Susan Evans McCloud - Im Going To Be Baptized

The next day,the Sabbath, was a beautiful day. A robin sang from the elm tree so loudly thatJared, up in his bedroom, could hear. There were delicate pink roses and saucy yellowdaffodils growing in Sarah's garden. Even the dear sky shone a brilliant blue as if it sharedin the special joy of theday.

Today Jared would receive the second partof the ordinancethe baptism of the Holy Ghostwhich would confirm him a memberof The Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints. Now at last hisname could be recordedas an official, permanent memberof the Church!

He sat in the quiet chapel beside his mother, his mind almosttoo full, too excited to think. His Grandpa and Grandma Campbell were here andhis Grandma Davis; all his aunts and uncles and cousins, too. He wondered ifGrandpa Davis could see him now and what he thought of Matthew Williams, sittingquietly beside his own grandfather, all clean in a suit and tie, gettingconfirmed a member of the Church.

Jared knew he would still have to help Matthew. People don'tchange and grow strongovernight. Matthew wouldneed a lot of loveand friendship to help him live the commandments and choose the right. But the thought didn't bother Jared. It wasn't so bad beingMatthew's friend anymore.And besides, Jared had learned asecret. He haddiscovered that everything he did to help Matthew helped himself! Hehad never felt so happy ashe had thesepast weeks when he hadbeen thinking and working and praying for somebody else.

When themoment came, Jared walked upwith his father to the front of thechapel. He sat onthe chair placed especially for him. He feltthe warm weight of hisfather's hands laid onhis head.Then the handsof the bishop and his grandfather andhis uncles were added. These were the hand s of men he loved, men he trusted,men who held power and authority from on high and were prepared to use itin Jared's behalf.

His father calledhim by name and thenspoke some of the mostbeautiful words Jared had ever heard:

"We, the Eldersof Israel, lay our handsupon your head and confirm you a member of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and we say untoyou, receive the Holy Ghost."

A feeling of absolute joy coursed through Jared. Hefelt he would remember this beautiful moment the rest of his life. He knew theHoly Ghost was a gift from Heavenly Father, and he felt both proud and humbleto know that he, Jared Campbell, was willing and worthy to receive it. Hewanted the Holy Ghost to be with him always, and he wanted to live so that oneday he, too, would be worthy to hold the priesthoodthe power to act in thename of God. What a joy it would be to bless the lives of others as his father had blessedhis own life today!

The first face Jared saw when he opened his eyes was Matthew's. For amoment the two boys smiled at each other across the room, and Jared knew thatperfect happiness whichcomes from sharinglight and happiness with someone else. The glow of that happiness lighted Jared's face as he rosehis father's arm warm around himto shake hands with the men who were waiting to welcome him into theChurch, into membership in our Heavenly Father'skingdom upon the earth.

Copyright 1982 by Susan Evans McCloud.

All rights reserved. This book or anypart thereof may not be reproduced in any form whatsoever, whether by graphic,visual, electronic, filming, microfilming, tape recording, or any other meanswithout the prior written permission of Bookcraft, Inc., except in the case ofbrief passages embodied in critical reviews and articles.

Bookcraft is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.

Visit us at deseretbook.com

ISBN 0-88494-512-X

eISBN 978-1-62973-910-6

First printing, 1983

Cover art and interior illustrations by Vicki Jacobson.

Lithographed in the United States of America

PUBLISHERS PRESS

Salt Lake City. Utah

The late spring sun was pale, but it felt warm on Jared's head as he walked along Fourth South. Kitty-corner across the street stood the junior high school, and, even from this distance, Jared could recognize several of his friends among the boys who jumped and hollered and stretched to catch the ball. The boy at bat hit a high left-fielder that arched to the edge of the baseball diamond. Jared watched it hit and disappear somewhere in the straggly bushes along the sidewalk.

It was Sunday afternoon, and Jared wasn't out to play ball. He had told Adam, his best friend, in Sunday School that morning that he guessed he wouldn't see him at the game. Adam always asked him if he was going to play with the guys on Sunday, and Jared always told him no. But that never seemed to make any difference to Adam. Jared didn't play on Sunday because that's what his parents had taught himthat you keep the Sabbath day holy, that you only do certain, special things on the Lord's day. And now that he was nearly eight it wasn't even hard for Jared to say no. It was what he wanted to do himself, without anyone having to tell him that it was the right thing to do.

Jared was on his way home from running an errand for his mother. She had sent him with a pie and a loaf of homemade bread to Sister Briggs who lived threeblocks away. SisterBriggs was sick again, and Jared's mother was worried. And the reason shesent Jared and not one of his older brothersor sisters was because RachelBriggs was Jared'sage. And, even though she was a girl, Jaredliked her a lot, and his motherknew it, and soshe knew that Jared wouldbe the perfectone to take the pie and bread.

Now he was at the corner,and he could have turned and gone the longway home to avoid the boys, but it was too late. Billy Jones had already spotted him. He and Dennis Adams were holleringto him with their hands cupped around their mouths, andthere was no way Jared could walk around the comer and ignorethem now.

So he crossed thestreet to the junior high. He walked slowly, with his hands stuck in hispockets and his eyes looking everywhere but at the group of boys on the field.Jared wasn't afraid, exactly. He liked to fight, and he knew there wasn't a boythere he'd be scared to wrestle with. But Jared hated having someone make funof him. And he knew that was exactly what would happen if he refused to enterthe game.

Sure enough,as soon as Jim Jensenhad shown Jaredhis new cub scoutpocket knife and Tom Longhad bragged aboutthe five stitchesin his leg fromwhere he rode his bikeinto a fence, Dennis asked Jared if he'dstay and join the game; they couldsure use a good pitcher.And when Jared said nohe'dlike to, but he couldn'tthe guys just kind of stood there. But MatthewWilliams leaned on his bat and laughed and said, "Jared's afraidhis daddy will give him a lickin'if he stays." A few of the boyslaughed at that.

"Or maybe he's afraid he'll get all dirty and be late for Church," Matthew taunted. He just wouldn't shut up.

Finally Jared had totum his back and walk off, with the sound of Matthew's laughter following him. He felt his face burning, and he realized that his hands in his pocketswere tightened into fists. He tried to relax. He tried to not hate Matthew Williams.Jared forced himself to think of the words of the song whichhad always helped him so much in the past.

Dare to do right ... dare to be true,

You have a work that no other can do;