abi, Mema, and kids) Martini wants to share something very special with you. He wants to be baptized!" By now, I can't stop crying.
"Martini, tell them why you want to be baptized."
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And you want to obey Jesus' command to be baptized?"
"Yes."
I gain my composure.
"OK, Love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I baptize you!"
I dunk his head back in the water and Martini comes up with a huge smile saying, "I was ba-pi-tized! I was ba-pi-tized!" And everyone cheered for him and some more tears were shed.
"Mommy, now ba-pi-tize Ethan."
"No, Sweety. He is not ready to be baptized. He doesn't have Jesus in his life yet. We need to keep praying for him to have Jesus in his life too!"
This was all totally unsolicited. Martini knew that we had assured him numerous times that he would not be baptized until he was ready. We would never force him. It was up to him to decide when he was ready to obey Jesus and be baptized.
Later on, he was so excited to tell Papa. I talked to MyLove on the phone, and Martini asked if I told Daddy when I was talking to him. I told him yes and that he was so proud of him. When we got home, Martini excitedly told MyLove what happened (this is at about 11PM!) MyLove and Martini sat on the bed for the longest time talking about baptism, the Holy Spirit, heaven, treasures in heaven, dying, how proud Jesus is of him, how if he wants to get baptized at church, he can still do that so his friends and other Christians can cheer for him and support him. Martini was on cloud nine, and so were we. He kept talking and talking about it. At one point, he told MyLove, "Let's keep talking about godly things. I like talking about these things." Of course, MyLove was only too excited to oblige.
We give all the glory to the Lord and thank Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. Only through Him is there salvation and eternal life!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!
And, thank you Lord, for our oh, so precious Martini. He is the one I specifically dedicated to the Lord before and during pregnancy and MyLove and I dedicated Him to the Lord when he was born. I pray that You, oh Lord will use him as a mighty warrior for Your kingdom!!! AMEN.
About two years ago, Martini accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. He prayed with my mother, his Mema, to have Jesus Christ in his life and to follow Him and asked that Jesus take away his sins. Since then, we have prayed with him as well, as he has wanted to. We have told him how Jesus commands us to be baptized to show others that your life is Jesus'. Water-baptism is a physical representation of the baptism of the Holy Spirit when one gives their life to Jesus and receives salvation. Well, this was a difficult subject for Martini because he is afraid of water. The thought of being totally submerged was frightening to him, so he explicitly has said that he does not want to be baptized until he is much older. "When I am older, Mommy/Daddy, then I will be baptized. I don't want to be baptized. I'm afraid."
Today, we had a playdate at Mema's house. We had a couple of friends over with their kids and we hung out in the pool and enjoyed snow cones and food. The kids were having a blast. At one point, Martini asked me to lay down in the water. I laid down at the bottom of the pool and came up. Martini says, "Mommy, you were 'ba-pi-tized!' "
"Oh, is that why you asked me to lay down in the pool?"
"Yes, so you can be ba-pi-tized."
"Martini, Mommy was baptized a long time ago. Let me show you how you get baptized"
So I went under the water for a mili-second and came back up.
"See? It's easy! It's not hard at all! It's really fast. "
"Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized!"
"You do? Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!"
"I want to be ba-pi-tized right now!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
Now I am holding him and talking to him. I am baffled and praying about what I should do.
"Sweety, do you want to wait until Daddy can be here?"
"No, I want to do it now."
A million thoughts were going through my head: MyLove isn't here. Is he doing this just for fun? Can I do this kind of thing? Do I need to wait until a pastor can do it. Wait a minute, I remember my dad regretting not baptizing me and my brother when we were little instead of having the pastor do it. My grandfather, a pastor, baptized my mom and sister and it was very special. What about my friends here, do they understand the significance of this? Will they think that I am doing something that I am not qualified to do? All the sudden, I felt a prompt on my heart and had the thought: what if this was the last chance Martini had to get baptized? It would be terrible not to allow him to obey the Lord because I thought it wasn't the perfect timing.
"OK, Martini. Why do you want to be baptized?"
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And, what does that mean?"
"I prayed and He took away my sins."
"Yes, and with Jesus in your life, that means you need to honor Him."
"Yes, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
"Are you sure, Love?"
"Yes! Why do you keep asking me things?"
"Martini, I want to be sure you know what it means to be baptized."
"I know. Mommy, I want to be ba-pi-tized."
My friends are there listening now and I look at them and start crying while I hold him and keep thinking. Martini is all the while smiling so big and continued to tell me that he was ready. There were some other things said, but I can't remember. We were all just proud of him for wanting to do this.
So, I think that I said this prayer out loud with Martini (if not, it was in my head) it was all so fast. "Thank you Lord, for Martini's heart in wanting to get baptized and show others that he has Jesus in His life and that Jesus has taken away (forgiven) his sins. In Jesus name, Amen.
"OK, Martini. Let's tell everyone! Hey, guys (Teresa, Abi, Mema, and kids) Martini wants to share something very special with you. He wants to be baptized!" By now, I can't stop crying.
"Martini, tell them why you want to be baptized."
"Because I have Jesus in my life."
"And you want to obey Jesus' command to be baptized?"
"Yes."
I gain my composure.
"OK, Love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, I baptize you!"
I dunk his head back in the water and Martini comes up with a huge smile saying, "I was ba-pi-tized! I was ba-pi-tized!" And everyone cheered for him and some more tears were shed.
"Mommy, now ba-pi-tize Ethan."
"No, Sweety. He is not ready to be baptized. He doesn't have Jesus in his life yet. We need to keep praying for him to have Jesus in his life too!"
This was all totally unsolicited. Martini knew that we had assured him numerous times that he would not be baptized until he was ready. We would never force him. It was up to him to decide when he was ready to obey Jesus and be baptized.
Later on, he was so excited to tell Papa. I talked to MyLove on the phone, and Martini asked if I told Daddy when I was talking to him. I told him yes and that he was so proud of him. When we got home, Martini excitedly told MyLove what happened (this is at about 11PM!) MyLove and Martini sat on the bed for the longest time talking about baptism, the Holy Spirit, heaven, treasures in heaven, dying, how proud Jesus is of him, how if he wants to get baptized at church, he can still do that so his friends and other Christians can cheer for him and support him. Martini was on cloud nine, and so were we. He kept talking and talking about it. At one point, he told MyLove, "Let's keep talking about godly things. I like talking about these things." Of course, MyLove was only too excited to oblige.
We give all the glory to the Lord and thank Him for His Son, Jesus Christ. Only through Him is there salvation and eternal life!
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!
And, thank you Lord, for our oh, so precious Martini. He is the one I specifically dedicated to the Lord before and during pregnancy and MyLove and I dedicated Him to the Lord when he was born. I pray that You, oh Lord will use him as a mighty warrior for Your kingdom!!! AMEN.
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