The announcement I promised about my new writing blog is at the bottom of this post, so persevere! This post turned out a lot longer then I expected it to be...
I brought up getting baptized to my mom in early November 2016 (sometime in the first week) and our church was having a baptism class that Sunday, so I went to that class on the thirteenth of November.
Basically, the class explained baptism using the Bible and went through some of the more practical stuff for the actual process of being baptized (what to wear, what to say, etc.). That week I wrote out my testimony. (Which is really simple and short... Here's a link to a Google Doc of it.) I sent it to the pastor in charge of baptisms, and then the leader of the student ministries, who would be the one actually baptizing me.
The next Sunday was the twentieth, the day I was going to be baptized. I don't know if this has been made clear yet on this blog, but if not, I'll tell you now. I get really nervous talking in front of people. Basically any group of people who aren't really good friends. Which is basically any group of people. XD And the nerves get way worse if I know that it's going to be happening.
In other words, if we were at some event at church or with our youth group, and someone asked me to give my testimony, I would do it, and I'd probably have a mini panic attack right there, but I'd be able to do it and it wouldn't be a huge deal. If I knew that I would be giving my testimony at that event, I would be way more nervous then that split second of nervousness before I started (in the other scenario).
That probably didn't make it any clearer, but I tried, so props to me. :)
Anyway - next Sunday was the day I was going to be baptized. I obviously went to church... After the second service, our youth group leader (Justin - he was filling in while we found another youth pastor because our old youth pastor moved to be the head pastor of a church in Ohio) was going to interview me... I wasn't at all sure what he was going to ask me or how it was going to go, so that made my nerves way worse.
So after the first service, I made my way down the hill to our youth group buildings and managed to make it through the sermon without thinking about what was coming too much. While we were singing the last set of songs, I got nerves really bad.
But I made it through and managed to go up to Justin and we talked. It wasn't bad at all, and it probably helped that Justin was (and is) really nice and has always been super approachable. He just asked me to tell him the gospel, and then to do my testimony (but just on my own, not reading from a paper). Then he prayed for me, and that actually made me feel a lot better nerves-wise (which I guess is a pretty obvious outcome, but it surprised me in the moment).
That evening was the thanksgiving service (something we do on the evening of the Sunday before Thanksgiving every year) and that's when I was going to get baptized. I actually don't remember being super nervous at home - which is sort of strange. I was probably reading and getting things ready to the degree that I didn't think about it.
So then we left to go eat dinner before the service. One of my friends was also getting baptized that night, so we ate together at the Habit near church. I think I probably managed two or three bites of food before I gave it up. Like I mentioned in my post on government class, I don't eat much if I'm nervous because my stomach doesn't feel the best.
After we finished dinner, we left to go to church. We got there, went over to the little pool thing they had set up in the corner of our sanctuary (kinda like an indoor hot tub) and talked about what order we were going to go in, what mike to speak into when you gave your testimony, etc. Then I went and changed into my swimsuit. It was really weird walking around the sanctuary in my swimsuit - especially since almost everyone else was dressed way nicer. XD
Then the music started and we sang. And sang, and sang and sang. And then sang some more. As the end of each song got close, I got really nervous that it was going to be time to go, then another song would start, I'd have a moment of relief, and then the end of that song would approach... You get the picture.
Finally, the last song was sung, and the pastor in charge of baptisms and all that (Pastor Nah) came up and gave a brief introduction. I was going first (which I was really thankful for), but I remember that feeling of dread as I was just about to stand up and walk over to the little music stand thing they had set up. Even remembering that feeling makes me nervous. XD
But as soon as I actually got up and went and started to read my testimony, I felt way better. In fact, I felt so good that I actually tried to look up into the audience and not just stare at my paper. Honestly, I couldn't see a single person because all the lights were pointing at me and there were no other lights on. But I made an effort! :)
After I read my testimony, I went around, slipped my flip-flops off and got into the baptismal. (I think that's what it's called.) Justin asked me a few questions (which I answered yes to), and then he and my dad dunked me in the water. I remember coming up and feeling really relieved that it was over (and that no water had gotten up my nose).
I also remember thinking that it was really quiet, but then the water got out of my ears and I could hear people clapping. I got out of the water and wrapped up in a towel. I also managed to forget my flip-flops, but one of the ushers got them for me.
Then I waited for my friend to get baptized so I could see it. After she came out, we walked around the edge of the building into the bathrooms on the other side. I remember it being really cold outside - probably partly because it was and partly because I was sopping wet still. I was also pretty high on adrenaline, so I felt really giddy and relieved that it was over.)
We changed into our normal clothes and brushed our hair, then made our way back to our seats. I honestly barely remember the rest of the service because I was so thankful it was over and that I could just relax and not feel nervous about it. XD
Afterwards, I think every single person I knew that was there came up to me and said congratulations - and quite a few that I didn't know! I still think it's kinda weird that people would congratulate you for obeying the Bible... But I was thankful that they said something to me.
The baptismal really smelled like chlorine (really strongly), and so my hair smelled that way the whole next day. I remember smelling it to remind myself that I had actually gotten baptized. And even now, whenever I smell chlorine, I think about getting baptized. That's one sort of strange takeaway from my baptism! :)
I think that's basically all I have to say! It was a pretty neat experience - though I'm thankful it's over and that I'll never have to do it again. And if I could say one thing to Anna-one-year-ago, it would be: calm down. You'll do fine, and it's really not all that bad. You're making it a huge deal with your nerves and you really don't have to.
Here's the big announcement I'm sure you've all been dying to hear. My new blog's name is Grace Iolene. Grace is the Hebrew translation of my name (Anna), and Iolene is my middle name (pronounced the same as Eileen or however else you want to spell it). Iolene is a family name, hence the strange spelling. Next week I'll share the URL and you can check out the few things I have set up on there in preparation for my first post on Friday, December 1st.
Whelp! Thanks for reading, I hope you were encouraged or enjoyed that, and I'll see you next week. (And happy Thanksgiving, too! Wish me luck in the Gobbler Games.)
~Anna
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