Baptism and Confirmation

These pieces of art are included at the Peter Whitmer Farm Visitors' Center.  Knowing we will be absent at the baptisms of Quaid and Isabel, all of the artwork was moving to our tender hearts.

The above painting depicts Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery getting ready to perform the first saving ordinance of baptism with priesthood authority. I gazed at it for several minutes thinking of what it must have been like for Oliver and Joseph and then my thoughts turned to Quaid.  How proud I am that he and Isabel have chosen to be baptized and join the Church. 

The book Our Heritage, provides the following insight:: "As he [Joseph] and Oliver Cowdery were translating the Book of Mormon, they found mention of baptism for the remission of sins.  On 15 May [1829] they sought further knowledge on the subject from the Lord in prayer. While offering up their petition on the banks of the Susquehanna River, the two men were visited by a heavenly messenger.  He identified himself as John the Baptist of New Testament times.  Laying his hands on the head of Joseph and Oliver, he said, 'Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins'(D&C13:1). 

After this ordination, Joseph and Oliver baptized one another as commanded by John the Baptist and ordained each other to the Aaronic Priesthood.

The Prophet said of this experience: 'Immediately on our coming up out of the water after we had been baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father.  No sooner had I baptized Oliver Cowdery than the Holy Ghost fell upon him and he stood up and prophesied many things which should shortly come to pass. And again, so soon as I had been baptized by him, I also had the spirit of prophecy, when, standing up, I prophesied concerning the rise of this Church, and many other things connected with the Church, and this generation of the children of men. We were filled with the Holy Ghost and rejoiced in the God of our salvation' (JS-H 1:73)."

I love this picture and thought of Isabel.  It shows a sister getting ready to be baptized. It was situated right next to the first painting and I love how it includes women.

This picture depicts Oliver and Joseph confirming each other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.