Monday, June 1, 2009

Little Boy, Big Splash!


Daddy sharing from God's Word



Son sharing from his heart








The hug that waited for his big brother





What words could I possibly use to express my heart. I have none. I will let my Joshua's own words splash you today, the words he shared with 65 loved ones who came to celebrate this special day with him.

Hola! My name is Joshua and I'm 7. I live in Costa Rica with my family. We're missionaries.

I have a strong relationship with Jesus. I love him. I talk to him. He speaks to me and I hear his voice. And he loves me.

I will follow Jesus my whole life. Because he's the son of God and I'm going to do what God tells me in the Bible. (this part he actually sang as we memorize verses to music) "For God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only son. Anyone who believes in him will not die, but will have eternal life." - John 3:16

The Bible is my favorite book. My favorite books in the Bible are Joshua, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. I have read all of the gospels and Acts. I stopped in Romans because there are hardly any stories. So now, I'm reading all different parts of the Old Testament. There's a lot of good stories there.

I asked to be baptized because I want to follow Jesus with all my heart, soul, body and strength. So I want to do what Jesus did and be baptized.

I'm saying to the whole world that I'm going to live for Jesus, my whole life.

Thank you for coming to celebrate this wonderful day with me. I'm really excited.

For those unable to come, we wanted to share a little video we made and shared at his baptism celebration to highlight the amazing ways God has already used our Joshua's life.

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60 comments:

Anonymous said...

My heart too swells with love for Jesus as I watch my family proclaim their love and share Him with the world. All of you live your lives for the King and this is just one more example of kingdome living. I love you...see you in a few hours!!! Mom

Annie Cole said...

I'm in awe of your son!! I pray to be able to raise up men of God like your little man is. I can see that Christ loving spirit in your family.

Thank you for your comment on my blog. I'll be coming back to see your blog soon. God Bless!

-Annie

Sharon Sloan said...

Oh my....I have happy tears! How beautiful! Thank you for sharing this with me! I am going to share it with our cherubs! So beautiful.

Matthew Dana said...

Thank you for sharing this moment with us! It is amazing to see your ministry to your family.

In Christ,
Matt and Jess Dana

Jill said...

I just finished reading your email and watching the video. As I wrote to you in the email - what a testimony your precious Joshua gets to Joshua and praising God for his love of Jesus at such a young age.

What a beautiful testimony of your parenting and training them in the way they should go!

Big hugs and lots of love!
Jill

Adeye said...

A young man after God's own heart! What a treasure you have, friend. What beautiful pictures you have to celebrate such a special day, such amazing memories that he will carry with him all the days of his life.

Thank you for sharing your memories with us. Such joy!

Love and hugs.

Mike Warner said...

What a blessing that we were able to share in this most Special Day with you and your family, thank you. Joshua is a true Warrior of God in the making and your loving guidance shows through as a rainbow shining over a freshly washed patch of earth. Blessing to you and your family.

The Warners

Lori at JOY Unspeakable said...

SO WONDERFUL! God has BIG plans for that sweet boy!

Stephanie @ My Answered Prayer said...

How awesome!!! There is nothing greater than seeing a child love God like this.

RCUBEs said...

Your son is inspirational at such a very young age. Thank you for sharing his powerful testimony of his love for the Lord. But as parents, you also serve the Lord heartily and you are his great examples of that heart that is willing to serve Jesus. May God bless you all.

reanna said...

Awww how precious!!! I believe the Lord has big plans for your little ones :)

Andrea said...

What a beautiful testimony of faith from your precious little one. No doubt, GOD has big plans for this little guy! I am praising GOD with you for your precious little one's decision, understanding, and commitment.
GOD bless, andrea

Mich said...

Beautiful...

What a sparkle this little man already has!
Thanks for a beautiful post, it really toched my heart this morning.

When were you in Asia? What part? That is where I lived with my family while we were on our missionary journey.

Jelli said...

Congratulations to all of you. I'm sure that God was smiling really big that day. Your family is such a blessing. Just the other day I was remembering watching Veggie Tales and eating many pancake variations in your little San Rafael house.

Blessings,
April (and Jonathan)

Mich said...

I have left three comments on three posts this morning and I always forget to proof before hitting publish...spelled words wrong in every one of them...maybe I should go back to bed and start the day over. :)

I meant to say "touched."

love2bmom said...

thank you for sharing Sarah Dawn.......such a touching account of how God calls the little ones to Him......

Carolee

Anonymous said...

thank you so much for sharing, this just blesses my heart. CONGRATULATIONS JOSHUA!

