Baptism by Immersion: Nicolaus Fangupo

Nic turned 8 on September 2, 2012. We finally were able to set a date for his baptism that would allow Ti Tonga to be here with us. As the assigned day drew nearer we were thrilled to find out that our family from Salt Lake would be joining us for Nic's special day as well. It was awesome!!! What a memorable day for him and he was so happy to be able to spend it with his family. Congratulations Nici. We are so proud of you.

Nic was baptized on November 3, 2012 at the Las Vegas Spring Mountain Stake. Our ward just split so he was the very first person to be baptized in the Windmill Ward. He was baptized by his Grandpa Tevita Moala and confirmed by his Grandpa Kina Fangupo.

Nine!

I find myself blogging more often on my personal blog, but would like to take time to blog a little on here too cause I know my Mom would love to see updates on her grandkids... so here goes :)

Mote turned 9 last month!

 

 I can't believe how long we've had this little monkey with us =) I feel like so many mother's get sad that their kids grow. I see so many sad faces :( when moms document how their kids are aging... I must be a weirdo because I am the total opposite. I love seeing my kids grow and hit milestones... absolutely LOVE it! When they started crawling - loved it, walking - loved it, went to kindergarten - LOVED it!! I am ECSTATIC to see them learn new things and grow. Some of the cool things that Mote got experience this past year were:
Baptism: He was baptized by his Grandpa Tevita and confirmed by his Grandpa Kina
Scouts: He loves scouts! He's been able to learn some handy things while hanging out with some pretty cool kids. He's earned his wolf badge and has moved on to bears now.
3rd Grade: He got to finish out the school year at Wright Elementary where he's made some great friends. He completed the year by making it on the A-B Honor Roll.
Art: He is still very artistic and brings home so many art projects from school. 
Music: He bought a Recorder from school and really fell in love with it! He mastered several songs which granted him special recognition from his music teacher. He performed for our ward for his talent night which I was so proud of! Glad that he is brave enough to get up in front of a crowd.
With each new year he's grown into a wonderful young man. We are thankful to have him as the oldest child in our family and are grateful for his leadership toward his younger brothers. We are eager to see what this 9th year of life has in store for him. Here's to another year of surprises!

 

 

 

Baptism

Last month my oldest son, Timote, turned 8. Eight is such a special age for us because it is a time in life when you choose for yourself to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Normally I only write about church related things in my personal blog, but I feel impressed to share this special experience from our family. Before I had kids I remember thinking about baptism and how it occurred at the age of 8. I thought 8 was way too young for a child to make a personal decision about religion. I wondered why 8? Why not wait until your older and wiser and have a better grasp on decision making? Why 8? When Mote turned 7 I told my husband that I didn't want Mote to get baptized unless he understood the meaning of it. I didn't want him to get baptized just because you're "supposed to" when you're 8. This summer, as his birthday drew nearer, we talked more and more about the gospel and I could tell he was so excited to get baptized . We scheduled an interview with our bishop and I didn't really know what to expect. When we got to the church I waited out in the hall as Mote went in to the office. I sat outside for longer than I had anticipated. When the door finally opened, the Bishop invited me in to sit next to Mote. He recapped on what he and Mote discussed. They talked about the actual baptism and how it would be conducted. I listened to the Bishop talk and glanced at Mote from time to time. He was so handsome sitting there. I couldn't believe how much he had grown. I sat there and smiled. Together, Mote and the Bishop reviewed with me the covenants Mote would enter. The Bishop explained that Heavenly Father promises that if Mote keeps the commandments and is obedient that he can return to Heavenly Father and live with Him in heaven. When I heard this my eyes filled with tears. I immediately thought of Lauren. I thought of her in heaven, waiting for us to make it back to her. I leaned over and hugged Mote and whispered in his ear "Mote, did you hear that? We'll get to go to heaven and see Rennie." He smiled at me and nodded his head. What a beautiful promise. The realization that I too made this promise at 8 filled my heart with joy. The Bishop said he asked Mote personally if he wanted to be baptized and Mote said yes. I walked out of that office and said a silent prayer of gratitude, thanking Heavenly Father for such a wonderful son who is an example to me, for his character that has helped strengthen my testimony, and for the beautiful covenants that we have and the opportunity to live in heaven with our Father and our family.

Mote got baptized on July 2, 2011. He was baptized by his grandpa Kina (Ti Tonga's Dad) and confirmed by his Grandpa Ti (my Dad). It was so special to see these ordinances take place by these men that mean so much to Mote. It was neat to reflect back on my baptism day as well. I thought a lot about it during Mote's. As I watched Mote and listened to the words that were said that day, I remembered the details of my baptism day and silently renewed those covenants in my heart with my Heavenly Father.

 

I'm so proud of Mote and the righteous decision he made. I have a testimony that this gospel is inspired and run by a divine Father who knows all. I now know how special the 8th year is. I believe it is a time when we are old enough to understand the ordinances of baptism, and still pure enough at heart to make a worthy decision. It is a special age when Heavenly Father thinks that his children are ready to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I thank my son for teaching me this.