Heavenly Father is pleased you are thinking about baptism. He has asked all of his children, young and old, to be baptized: And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized inhhis name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel. 2 Nephi 9:23o lo Z iS Heavenly Father is pleased you are thinking about baptism, He has asked all of his children, young and old, to be baptized: ‘And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel. 2 Nephi 9:23The Fourth Article of Faith Do you know what the Articles of Faith are? They are 13 short ideas that explain the Church of Jesus Christof Latter-day Saints. You should find them in your scriptures, read them, and practice memorizing them The fourth Article of Faith is especially important as you are getting ready for baptism because it explains the path to becoming a member of Jesus Christ's church, There are four important steps: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, and the Holy Ghost. The Fourth Article of Faith We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.‘The fourth article of faith teaches that there are two things that come before baptism: faith and repentance. Faith means we believe that our Heavenly Father is real, that he lives, that he loves us, and that he hears and answers our prayers. It also means that we believe that Jesus Christ is his Son and that Jesus Christ made it possible for us to return to our Father's presence, Faith means hope and belief. But you can also do things to show you have faith. Some things you could do include: praying every day, going to Church, reading your scriptures, loving your family and neighbors, and keeping the other commandments. This shows your faith. Before you continue preparing for baptism, think about your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Think about the blessings they have prepared for you. Spend some time thinking about Jesus Christ's birth, fe, and deathRepentance The second principle that is important to understand before baptism is repentance. Repentance helps us become more lke Jesus. Repentance means that when you do something that is wrong, you feel sorry. Then you do what you can to make it right. ryou have hurt another person you tell them you are sorry. You should also pray to your Heavenly Father for forgiveness for disobeying his commandments. You don't need to worry about learning how to repent. It simply means thinking about your behavior and choosing to change for the better. Repentance is something everyone needs to work on a little bit every day, usually during morning or evening prayers. Sunday during the sacrament is another time you should think about your behavior and choose better. Repentance is not too hard for you because ‘And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, ‘and saith unto him, | will: be thou clean. Mark 1:41 Heavenly Father always wants to forgive you. He is so happy when you stop doing things that are wrong and when you start doing things that are right Just keep working at doing the right things. If you have any questions about what it means to repent or if you wonder if there is anything you need to repent for, talk to a parent, teacher or friend. When you are older, you might talk to your bishop for help with repenting. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you will always be able to find help to choose the right and do better.Jesus wanted to obey all of Heavenly Father's commandments, so he found john the Baptist because John had the priesthood authority to baptize others. Heavenly Father had given him special permission, or authority, to do baptisms ‘Together Jesus and John the Baptist walked int the Jordan River. After saying t prayer, John carefully lowered him below the waters of the river. Jesus was b: }e baptismal ptized by “immersion” which means he was completely covered by water. You can read about this in Matthew 3:13-17. After his baptism in the river, the Holy Ghost came to Jesus.Your Baptism Just lke Jesus Christ, you will also be baptized by immersion by someone who has priesthood authority. Because Joseph Smith restored the gospel, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the same priesthood authority today that John the Baptist used to baptize Jesus. The man who baptizes you has been given the priesthood authority, or a special permission, to give you this blessing, Being baptized by immersion means you will be completely covered with water, just lke Jesus was in the Jordan River. We have special small pools call “fonts” where you can be baptized. They are a litte bit bigger than a Jacuzzi, or probably about four times bigger than your bathtub. The font will be about half way full of water and if you are lucky the water will be warm, You might choose to be baptized in another place, You can be baptized anywhere the water is deep enough to cover you completely: a swimming pool, lake, or the ocean. Itis not scary to be baptized under the water, but you and the man who will be baptizing you might want to practice holding your arms in the right place and bending at your knees. ‘Two witnesses will be standing near the water to watch that the prayer is said correctly and that you are completely covered by the water. Usually you or your parents ask someone you care about to be the witnesses. They should be men wha hold the priesthaod. It cauld your grandfather, a missionary, a teacher, ora friend, After you walk into the water together, the man who baptizes you will take a firm grip on your hands and arm with his left hand, and raise his right hand and say the prayer. [Your Full Name], having been commissioned of Jesus Christ | baptize you the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, amen. Then he puts his right hand on your back and holding you firmly he slowiy lowers you into the water until it comes up over your head. if you bend your knees it is easier to be completely “immersed.” He holds you Under the water for about the time it takes to say "baptism’ and then he lifts you gently out of the water ‘Try your best to think about the words of the prayer and the feelings you are having during your baptism, You can read more about this in D&C 20:73,‘After your baptism, you'll get changed out of your wet clothes and have time to dry your hair. Then you will be confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. You will sit on a chair and men ‘who hold the priesthood will stand in a circle around you and place their hands softly on your head. They will give you a blessing and part of the bl ssing will be the gift of the Holy Ghost. Itiskind of lke a special prayer. You should close your eyes and bow your head and try to think about the words and the feelings you are having, Alter the blessing you can stand up and shake hands (or give a hug}) to the men who were part of your blessing. They will be happy and smiling at you. You might feel the Holy Ghost right away or you might have to learn to understand your feelings.Everyone feels messages from the Holy Ghost in different ways. You might feel warm and peaceful after you pray: that is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost can comfort and guide you. Sometimes the Holy Ghost right make you feel scared or nervous so you will be more careful about something. You might hear a still small voice giving you instructions. IFyou live righteously and repent often, you can always have the Holy Ghost with you. Often, you will be le to feel the Spirit when you are thinking quietly or reading your scripture or at church. When you feel reverent and peaceful that is a feeling that the Holy Ghost is near. can learn more about the Holy Ghost in the scriptures. Here are some of the ways he can help us: Comforts (Galatians 5:22) Inspires (Luke 12:12) Teaches and helps us remember John 14:26) Helps us understand things (D&C 6:15) Helps us know and understand things (D&C 6:15} Guides us in important decisions (2 Nephi 32:5) Helps us recognize the truth (Moroni 10:5) Helps us understand and communicate with each other (Alma 12:3)Covenants When you get baptized, you are making a promise with Heavenly Father. He will also be making promises toyou. This two-way promise has a special name: a covenant. Your part of the covenant with the Lord is, to obey the commandments. Read more about it in Alma 7:15, Heavenly Father's part of the covenant is to forgive your sins when you repent, to ghve you the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to give you eternal life. Read more about it in Mosiah 18:10. ‘Alma taught more about some of the things we all need to do once we have been baptized. He sai: as ye are willing to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God. Mosiah 188-11 ‘Alma is reminding us that we should serve and love others. We should also serve the Lord, stand as a witness, and obey the commandments. Every week as you take the sacrament you are renewing your Covenant. It's a good time to remember your promises to Heavenly Father. ‘AS you work on keeping your baptismal covenant with Heavenly Father, you should think about preparing, ‘yourself to go to the temple to make further covenants. if you are worthy, you will have the opportunity to do baptisms for the dead at the temple after you turn 12. Later, as you prepare yourself for a mission and marriage, you will have a chance to go to the temple for Yourself. This will be one ofthe greatest blessings | of your life if you are worthy and preparedHere are a few other things you could do to prepare for your baptism. Get in the habit of saying personal prayers every day! itis great to pray with your family, but you can pray to your Heavenly Father on your own any time, Heavenly Father loves you. The more time you spend talking to him in prayer, the more you will begin to understand him, Practice keeping the commandments and repenting when you want to do better, Read and underline these scriptures about baptism. 2 Nephi 9:23 Alma 7:15 Mosiah 18:10 Matthew 3:13.17 0&C20:73 John 14:26-27 Mosiah 188-11 Memorize the Fourth Article of Faith Make sure you understand what these words mean: ordinance, covenant, repentance, immersion, remission, and “laying on of hands.” Write down your testimony. You will enjoy reading this when you are older! After your baptism, write down at least five special things you remember about your baptism day. It is another thing you will ove to read when you are olderQuestions ‘What do | wear to the baptismal service? Sunday clothes, like a dress or skirt for girls, or nice pants for boys What do | need to have with me? Atowel,a comb, dry underwear, your recommendicertificate from your bishop, white socks, white baptismal clothes What is the baptismal service like? Its a lot ike other church meetings that yau go to on Sundays. You, your parents and friends from church like the Primary presidency, your stake leaders, or the missionaries, will plan the service together Usually there is an opening song and prayer, a talk about baptism and the Holy Ghost and sometimes a ‘musical number or testimonies. Your baptism could be on a Saturday morning or a Friday night or the middle of the day on a Tuesday. It needs to be near a body of water deep enough to immerse you: a baptismal font at the church, a swimming pool, a lake or the ocean. And it needs to be performed with the right priesthood authority Other than that, the details are up to you! Why do I need to meet with the bishop before | am baptized? The bishop will talk to you to see if you are ready to make special baptismal promises with Heavenly Father. Then he will prepare a baptismal recommend. Yau shouldn't be nervous about meeting with your bishop. He willbe looking forward to getting to know you a litle bit better and he will probably want to attend your baptismal service, too! Who can come to my baptism? Family, friends, teachers, neighbors, anyone! Can I hold my nose when | go under water? Yes. You and the man baptizing you could practice beforehand without going into the water. It helps ifyou bend your knees. ‘What happens if some of my hair or one of my feet doesn’t go under the water? You might not notice it because youll be busy holding your nose, but the witnesses will watch to make sure you are fully immersed. if you're not, they wil tell you after you come out of the water and they might lower you into the water again! It happens sometimes, Should I take pictures of my baptism? You should take pictures before your baptism services start (when you are dry) and after you have been confirmed. You probably shouldnt take pictures of the baptism itself or of the services. Just concentrate of the wards and feelings you're having,