Baby Bella Baptism

We have been attending St. Paul's Memorial Church here in Charlottesville since the birth of Bella. Father David has been our spiritual rock and has helped guide us through one of the most difficult times in our lives. We are overjoyed that the Lord gave us such a wonderful man to help illuminate our path, through The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. The path is not over, it has simply begun, for we are now tasked with something even greater. We must now care for, love and raise this little miracle to love the Lord and attempt to walk this Earth living by the same virtues as Jesus. Love, Kindness, Forgiveness, Mercy, Compassion. We found our faith and were witnesses to the glory and greatness of God, we have a living miracle that the Lord has bestowed on us. With that we wanted to have her Baptised by Father David here in Charlotesville where our miracle occurred and our faith was taken to another level. Present were many of the wonderful nurses who cared for our little angel and watched over her as if she were their own. We felt it only right to honor their love and commitment to Bella and thank them for their tireless dedication by asking them to share this wonderful moment. We were also so thankful that Lauren was able to attend. She has been Machel's sounding board, friend and guide through these past 3 1/2 months. Lauren had a 23 weeker here at UVA 3 years ago and Abby is a wonderful little girl because she has a wonderful mommy!! Thank you all for caring for my daughter and my wife when I could not. I will forever be in your debt and if you ever need anything I will be there for you as you have been there for my family. We also want to give a special thanks to Jane, one of the St. Paul's parishoners, who has been praying and following Bella from the beginning of our journey with St. Paul's. Jane was also present and provided delicious treats for a reception after the service.

We will have another ceremony with our family and her godparents in Texas. We can't wait to get her back home in Texas!! Now, here are some pictures of the Baptism, we will add more pictures later too. (Lauren took a lot of pictures too with her camera and will be sending them to us, she is a wonderful photographer!!)