Anonymous said...

So glad we were able to come!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations again! I loved the video!!! Have a blessed day!!
Nancie

Anonymous said...

Congrats  Joshua!!!!!  May God continue to use you little one.

Anonymous said...

Es Asombroso ver como ustedes son una gran familia y ver como Joshua decidio bautizarse.
Casi estoy llorando de la emocion de ver a un niño amar tanto a Dios.
Mil FElicidades.
Familia de la Cruz (Claudia)

Joyeful said...

Wow!! What an amazing testimony little Joshua has! I can't tell you have much his letter blessed me. I love what he wrote: "I have a strong relationship with Jesus. I love him. I talk to him. He speaks to me and I hear his voice. And he loves me." Yes! Yes! Yes! Praise God!!

And just for fun I have an award for you on my blog.

Anonymous said...

DearSarah,
What a beautiful blogspot you have! very inviting and refreshing..! it really shows you!
Is so precious to read about Joshua's baptism, and to see his pictures, it make you feel so part of it!
Congratulations to the whole family in this new journey with Jesus in Joshua's life.

See you soon!

Love,
Gaby

Kendra Lee said...

That is so awesome! My husband was privileged to baptize our youngest in April - God is so good!!

momstheword said...

I loved what he shared, what a heart for God he has! "He speaks to me and I hear His voice." That's what it's all about!

Love what he said about Romans, lol!

I will have to try and see the video later, for some reason it kept stopping on me.

Anonymous said...

Amazing - Praising God with you!
Joshua, you are a true warrior for Jesus!

Elisa

Carrie said...

Thanks for stopping by with such sweet words!

This was an amazing testimony to see how much love and understanding a little boy can have for our Jesus! What wonderful pictures! THanks for sharing...I feel like I was a part of it :)
Blessings,
Carrie

Amber said...

How beautiful! His words are precious.

My heart swelled with joy when my son was saved and baptized. It is such a special time for the entire family.

Thanks for sharing.

Tara said...

Thanks for visiting my blog :)

I love your sons heart... what grace upon his life at such a young age! I will pray for your family as you seek to adopt & bring the gospel to bear!

Unknown said...

Congrats to all! LOVE IT Joshua!

Anonymous said...

hoooray for joshua!!! congratulations!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Bedenkops,
BEAUTIFUL simply beautiful!
What a treat to see and hear the celebration of Joshua's baptism!
We rejoice with you.
Our prayers are with you, dear ones.
God's richest blessings on you as you seek to spread His name on the earth
and especially in Costa Rica!
with LOTS of love,
the Keparutis family

christy rose said...

Sarah,
This is so precious! Joshusa stating his love for the Lord and His determination to always live his life for Him at age 7. Wow! God is so good!
Thanks for sharing this sweet moment in your life.
Christy

Julianne said...

Hi there,
I just wanted to say thanks for stopping by my new blog too. I've only been blogging for a couple weeks now. I had to smile when I saw your boys' names because my two boys' names are Caleb (4 yrs) and Joshua (3 yrs) too. I have two girls too, a 6 year old and a 1 year old.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by, I'll be sure to stop by yours again too.
Julianne :)

Lori said...

Wow - what a wonderful moment to capture and share. As a parent I can't think of a higher accomplishment than to watch your child accept Jesus into his life wholeheartedly. Bet your family is still rejoicin'! :)

Ana Degenaar said...

WOW! What a beautiful thing to experience as parents, I wonder when my daughter's time will come along, right now I'm just praying and trying to teach my 11month-old princess about our loving and kind Father in Heaven.
By the way, we have a new section over at Everyday M.moms, calledMissionary Moms' Nests! Come Join it!

Anonymous said...

What a joy you Joshua is!
I love the video.
♥ Hope

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and letting me know you're following. I 'll be following yours also. I have enjoyed and been blessed by reading yours today. I can see that you are a woman with a heart for God. It blesses me to see families following God in missions, I have always had a heart for missions. May God bless you and your family, Sharon

Jen said...

Sarah Dawn,

I am rejoicing with you, my friend! What a blessed day when we see our own children making a public commitment to Christ and sharing their testimony. The blessings are raining on you now!

Jenn

God, My Savior Forever! said...

