Dear Pastor, Thanks for Baptizing My Child with Down syndrome

Pastor Chad,

It's hard to believe that almost 3 years ago, I watched you baptize my little girl, Jaycee. You probably have no idea what that moment meant to me and my family.

In my eyes, Jaycee had been part of our faith for a few years. Jaycee has always enjoyed going to church, insisted on using her talker to pray before meals, understood Jesus and his importance in Christmas, and loved to worship God.

Our church, like many others, generally believe that in order to be baptized, someone should first confess Jesus as their savior with their mouth. Having Down syndrome and only speaking a few words, this prerequisite seemed almost impossible for Jaycee.

I often wondered when I watched other children being baptized when Jaycee's day would come. How and when would this happen?

In 2013 as I sat in the intensive care unit, I was afraid Jaycee's moment had passed. Jaycee was on a ventilator and a room full of IV pumps and machines needed for the treatment of septic shock and pulmonary and cardiac failure. That month in the hospital was scary and almost life ending. But, she made it! I left the hospital with a sudden desire to get Jaycee baptized. When Jaycee was discharged on October 19, there was so much to do with her recovery that I pushed the baptism on the back burner.

Finally, I got brave and asked my husband about baptizing Jaycee. He was unsure but after some time to reflect, he decided it was a good idea. Still, I did nothing. I was afraid to ask you to do a baptism on a minimally verbal child. I was afraid you would say no. I know you take the act of baptism seriously and I was afraid you would think I was making Jaycee do this. I was afraid of the rejection I would feel for myself, our family's special situation, and Jaycee if you said no. I didn't want to face that rejection.

For months I trudged along with the thought of baptism coming less frequently. Then, we suddenly found ourselves in the intensive care unit with Jaycee again when a simple dental procedure resulted in aspiration pneumonia. After a scary day in the hospital spent teetering on putting Jaycee back on a ventilator, I told my husband, "If she makes it out of here, she's getting baptized! We can't wait!"

When things settled down, I bravely wrote you an email expressing my desire for Jaycee and trying to make a case for her to get baptized. I waited (impatiently) for a response and became nervous when I saw you responded back. You said you were going to pray about it. I admired you for not telling me no right away. As I waited for your final response, I came up with alternative plans some of which involved baptizing her in a hot tub with a clergy off the street.

With nervousness, I opened your final email in which you agreed to baptize Jaycee if it was our desire. You came up with a plan to baptize her after service so that she could take her time and have her family gathered around her to make her comfortable. You had enough forethought to ask me about her comfort level with water. A date that worked for both of us was set.

I had some time to prepare Jaycee for her baptism. We watched YouTube videos of people getting baptized. I wrote Jaycee a special story about it using words I knew she would understand. Then the week before the special day, I started to practice baptizing her in the bathtub without actually taking her head under the water. She understood what she would do, and I was confident she could do it.

On October 19, 2014, eight-year-old Jaycee entered the water with a smile on her face. Her family and close friends surrounded her to witness this happy occasion. You spoke to our family briefly and then to Jaycee trying to use some of the words I used with her. Then the big moment came and Jaycee wasn't scared at all. She left with the same smile on her face. There were tears that day but none of them were from her. It wasn't until later that I realized what happened on October 19th the year before making it even more special. (Read above if you missed the date connection!)

I wish you could have seen Jaycee watch the video at home later while she smiled and cheered for herself. From that point on, when she referred to her baptism, she signed "swimming." You missed the moment in the church one Sunday when Jaycee pointed to the door leading to the baptismal and signed "I went swimming there." I wish you could have been in my living room the day I was watching one of your sermons online when Jaycee looked at the screen and signed "That guy and me swimming." In her bedroom, Jaycee looks at her baptism pictures and has told many visitors of her "swim" at "church." You missed the conversations with me and other parents of children with special needs when they asked me how Jaycee did the baptism with no fear and wondered if their child could do it too. Since you missed these things, I want you to know how much that day meant to us, people who witnessed it, and other families with children with special needs.

When we found ourselves back in the intensive care unit since then, I was comforted by the fact that Jaycee was baptized. For that, I thank you. I thank you for allowing Jaycee to take part in her faith even if she can't do all the steps everyone else does. Thank you for helping our family have that special memory in the church and not in some one's hot tub.

We'll be sure to remind Jaycee of what she did on this date every year, so she'll never forget.

Evana