Chapter 66

"I'm in the parking lot. Do you want me to come up and get you?" I said into my phone.

"No. Brenda and I are coming down." Ashlee said and then the two of them came out of her apartment. I was early still, the sun just coming up in the eastern sky. They were dressed in sweats both carrying a large bag. I too was dressed in jeans with a polo shirt. My bag was in the back of the Jeep and so when they came down, I got out, took their bags and threw them into the back of the jeep. Ashlee and I exchanged quick hugs and kisses, Brenda wanted a hug and a kiss but her kiss was on her cheek since she is the daughter I never had.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked them both.

"Yes." Brenda said from the back seat with confidence.

"I am too, just not so sure about being dunked in a pool in front the entire church is all." ashlee said.

"Well, I'll be there with you so please don't worry about it. My parents will be in the audience, your parents will be there as well and so will Amber and Alex. Everybody else, well everyone needs a cheering crowd when they get baptised."

"Oh, have you practiced what you are going to say?" Ashlee asked me.

"Sure have. I have the whole thing written down on note cards if I need them."

"Dad, is it right that you do the baptism, not one of the preachers?"

"Honey, you and I both know what the Bible said. It doesn't say that only a preacher or priest is supposed to doing them. The Bible says that we are supposed to go out preaching the good news and baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. You remember that from the new members class."

"Ya I know. So much stuff to remember."

Ashlee turned in her seat and talked to her daughter. "Honey. This is new to both of us. Please don't worry. I have nothing but good feelings since we started the class and today will be the end of that class. Its all going to be fine."

"Ok mom. If you get that feeling again, let me know."

It is the middle of February and my girls are getting baptised today. After we got home from Christmas and New Years, we expressed interest in them joining the church and getting baptised. The church enrolled them in a class that introduced new Christians to church and what it means to be a Christian. It is one of the special things that my church does. then when the class is over, everyone comes down to the front of the church and the people there come and greet them in a long receiving line across the front of the sanctuary. Sam and i did it when we changed churches years ago. Now, Ashlee and Brenda are finishing it and since they were saved over Christmas, this class for them will culminate in a baptism.

Everyone in the class heard about their conversion in my family home with my parents and the spiritual struggle they had and they real physical struggle they both had and it blew everyone away. no one had ever seen or heard about such an event, but we looked it up and events like this have happened in the Bible. Demons being kicked out of people's bodies were real and Jesus did it several times. We were not Jesus, but his power must have gone through us and Ashlee and Brenda had something expelled from their bodies when they accepted Jesus into their lives. We may never know what it was in this life, but when we get to heaven, all will be revealed.

"Ok, here we are." I found a parking space close to the building and we unloaded, grabbed our bags and went inside.

The baptism coordinator met us at the door and she was so happy to see us. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you all!" A short bubbly woman in her 60's hugged us all and then led us to the dressing rooms upstairs and behind the sanctuary. Ashlee and Brenda were led into the girls dressing room and I was led into the men's. of course. How else would it work in a church?

"Paul. So glad to see you. How are you doing? Excited?" the pastor asked me when I got to the dressing room. He had on his fishing waders standing by the sink.

"Pastor Jerry." We exchanged handshakes and manly hugs. "I'm very excited. I don't want to screw this up for them is all. This is their day to show obedience to their salvation and I don't want to mess it up for them. You know."

"Don't worry about it. You won't and can't. I have done this hundreds of times so let me walk you through it."

He did. There is a safety bar bolted to the bottom of the pool. Ashlee and Brenda will put their toes under it and use it to come back up and to brace themselves when I dunk them. They will have their hands over their hearts and all you have to do is guide them in and out.

"So let me get this straight." I went through the motions and he clapped me on the back saying I'll do fine.

"Do you want to use a pair of my waders or did you bring a suit with you?"

If your waders are big enough, I'll take those. Thank you."

He went to a closet along the back wall and pulled out several until we found a pair with feet big enough to fit me. I stepped into them we then adjusted the shoulder straps so that they would stay up. I put on the robe, or gown, everyone wears during this ceremony and I left the dressing room to wait for my girls. Jerry and I didn't have to wait very long. Ashlee and Brenda came out wearing the same robes that we had on but with bear feet. We hugged again and Jerry got a chance to hug both of them congratulating them on their decision. We stood together and Jerry asked if he could pray for us. We of course accepted and we stood in a circle holding hands and he prayed for us.

