...is Hannah Rae

"Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children..." Acts 2:38 (The Message)

I had the honor to mentor my niece, Hannah, as she journeyed through the confirmation process over the past four months. Hannah has so many great attributes but one is that she is a very insightful and intelligent girl. She doesn't just accept something because I say it or she's grown up hearing it. She wants to truly understand for herself what God's Word means for her. It was amazing how she would grapple with a concept until she made sense out of it. Then, she would put it in context and bam, it would be integrated in her life. 

Like when she made a decision to follow Christ and give Him her life. She did not do this lightly or because she 'had to'. She spent weeks wrestling with this. She knew it meant giving some things up, but she also knew it meant receiving so much more. She asked tough questions; the kind that made me think about my own beliefs. When she made her decision, it was firm. Then, she expressed her internal decision through baptism.  

I can't even put into words what this experience was like for me and I can only imagine what it was like for her. What I do know is that God has His Hand on our family and His redemption is available to us all. I am amazed and humbled that God allowed me to be a part of Hannah's life and share in one of her most monumental life experiences. I love this sweet girl.