Above the waves

29

~Nate~

It took a while for us to convince her but Savannah's willing to get into the water again. The thing is, this time, it's not just a simple wading in the water but a baptism.

Savannah made the choice to be baptized today, on her eighteenth birthday as she goes into the water. We don't know what God wants to do but we're praying for a miracle and we know she's also hoping for the long time prayer to be answered in the way we hope.

"You ready?" Brandon asks his daughter.

Savannah nods and puts on a smile for us.

Her dad gets in the water, shivering in the cold ocean water.

Skylar puts Savannah carefully into their father's arms.

He explains the meaning of being baptized. Of leaving the old ways to become new in Christ.

"Second Corinthians five seventeen. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" He says proudly, looking at his daughter.

He pinches Savannah's nose and she goes under.

She gasps as she comes back out of the water. It's her first time since the incident for her to actually be fully under water.

"D-dad?" She stutters.

She looks down at her body as if something is rising around her.

"Sav? What's wrong?" I ask, concerned. Everyone else is still silently praying and watching.

"It's like something's rising from my feet and upwards." Her voice is excited and hopeful. "There's a tingling feeling filling my body and-"

She gasps. We all wait, like watching a movie where the climax is about to pop out.

"I-I can feel the water." She whispers.

The sun's rising and the soft colors reflect in the water as she smiles and laughs, looking at us with tears in her eyes.

She searches us until her eyes settle on Skylar.

"Skylar. It's like Naaman's story." She cries happily.

Realization dawns on Skylar then the rest of us. Gasps and cries of joy come from our family as we realize what God has done.

It took seven times of dipping in the water for Naaman to be healed of his leprosy. This is Savannah's seventh time in the water and first time fully in ever since her accident.

"Y-you're healed?" Keria asks, her hands covering her mouth as she holds back happy tears.

Savannah nods and stands on her own.

"Mom!" She stumbles but gets back up again, rushing to hug her mom.

Their family comes in for a hug and the rest of us join in. The sun's slowly rising and we feel the heat and blessing of a new day and new year for Savannah.

"I'm healed. Fully." She breathes out. "I'm healed."

***
For the rest of the day, we help Savannah get used to using her legs and both arms again. She hugs Rose and Oak and the new puppies of Rose. Harold smiles as his retriever comes and sits beside Rose.

The rest of us take turns hugging Savannah and talking to her, then we gather around on the logs.

"I can't believe it. What an amazing birthday this is." She says as cookies baked by the Carlsons are passed around.

"God is good." Marissa and Charity chime in.

Keira and Brandon still have their tears silently falling and Skylar and Sierra are holding back their tears as well.