Spring 2012 milestones in the Welch household

This spring has been rich for us in significant milestones. May 11 was our 10th anniversary. It is hard to believe Brian and I have been married for this long. This period of time has been life-changing for us, particularly, due to the fact that we have become proud parents of our three girls who came into our life within the last seven years. During this time both Brian and I discovered how deeply, madly, and unconditionally we, as parents, can love our children, as well as experienced how much our children love us. This is an incredible feeling that I lack the words to describe.

This spring also brought an important milestone in the lives of our two older girls, Veronika and Erika. On the 5th of May they accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives as their Lord and Savior. That day Brian and I had a conversation with them, which we also illustrated by drawing, helping the girls understand the Gospel better. I think this conversation, followed by the girls’ prayers was the final step in our daughters’ spiritual journeys leading to their acceptance of who they were without Jesus and who they became in Him. Our children are extremely blessed to have many Christian friends and mentors in their lives who have been demonstrating and explaining God’s love to them for many years now. Sunday school, English camps, CCX conferences and just a multitude of personal interactions with people in whom they obviously saw Jesus helped them fall in love with Him. [I hope Brian and I also contributed to their spiritual development and their desire to follow Jesus].

During Easter this year both Veronika and Erika reflected on the death and resurrection of Christ in a special way, as we, as a family, did a creative project together. We planted an Easter garden and then the girls took turns watering and taking care of it. The grave is empty because Jesus is alive. This little garden helped us remember the meaning of this holiday for weeks. 

Easter garden 2012

Today, the 19th of May, Veronika was baptized at our home church here in Kyiv, Ukraine. She was baptized in the Dnieper river by our pastor Paul Pierquet, with Brian assisting. This was her short testimony, which she was too shy to share loudly and basically whispered it right before she was baptized when the pastor asked her to tell everybody how she became a Christian: “My dad and mom explained to me and my sister Erika what sin is and what Jesus did for us on the Cross. I believe that Jesus died for my sins and rose again on the third day. So I prayed to Jesus and invited Him into my heart as my Lord and Savior”. She is such a sweet little girl that her two younger sisters look up to. I hope she will continue to be a godly role model for them and a faithful disciple of Christ as she grows up.

Brian and Veronika before baptism

Veronika [quietly] sharing her testimony