BIRTH and NEW BIRTH (Isabella and Rhonda)

by Danna Shirley

The 4^th of July holiday in 2006 was quite spectacular!

          I received a phone call from my niece, Rhonda, inviting me to her baptism in east Tennessee on July 2^nd.  At 40 years of age this was a pretty awesome event and I definitely wanted to witness her being baptized into death and raised into newness of life (Rom 6:4). 

          On Sunday evening Rhonda left the sanctuary to get dressed for the ceremony but returned shortly afterward with a look of horror on her face.  She exclaimed, “My nightmare is coming true . . . the door is locked!!!”  It was just a minor setback though for as she stood in the baptistery, she glowed with anticipation!       It has been a blessing to watch the love of God being poured out into her heart.  She is like a sponge soaking up a gallon spill of the Word of God and like a baby bird hungering and thirsting after the morsels of life being dropped into her spirit by the Holy Ghost. 

          I wish I could have stayed longer than the weekend but I had to return on Monday morning because my daughter’s scheduled C-section was for Wednesday, July 5^th and I didn’t want to take any chances on not being home in time.  On Tuesday morning, however, Kristen’s water broke and I received a phone call to come and stay with Emma while they went to the hospital. 

          ISABELLA REESE GRIGSON “Bella”, our little firecracker, arrived on the 4^th of July by C-section at 9:17 a.m. weighing 8 lbs. 14 ozs, and 20 ½” long.  Since our family usually has blond, bald-headed babies, Bella was quite a surprise with her full head of dark hair.

          Within those two days in 2006 we had our birth of Bella and new birth of Rhonda.  What a double blessing.

Yes, this 4^th of July was quite spectacular!!!