Mike's Baptism

On January 21, 2012, Callie's husband, Mike was baptized.  He became interested in the church just a few months before and was taught by the missionaries, gained a testimony, and chose to be baptized.  One of the Elder's baptized him, my dad confirmed him.  He was ordained and received the Aaronic Priesthood the following day.  Mike asked Spencer to speak on Baptism, our three boys to sing "A Young Boy Prayed", and me to speak on the Holy Ghost.  Emily & Jeff gave the opening and closing prayers.  The Bishop gave a few remarks.  (Ryan & No'el weren't able to come to Utah for the baptism.) After the baptism and confirmation, Callie & Mike served Root Beer Floats & Special K bars to those who came to support Mike.  Then our family went to dinner. My parents had a hotel with a swimming pool so after dinner, Spencer took Han & Madi and Jeff took Miley home to go to bed.  The rest of us got in our suits and enjoyed some time in the pool & hot tub!  Because this is my family history, I'm including my talk in case I ever need to use the idea again.  If I had Spencer's talk I'd include it also...he did a great job and even got a little emotional!

 Holy Ghost/Running Talk

About 6 months ago, Spencer and I joined with Emily and Jeff and started running for the first time in our lives. We quickly learned that there were a few things that were very important when you start a running routine. Let me relate these 5 aspects of running to this important event that is happening today.

#1- You must have a good pair of shoes. What brand of shoe fits one runner may not fit another. It may take a few attempts to find the best fit but the shoes must fit perfectly so that your toes have enough space to move, your arch has enough support but not too much, etc.

#1- Mike, by being baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you have just slipped on the best fitting pair of shoes EVER! Everything about the Gospel is perfect, though not all members are. President Gordan B. Hinckley said, “The real strength of the Church lies not in the physical facilities which we own...the strength of the Church lies in the conviction carried in the hearts of its members. The testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Redeemer of all mankind...is the most precious possession that any of us can hold.”

#2- It helps if you have a running guide so that you know where you're running and how long it should take to get there. When we started running, we were training for a 5K...which may not be a big deal for some people but it was a HUGE for us. We quickly found a Running Guide that we were able to follow. We ran 4 days a week, in walking & running intervals, and gradually built up our strength and endurance.

#2- We have so many guides to help us. The scriptures, the Church magazines, our local leaders, and especially our Prophet. If there are any of us who are lacking a testimony, we can get it by doing the will of the Father and studying the gospel. As we learn in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

#3- The four of us ran together every time we went out but we all ran at different speeds. Since Spence ran fastest, he became our natural leader...the one who told us when it was time to turn around and head back to the car, the one who said it was time to walk or run. It was always comforting to know that there was someone ahead of me that would be able to help on his way back to the car if I had trouble.

#3- Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is our leader. He came to this earth to live among men, to show us the way to live, and he experienced it all. He is always ahead of us, to help us know the path to choose and he can help us through any troubles we may come upon, because as it says in Doctrine & Covenants 19:16, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent.”

#4- Having a watch with a timer became SO important. When we first started out and were running at shorter intervals, Spencer couldn't get too far ahead of us so it was easy for him to holler back to us to start walking or to turn around. But somewhere during our training, Spencer started going a lot faster. And we would lose track of time if we couldn't see him so we'd end up running or walking too long and it totally messed up the plan. Then, Mike & Callie bought me a watch to use while I was running. It lit up at night, had a stopwatch feature, and a reset button that I could push in between walking & running intervals. I no longer relied on Spence because I could finally do it myself.

#4 – Moses 6: 52 says, “If thou wilt turn unto me, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Mike, you are about to receive the greatest and most precious gift you will ever receive in this life. The Holy Ghost is also known as the Comforter, Revelator, the Spirit. He can give you peace and comfort when you are sad or lonely or worried. When you feel love or joy or peace or patience, when you are gentle and kind, you are feeling the influence of the Holy Ghost. Each week when we partake of the Sacrament, through the power of the Holy Ghost, we have the opportunity to push our “Reset” button, to pledge to do the Lord's will, and to repent of any wrong doings. The Holy Ghost gives you the ability to quit relying on other's testimonies and to find out the truth for yourself.

The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel. He “witnesses of the Father and the Son” and reveals and teaches “the truth of all things”. We can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive through our natural senses. As we strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger.

#5- We needed a goal. We decided to run a 5K and we all set the goal that we would RUN the entire thing...no walking!

Mike, in a sense, you have just ran your first 5K by being baptized. It's now up to you to set your next goal, to receive the Priesthood, to prepare to go to the temple, and to raise an Eternal Family.