"Dear Heavenly Father. You have brought these two people into your family through extraordinary means and an extraordinary events. We praise you for working so hard to save these two ladies souls. you are a powerful God and a Loving Father to have sacrificed your Son on the cross so that events like this could be possible. Bless this event. Bless this family. Build a hedge of protection around them and bless them beyond anything they could imagine. Paul has been through so much and yet here he is about to get married and start anew. Ashlee and Brenda have been alone for a long time and you have kept them safe for this moment even while they didn't know you. You are an amazing Lord, so loving and caring. Thank you Lord Jesus. now please watch over us and bless these two as they submit to believer's baptism. Through Jesus we pray. Amen."

I had a few tears falling from my eyes. The enormity of the events leading up to this kind of caught up with me. Ashlee and Brenda felt the same since they had a couple of tears in their eyes as well.

"Ok, the music is going to start, they are going to sing one song then the curtain will go up and we will file down into the pool and I'll give the introduction and hand it over to you Paul. You say what you have to say and then you get the honor of baptising your future bride and future daughter." he looked between the three of us. "I don't think I have ever been part of this sort of thing, but thank you for letting us be part of it."

Ashlee opened her mouth first. "You are welcome, but Jesus did all the work. We were in the right place at the right time and allowed the Holy Spirit to do the good work God had planned for us."

"You are very correct Ashlee. So very correct." Jerry said.

We took our seats in the chairs they have back stage and we waited. "What suit are you wearing?" I asked Ashlee while we waited.

"That one piece orange and yellow one. Do you think it'll show through?"

I picked at the hem of my gown, "Not likely. This feels like pretty heavy cotton if you ask me. Beside, so what if they do."

Ashlee and I held hands while we waited. Brenda took my other hand and I got to sit waiting while holding hands with two very important woman in my life.

The music started and people started singing. It was all very normal for a Sunday morning. When the music stopped one of the other members of the church took the mic and started talking. "Good morning. We have a wonderful service for us and we are going to start with a family baptism with a wonderful story."

The speaker went quiet and the screen we were behind lit up and Ashlee voice came on. "Hi, I'm Ashlee Davis and I'm here for baptism." The music came on then went off. "My fiance and his family saved my life and soul last Christmas. I grew up in a home where normality was not your normal. when Paul's family talked to me about Jesus and salvation a force kept me from saying anything. A battle of a spiritual type was battling within me. I was being held back and only while Paul and his family were praying that I was able to speak and confess I believe in Jesus and was saved. Paul and his family lead us to salvation and I look forward to marrying him in a few months."

Then moments later, Brenda's voice was heard. "Hi, I'm Brenda Davis and my mom and I are here for baptism. My future father and his family prayed for us and lead us to Jesus and his saving grace. I also was caught up in a spiritual battle that held me down, kept me from talking and prevented me from accepting Jesus. While I was caught up in this battle, they prayed for us. Prayed for our souls and if not for them and the saving blood of Jesus, I wouldn't be here today to be baptised. I owe my salvation to Jesus, my new dad Paul and my new grandparents."

While Ashlee's video was playing on the other screen, the curtain in front of us went up and we moved into position. Brenda's video played and Ashlee moved to stand in front of me and Jerry stepped forward and introduced us. "Good morning everyone. I have the distinct pleasure of introducing Paul Johnson, Ashlee Davis and her daughter Brenda Davis. They have come forward to be baptised in believer's baptism. They have asked that Paul do the honors. It is not often that a man gets to baptise someone and when he gets to baptise his own fiance and future daughter, well that is an events of biblical proportion."

He stepped back and I stepped forward. "Thank you Jerry. Yes, this is my fiance, we are going to be married this spring and I couldn't be happier about it. She helped put my heart back together after it was broken by the lose of my wife and children. She helped me to love again and now I get to welcome her into my family and into the family of believers that we all belong to." I put my hand on Ashlee shoulder and asked her the question. "Ashlee, do you believe that Jesus is your God and Savior?"

She said "I do."

"Then it is my great honor and pleasure that to baptise you as my sister in Christ in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." I gently laid her back and helped her submerge herself under the water and then brought her up. When she broke the surface of the water, she wiped the water from her face and then threw her arms around me and hugged me. The audience clapped and a few people even cheered vocally. She stepped aside and Brenda stepped up. "Brenda may not be my flesh and blood, but she is daughter that I never had. After the battle she had to confess her commitment to Jesus, this is a special occasion that is even more important." Brenda stepped in front of me and I put my hand on her shoulder. "Brenda, do you accept and believe that Jesus is your Lord and Savior?"