We recently celebrated the baptisms of two more followers of Christ. They were baptized on a rainy, yet joyful, Saturday afternoon. During the Sunday morning worship service the next day, the church was able to watch the videos and celebrate with our brother and sister in Christ.

A mother of eight and her 8-year-old daughter Marylin formed the duo that God used to give Judy, their youngest family member, the belief that she was born for a specific purpose. Judy Sirmons, Global Faith Mission Agency missionary to France for 53 years, was a direct answer to prayer for Marylin. When Marylin--already a believer at 8--learned that Santa Claus was not real, she wondered if perhaps Jesus didn’t really exist either. In childlike faith and unbeknownst to anyone, she asked God to send her a baby sister if He really did exist. The “obstacle” to this request was that Marylin’s mother had been warned not to have more children as it would endanger both her and the baby’s life.