Hi Sarah! Como estas? Thank you so much for choosing to follow my blog. I am quit honored! It's so amazing to know that you are serving the Lord in my bueatiful country Costa Rica!!!! I was born and raised there and get to go back once in a while. My last trip was bitter sweet because I got to have my birthday party other there (last bday over there was when I turned 8) so it was awesome but my grandfather whom I helped care for for two weeks died a few days after my birthday:( He was like a father to me and I miss him every day. I do thank God for allowing me to spend his last days by his side! We are from Pavas in San Jose. Where in Costa Rica do u guys live? What church? So neat!!!

Awesome pictures...of such a sweet and precious moment in the life of your son! I choked up as I read what he shared with so many...it's unbelieable to know that this came from such a young boy's heart.....only God can do that! This also shows me that he has strong, godly parents who have invested alot of time teaching him and being examples "doers of the Word". You guys inspire me to be a strong godly mommy when God blesses us with our babies. So you guys adopted? We have been talking about it. We've been trying to concieve for 3 yrs. Our heart's deepest desire is to have a baby. We are praying for direction to see if adoption is God's will for us.

Have a blessed day! PURA VIDA!!!!!

Your sis in Christ,
Susan

Anonymous said...

Sarah,
Oh my goodness! I give a BIG Congratulations to Joshua!! This is wonderful he gave his heart to Jesus and is now baptized! May He live a long and beautifully intimate relationship with Abba Jesus Holy Spirit!

Blessings,
~Amy :)

Warren Baldwin said...

God bless you, Joshua, for your wonderful decision. And God bless your family for leading you in this wonderful direction. And, of course, thanks be to God for allowing us to be his children.

Sarah Dawn - great post. From the growth of your following it looks like your writing is catching on! Congratulations.

When I baptize children I sometimes have them write down their thoughts and feelings about their decision. We then put it in an envelope, seal it, and give it to the parents to hold until they become older teenagers or young adults. Hopefully, it will be a source of encouragement and uplift for them. You have done something similar right here. Great job!

Warren

Anonymous said...

How touching!!!!!! I became teary when I read his letter, you must be one proud mama (sniffs) and hey... this post is perfect for your blog title, Splashin' Glory indeed!!

Cynthia said...

What an amazing boy. I have no doubt his words are true
"He speaks to me and I hear his voice"

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

I came by yesterday, read the post and then had to come back to take a second look. Can we ever get enough of God's grace? You've captured it -- grace -- so well here.

Indescribable beauty.

Pilar said...

Wow, what a blessing!

It is so amazing that you son is so mature spiritually already.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful and God loving life you lead. I have looked back at your older posts and I love reading all about you and your family.

Four Buttons said...

Welcome to the family of God Joshua!! What a joy it is to embrace Jesus into your heart! Thank you so much for sharing those heartfelt words from your son Sarah, I am greatly encouraged as I have little ones who I am praying for daily to follow in Christ's footsteps. I was greatly blessed by this, thank you and Praise God. "I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

What a beautiful post. Enjoyed reading your blog tonight. I am still finding my way around blogland....I always love making new friends..I am posting about Disney so hope you will stop by. Commenting automatically puts you in the drawing for the June giveaway.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for splashing around by my blog, Sarah Dawn! I love meeting new friends in "blogland", especially those who love the Lord as I do. Your family is beautiful and your blog is a blessing to me today. What a beautiful moment watching your firstborn be immersed into our Lord.
You have added "splashes" of sunshine in my life today...thanks!

Laura McCann
'She Who Must Be Obeyed'

Anonymous said...

AWESOME!

Lindsey @ A New Life said...

Oh my goodness, that brought tears to my eyes! What a precious gift!

I wanted to stop by and say hello, and I love your header and blog design! So cute!

Blessings,
Lindsey

Teresa @ Grammy Girlfriend said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a sweet comment.


I just posted my last Disney post...Hope it will bring you a smile. Your blog sure brought me one today.

AtlantaMama said...

amazing pictures... so neat. God is good!!!

Elle said...

I loved the video. Those pictures of your son with other children of different races are priceless. I love the one at the end too...so cute. Beautiful family.

Sue said...

That is SO special. You must be so proud of your little guy. Can't imagine how excited his Father in Heaven was too!!

Hugs

PW said...

Congratulations on your son's baptism!! How special is his testimony!!!!!

Tana said...

That blessed my heart! May the Holy Spirit fill your whole family!

Anne Lang Bundy said...

Joshua, I'm so glad to know your testimony. If you see me around, I've got a huge big hug for you. If you don't see me around, I'll be saving it to give you when I see you in heaven someday.

Wendy said...

Sarah Dawn,
What a wonderful step of obedience for Joshua--Praise the Lord! Thanks for the beautiful photos taken of this special day! God bless you! Wendy