answered prayers. . .

sunday was one of the biggest days in the life of our oldest little man. gabriel was baptized on october 23rd, 2011. our church has started providing a family baptism service that is specifically for children. it was a sweet time of celebrating gabe and his decision to publicly acknowledge that he is a Jesus follower.

before he was baptized, rick was able to say a few words about gabe. he asked specifically that his daddy be the one to talk. such a neat testament to the Godly example that rick has been in his life. so i won't forget, here is what rick said. . . .

"I just wanted to start out by saying thanks to two groups of people – to our parents we want to say thank you for leaving us with a biblical example of how to love their kids unconditionally and giving us a picture of what it means to leave a godly legacy to our families. The 2nd group I wanted to thank is our small group who constantly allows us the opportunity to live out gospel centered community. Gabriel was the first kid born into our small group and now with over 20 we have established quite the community. You’ve laughed with us and cried with us and you challenge us to be better parents and constantly speak truths into our lives that help us as we raise our boys.

Gabriel… your mom and I wanted to take this opportunity to remind you how much you are loved and to tell you how proud we are of you today.

There was a time 10 years ago when the doctors told us that we may never be able to have you. Your very existence is a testament to God who loves you and has a purpose for your life.

Today you are publicly saying – I am a follower of Christ. Our prayer is that God will continue to pursue your heart and that you will relentlessly pursue a greater relationship with Jesus."

this was followed up with a video of some pics of our sweet boy as he as grown over the years, and a recording of him telling his faith story. our children's pastor, rob marks, followed that up with some words about gabe, and how important it is that we remember our story. gabe was then baptized. after the all the kids had been baptized, they brought them all out and we cheered and clapped and gave them a standing ovation. after it was over, gabe came off the stage with tears in his eyes, and our family and community group gathered around him and thanked God for his life, and prayed that God would continue to pursue his heart and use him in mighty ways. We celebrated with tons of junk food and our sweet family and friends after the baptism.

we asked gabe later that night, why he was crying when he came down from the stage. he said, "i was happy". we are so happy too, gabriel. you make us proud, and we are so excited to see where God's story will take you. We love you so much!!

Mom and Dad