So I'm getting baptized on October 8th. How should I prepare?
Hi there!
I’m hoping that this is October 8th, 2017, and not 2016, though the inactivity of this blog would not truly surprise me. If I am answering this late, I apologize, though I hope the content will help others that have similar questions about baptism.
Get into the habit if you haven’t already of reading, praying, and attending all of your meetings at Church as often as you’re able. It’s amazing how much that will have an impact in your life as you prepare to be baptized. I’m glad you’ve made the decision to be baptized!
Reading the scriptures should be a goal, and studying them (which is more than just reading) should become a desire (it’s okay if it isn’t right off the bat -- it’s something to work toward!) when you are engaged in the scriptures. You might ask, well, what’s the difference? The difference is studying means getting far more engaged in the notes and cross-references and then pondering it out on your own during or afterwards or, really, whenever you feel like it.
Pondering is essentially thinking, but doing so with an open invitation for the Spirit to talk to you and help you understand things. Certain things in the scriptures (for me, it’s Isaiah) can be very difficult to understand, and sometimes you have to just read it with the faith that you’ll come to understand things a lot better later on.
Read. Pray. Attend your meetings. Try to feel the spirit when you’re at Church, and focus on the covenants that you’re making by being baptized. When you’re baptized it means that you’re taking on responsibilities inside of the Church to honor the Spirit and to live worthily of the Spirit in your life and to obey God’s commandments.
Here’s a link that might also prove helpful: https://www.lds.org/manual/gospel-fundamentals/chapter-15-baptism?lang=eng&_r=1
-J