Water and spirit

At exactly eight o'clock on Pentecost Sunday the little procession at the back of the church walks to the altar where the baptismal font waits... Yali stands first over the gleaming bowl of water as Pastor K dips a white shell representing the Holy Spirit... then Patience's turn... after which they each accept a taper lit from the paschal candle... baptized...

Afterwards they are greeted and congratulated by many members of the congregation and visiting grandparents before hurrying to Sunday School to discuss the Garden of Eden and plant tiny pink begonias in tiny terracotta pots...

...while the adults sit for Bible study and cups of coffee as a 6.3 earthquake rattles Colombia just northeast of the town where we first met Yali...

The party continues back in St. Charles County several hours later... Elmer and Jaya are hosting a Dominos spread brought in by “Grandma”...

The crowd increases throughout the afternoon... Yali and T battle with lightsabers as Patience plays with “Thunder” the new kitten and the little sisters are outside with the chickens while A runs through the house in shiny sequined shorts and a monkey hat on her head and snow gloves on her hands while Oxbear crafts a wizard's hat for T from green construction paper with red paper stars and Sally attempts to whack apart a large rock of interesting sediment from Francis' property with a chisel and hammer...

Home that evening for “Pride & Prejudice” at Patience's request while she colors in her new journal Bible from “Grandma”...

...and Yali pulls out another tooth before bedtime...