Why is it Worth it?

Part 7~ Engaged to Jesus

It's now the morning of the last day of camp. The family, Cjay, and I are all sitting in the cafeteria for breakfast. While we're eating our food, Brooke's dad approaches us. Her dad and the rest of their family have been going to Glacier Bible Camp for years and have volunteered for a multitude of things. Her dad has explicitly been giving morning announcements for the whole week.

 He joined us for some small talk and that's when my dad tells him about Cjay's and I's engagement. Brooke's dad congratulated us and asked if we were comfortable going on stage for the announcements after breakfast to share the big news. Cjay and I hesitated at the offer for a second but ended up obliging. The idea of going on stage in front of at least 1,000 people is kind of nerve-wracking but we decided that it would be a good idea to be loud and proud about our purpose... of course, if Cjay did all the talking for me. Even though I wrote how the proposal went I'm going to write exactly how Cjay talked about it on stage because personally, I thought it was very cute and romantic. 

So there Cjay and I were, sitting anxiously as we waited for our names to be called up onto Stage at any moment. "Cjay, come up here with Zion." We make it up to the stage and the minute I look at everyone's faces staring at me I start shaking. "So for those who may not know, Zion has been going here since she was very little. We have been missing her for a few years, but now she's back and has brought Cjay along with her."

"This is Cjay's first time here, and he's a very special kid. He's been sensitive to the holy spirit this week and has been touched. Cjay is just going to share what has happened in his life." Cjay takes the mic from Brooke's dad, and the story commences. 

"One two, One two," the audience burst out laughing. "So we had the youth bond fire the other day, and we were getting ready for that. I was getting ready in the bathroom, and she comes up yelling at me for the frickin room key while I'm in the bathroom. Kay so let's just start with that. Alight so she basically screaming in the hallways, probably woke anyone up that was sleeping."

"But then I go into the room to finish up getting ready and I grab a little something before we head to the bond fire. We chill and eat hotdogs, she ate like five smores, whatever. I eat probably like six hotdogs, and then afterward I went to the lodge and ate some potato chips, anyways. Then I saw this little path on the side of the bond fire. It led around to these beautiful tall trees that you know, God made himself, which I found pretty amazing."

 "I was looking at them and they're like 20 feet tall, it's actually kind of insane. Then we were just walking, and I basically purposely dropped my phone. Then I got on one knee, and I gave her this." Cjay grabs my hand that has the ring on it and holds it up for everyone to see. The whole audience claps at the sight of it and then I awkwardly grab the mic and say, 

"ya." 

"Did you say yes?" Asks someone in the crowd. I nodded my head in reply. Cjay takes the mic back to wrap up the story. 

"I was shaking the whole time, I was just nervous, but after I gave it to her everything sat still." That was Cjay's version of the story, and I'll never forget that public speech he made about me. Moving on, today was the day Cjay and I were going to be baptized. Brooke's husband was talking to all of us teenagers the other day about the significance of baptism. He compared it to getting proposed to. 

When you say yes to a proposal, you are making a promise to be with that person forever. Therefore the act of baptism is similar to the act of getting engaged. You are promising to have God as your father for the rest of your life, guiding you on your path. I find this analogy he used crazy because he said all of this before he knew of Cjay and I's engagement. Another thing that is too surreal to be a coincidence.  

Cjay has never been baptized before, but for me on the other hand, I have. However, I wanted to be baptized again due to how much I've gone through since the last time I was baptized. I definitely had my worst experiences in Idaho ever since my family and I moved there in 2019, but altogether my life and decisions have not been the best before and after the move. Furthermore, I don't even really remember my first baptism because I was so young. At the time I wanted to do it, but I felt like this time, this baptism was going to be the most significant time to do it. 

On top of that, I wanted to be baptized by my grandma. It was perfect because like I said since the beginning she was the start of our family coming to camp. This was something that meant the world to me and I would never forget it. As everyone was getting ready for the baptism, it began to pour outside. This was not going to stop us. We piled into the car and started to head out to Lion's Lake. 

Cjay and I were sitting in our bathing suits hesitating to get out of the car after we opened the door. It was at least 60 degrees outside and the rain was freezing. We were hoping the rain would stop but that wasn't happening anytime soon to our knowledge. After about 10 minutes the whole family jumped out, Cjay, Mom, Dad, Grandma, my two brothers, and Me. Grandma and I ran into the lake, my thighs shaking violently in the water. 

Grandma went on with the process, ending it with the question, "Do you accept God as your lord and savior and want to give up everything to Him?" 

"Yes," I responded, and then she proceed to dunk me. Before she could dunk me my body wouldn't let her until the fourth time. When I say it was cold, it was COLD! The reason why I'm infusing on this is that the very second I hit the water, it felt like a jacuzzi. I was suddenly so warm that I didn't even grab the towel my mom offered me. 

I felt the peace of God really, all that muck I had been carrying with me had been washed off, and I could feel the difference. The rain was still pouring, and everyone except me was shivering. It was now Cjay's turn and he was going to be baptized by my dad and his friend who was licensed for baptizing. Personally, a certification isn't too important to me, but when someone has one witness or helps, you get a cool certificate. Anywho, when Cjay got dunked he experienced the same thing. 

You may say, well maybe you guys got used to the water and that's why you weren't cold. Well, my brother Daniel and my dad both jumped into the lake for fun, completely submerged underwater. When their heads popped to the surface, they were FREEZING and ran straight to the towels. So, the two people who were baptized were warm, but the other two who just jumped in for a good time weren't. Doesn't sound like a coincidence to me.

 Also, after Cjay finished being baptized the rain suddenly stopped and the sun came out. It was as if God was testing how committed we were to this and stopped the rain out of approval. In addition to that, Cjay felt the same way I did afterward, the weight was lifted off his shoulders...