Great Grandparents & Sonya's 2nd Birthday

Great Grampa & Grama came up to visit this past weekend & to see Maria get baptized.

Mark

Some of the grandkids with Great Grampa

Gloria helps make pizza 

Grama holds Maria 

Grampa holds Maria

Taylor 

Matt

Matt being told to smile:) 

Marian

That's one big smile!

Taylor...being Taylor

Isabella loves to play with dolls.

Sonya is excited for her birthday

Hard work!

David 

Grama holds Paul & Maria

Sonya really liked the doll she's holding from Uncle Luke

A Few Family Photos

Todd & Sarah are Maria's sponsors

Joel & Letha family

David & Joanna family

Joel & Letha are Paul's sponsors

Mary, Ben & Paul

Baptism Is Preaching

We can never think highly enough of our baptism.

In baptism I became a Christian, because in that moment I was met by God’s election. In the same way that God once chose Israel, in the same way that He again and again intervened in its history at definitive points with a decisive message, in the same way that He came down to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to go to the lost and once again establish the covenant with them - in the same way God has also in baptism broken into my life’s story, given me a share in the life of Christ, made a 
covenant with me, and said that He has chosen me 
for participation in His kingdom.

David & Joanna with Maria

Mary, Ben, Paul, Joel & Letha 

Todd, Sarah, David, Joanna & Maria  

To appreciate and use Baptism aright, we must draw strength and comfort 

     from it when our sins or conscience oppress us, and we must retort, 

'But I am baptized!' No greater jewel, therefore, can adorn our body 
and soul than baptism which no other kind of life 
and no work on earth can acquire.

Maria being baptized 

Paul being baptized

That baptism truly can be the foundation for a person’s deepest personal

faith—this is rarely seen when one looks out into the world. Rather, the 
vast majority break their baptismal covenant. It can occur through willful 
defiance of God’s commandments or disregard of God himself, which most 
clearly manifests itself in that one never prays and never seeks His church. 
More or less intentionally, man has for his part ended the covenant with 
God. But he is not capable of destroying it. I certainly cannot nullify God’s 
promises; I cannot wipe out the heading which he has written over my life. 
It follows me as an accusation—but also as a promise. I have an 
inheritance, which, it is true, I can scorn, but which nonetheless is 
preserved with God and is waiting for me. Even more so: I have a home. 
I can leave this home and become a prodigal son. But I cannot wipe out 
the fact that I have a home and a Father who has not forgotten His child 
and never ceases to yearn for it. I also cannot prevent Him from 
seeking me and sending offers to me. And this is exactly what God does. 
So this is how man finds the way to God.

Day Three & Four Of Vacation

I like the reflection on the water. 

John & I swam out pretty far on the fun island. 

It was entertaining:) 

One duck came by & John jumped in to scare it away.
20 minutes later 4 more showed up. 

Day Two Of Vacation

John rented a jet ski 

Luke knows how to relax:) 

Picture taken from the jet ski 

John caught this fish w/o a pole or net!

Day One Of Vacation (Yesterday)

We met up with David & Joanna for the afternoon at the water slides in Lake Chelan before they went home from vacation.