The Thompson Family: Super SPECIAL!!

October was a big month for the Thompsons! Jack's first birthday, a trip to Chattanooga and a VERY special Sunday! Annie T. was baptized! :)

Two summers ago the girls and I (I was pregnant with Jack) spent the month of July at the beach. Josh was busy with the youth and the girls and I figured it would be much more fun to be alone at the beach than to be alone at home so we packed up and headed down! We were driving back from lunch at our favorite beach restaurant when Annie started asking some questions about Jesus. Our kids have all grown up in church-their dad has been on a church staff since Annie was less than a year old so they're the kiddos who are ALWAYS there, you know anytime the doors were open! Even though I knew that Annie had heard about Jesus and knew that he had died on the cross for our sins, I was a little taken aback at some of the questions she was asking and how much she seemed to be understanding. I was so nervous about answering her questions and guiding her through some confusing stuff. I wanted to make sure I did it in a way that pointed her to Christ rather than making things muddy and confusing-that's a tall order! Part of me really wished her dad was there-he IS a minister, you know. Surely he would be better equipped to answer her questions. I'm just a mom. After I answered all of Annie's questions we spent a few minutes riding in silence. Annie piped up from the backseat "Mom, I'm ready for Jesus to live in my heart." So we prayed. Yep, driving out Ft. Morgan road in our blue Honda Van Annie T. asked Jesus to live in her heart! Favorite. Day. EVER! I let Annie call her daddy and tell him and he was of course just as excited as we were!

Later I thought about what a privilege it was for me to be there and be a part of Annie coming to know Jesus. I still wish Annie's daddy had been able to be there with us and I'm sure that he would have done a better job answering some of her questions but if he had been there I might have just stepped aside and let him do all the talking, let him be one to pray that very special prayer with her. Oh how I would have missed being a part of that! I hope Josh is able to experience it with our other kiddos but I recognize how awesome it is that Annie and I were able to share her decision together.

Since Annie was still so young, we decided to let her take the lead on being baptized and joining the church. We didn't want to push her to do anything she wasn't really ready for doing. We also knew that her age would make some people question the sincerity of her commitment. (Not me! I was there. I know what a real decision it was.) It took awhile but this fall Annie started talking about being baptized. She had seen a baptism and wanted to be baptized too. We took her to talk to our pastor and he agreed that she had made a real decision and understood enough to be baptized.
SO on October 16, 2011 my Annie T. was baptized.....by her daddy! I cannot tell you what that felt like for Josh (awesome, I'm sure) but for me it was precious. To see her make a public profession of her faith in front of her church family and then be baptized by the man who loves her more than anyone else on this earth (except for me, of course) was just beyond words. Josh's parents had already planned a trip to visit so we scheduled Annie's baptism for the weekend they were going to be here. And my crazy mom and grandmother decided they just couldn't stand to miss it either so they made a surprise visit just long enough to see Annie be baptized and eat a little lunch! What fun!