A couple of months ago, Jaimee came to me and said "mum, all my questions about baptism have been answered. I want to be baptised". Our hearts rejoice at this decision to follow Jesus personally - something we have been praying our children will decide to do since before they were born. When Jaimee asked what she should say, I asked her "well, what is your life like without Jesus?". She replied "my life wouldn't even be my life without Jesus mum!". 
On the 6th December, Jaimee declared these words in front of her church family, family and friends: "I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. Without Jesus I wouldn't be me because He is the most important person in my life. I want to be baptised because I want to show the world that I want to live for Him".
Jaimee asked to be baptised by mummy, and daddy really wanted to sing to his little girl when she came out of the water so Jaimee asked Katie Spurgeon if she would baptise her too. Katie has been a big part of our lives, when Jaimee was in her hip spica casts, Katie used to come and entertain her after school, and Katie has been coming over weekly almost ever since. Daddy sung one of Jaimee's favourite worship songs (Covered) to her during her baptism. The words are so appropriate: no matter what I've done, you have removed my shame....I am covered by Your Grace, beautiful Grace.
It was a bit emotional baptising my own daughter! After asking Jaimee whether she declares Jesus as the Lord and Savior of her life, I choked up when saying that "It gives me great joy to baptise you.." and I had to take a breathe to compose myself before finishing that! Jaimee had practised going backwards in our pool at home with her nose covered! We always fully immerse in baptism, showing the total washing away of sin and the coming up washed clean. Then Katie and I prayed for Jaimee to be fulled with the Holy Spirit and to know God's love always and to seek Him always. 
After the baptisms of Charlotte Woodruffe, Sarah Terry and Kriztian Leyser, it was time for sharing verses of encouragement. I shared Psalm 119:105-112 with Jaimee, as I felt this week that these words were for her to hold onto. Marty spoke of God's plan for her life, mentioning that she was a miracle birth for us, and that God had carried her through her big hip operations too. He read from Psalm 37. Poppa told Jaimee to wake up each morning imagining that God was looking around to see who He could use today. He said to imagine jumping up tall and saying "pick me, pick me!!". Granma shared some words from Micah for Jaimee and mentioned that the verses mummy had given her were special for her family also. In cards, Jaimee was given Psalm 46 by Katie to read, Proverbs 3:6 by Granny and Grampa Muz, Numbers 6:24-26 by Oma and Poppa and Hebrews 11:1 from her Godparents, the Dempsey family. Jaimee was delighted to recieve a beautiful plaque with her own favourite verse (philippians 4:13) on it from the Dempseys too.
We had a big potluck lunch at our home afterwards to celebrate! We presented Jaimee with a simple gold cross necklace to remind her that Jesus took her sins away on the cross. We were surrounded by loved ones who have impacted Jaimee's life and been praying for her and we felt great joy at having all the grandparents represented at her baptism as well as having her great nana, the Sunleys, the Puts, the Dempseys, the Winters, the Spurgeons, the Brewertons, the Gibbs cousins, her best friends Annaliese's family and her teacher Ms V celebrate along with us.
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