On September 8 & 9, Ryan attended a conference with his Christian School. It was called the "Get Real" Conference. This conference focused on exactly what it said... getting real with yourself, your family, your friends and most of all, God. I knew from the title alone, it would be a great conference for Ryan. He wants so much to please others, but we want so much for him to simply be himself and let his own thoughts and feelings known. We never want him to do anything just because he thinks we want him too, much less salvation and baptism. We've had alot of conversations about it, but have never fenced him into making a decision, that needed to come from him. Honestly, he's gone back and forth as to whether he was a Christian or not. Before you think that's normal for an orphan... Ryan was incredibly blessed in a "spiritual" matter of thinking. He was chosen to attend a Christian summer camp 2 summer's in a row. It was a camp put on by a Riga church. Their members and kids would attend and they would invite some orphanage children as well. Ryan took to "God" like a fish to water. He saw and heard something there, in the message and in the people, that made a huge impression on him. He came to us knowing alot about the bible. Granted it was a head knowledge that we will now apply to the heart, but it was pretty remarkable. In fact, he would travel from his orphanage into Riga city most Sunday's just to see them and attend that church.
Well, at the conference, on the last day, he did walk forward, feeling he had not made a heart decision for God and it was time. That Sunday, he went forward in our church and the following Sunday, September 21st, he was baptized. So that nothing is seen as "ritual," we showed him in the bible where Jesus was baptized. Baptism isn't a thing done over there, so it was important that he understood what he was doing and it was "symbolically" following in the footsteps of Jesus. My dad, who is a pastor, was able to baptize him. He baptized me of course, many moons ago, so it was a real special thing for me to watch my dad baptize my son. God is pretty awesome in general, but that day, it felt as though my heart would explode with the knowledge of the amazing thing he had done in all our lives! Enjoy the photos and God Bless!
On September 8 & 9, Ryan attended a conference with his Christian School. It was called the "Get Real" Conference. This conference focused on exactly what it said... getting real with yourself, your family, your friends and most of all, God. I knew from the title alone, it would be a great conference for Ryan. He wants so much to please others, but we want so much for him to simply be himself and let his own thoughts and feelings known. We never want him to do anything just because he thinks we want him too, much less salvation and baptism. We've had alot of conversations about it, but have never fenced him into making a decision, that needed to come from him. Honestly, he's gone back and forth as to whether he was a Christian or not. Before you think that's normal for an orphan... Ryan was incredibly blessed in a "spiritual" matter of thinking. He was chosen to attend a Christian summer camp 2 summer's in a row. It was a camp put on by a Riga church. Their members and kids would attend and they would invite some orphanage children as well. Ryan took to "God" like a fish to water. He saw and heard something there, in the message and in the people, that made a huge impression on him. He came to us knowing alot about the bible. Granted it was a head knowledge that we will now apply to the heart, but it was pretty remarkable. In fact, he would travel from his orphanage into Riga city most Sunday's just to see them and attend that church. 
Well, at the conference, on the last day, he did walk forward, feeling he had not made a heart decision for God and it was time. That Sunday, he went forward in our church and the following Sunday, September 21st, he was baptized. So that nothing is seen as "ritual," we showed him in the bible where Jesus was baptized. Baptism isn't a thing done over there, so it was important that he understood what he was doing and it was "symbolically" following in the footsteps of Jesus. My dad, who is a pastor, was able to baptize him. He baptized me of course, many moons ago, so it was a real special thing for me to watch my dad baptize my son. God is pretty awesome in general, but that day, it felt as though my heart would explode with the knowledge of the amazing thing he had done in all our lives! Enjoy the photos and God Bless!
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