"Do you think it will be a lot like our church?" Elizabeth asked her husband, who stood before the mirror wetting down his hair so that it wouldn't stick up. In black slacks, a green button-down shirt, and a black tie, Paul looked more handsome than ever to Elizabeth this morning.

"I'd imagine so," he replied. "Perhaps a bit larger."

They were preparing for the hour-long drive to the Lutheran church in an adjacent town, where baby Max would be baptized.

"You've been to a Lutheran church before, and I haven't," said Elizabeth. "What's it like?"

Paul grinned. "There are pews to sit in, a podium at the front, an altar, a baptismal font, and hymn books."

Elizabeth giggled. The baby began to cry. She picked him up and began to open her nightgown.

Paul frowned. "We have to leave soon. He took their son from her, and Max howled in protest. "I'll hold him while you finish dressing. You can feed him in the car on the way."

Elizabeth hurriedly dressed, checked herself in the mirror, and hurried out of the house with her husband and in-laws. A little over an hour later, they were pulling into the parking lot of the Lutheran church. The rest of the family arrived shortly afterwards.

The pastor began the ceremony by speaking briefly about the benefits of baptism, then began by making the sign of the cross on the sleeping baby's forehead. "After this child has been baptized, you are at all times to remember him in your prayers, and ensure that he is brought up in the true knowledge and worship of God, and be taught the ten commandments, the Creed, and the Lord's prayer, and that as he grows in years, you place in his hands the Holy Scriptures, bring him to the services of God's house, and provide his further instruction in the Christian faith, that he come to the sacrament of Christ's body and blood, and thus, abiding in his baptismal grace and in communion with the church, he may grow up to lead a Godly life to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ. This, then, do you intend gladly and willingly to do?"

"Yes," answered Elizabeth and Paul. Together they prayed the Lord's prayer.

"Do you renounce the devil and all his works and all his way?" the pastor continued.

"We do renounce them," Paul and Elizabeth replied.

"Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?"

"Yes."

"Maximilian Paul Brimmer, I baptize you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The pastor sprinkled a few drops of water on the baby's head, and Max awakened and began to cry. "Will you please join me in welcoming the newest member of our spiritual family," the pastor said.

The congregants all came up to Paul and Elizabeth and said hello to them after the service had ended. "Everyone we met seemed so nice," Elizabeth said to Paul after they'd left the church. "If it wasn't such a long drive, I wouldn't mind switching churches and going there instead."

"That's the kind of church I grew up in," Paul replied. "I really miss it sometimes."

Later, there was a big get-together at the Waltons' for dinner, and Jeffrey and Mathias finally got to meet one another.

"You talk just like me." Jeffrey was surprised.

"'Course I do. I mostly grew up in Wisconsin. We didn't move back to Germany until I was older."

"Hey, I know of a great fishing spot near here," Jeffrey said to Mathias after dinner. "Wanna go?"

"Yeah!" Mathias exclaimed.

"You boys be careful," Rose said to her grandson and his new friend, but the boys were already on their way to the lake.

"So, what's it like to be an uncle?" asked Jeffrey.

"It's great! I get to be his godfather, too," Mathias replied.

"Wow." Jeffrey was slightly envious. "I sure wish Serena would hurry up and get married."

The boys found a good spot and cast their lines. Before long, Jeffrey got a bite. A little while later, he got another, and then Mathias got one as well. The boys spent most of the afternoon fishing and then decided to head back to the house to show off their catch.

They'd only gone a few feet when Jeffrey saw an unfamiliar footprint. "Hey, I wonder what kind of animal made that?" he asked.

Mathias frowned. "I've never seen anything like it before, but here's another one. Hey, there's a trail!"

Mesmerized, the two boys followed the tracks until they were quite deep inside the woods. "I don't think we're going to find it," Mathias said after awhile.

"Yeah," Jeffrey agreed. "It's getting dark. We'd better be heading back."

"Come on." Mathias began to walk.

"Are you sure this is the way back?" asked Jeffrey.

"'Course I am!" But the further the two boys walked, the more lost they became, until finally they had no idea where they were.


"Don't you think the boys should be back by now?" Rose sounded worried.

"You know how it is when you go fishing," said Jim Bob. "You just lose all track of time. I'm pretty sure I know where they went. I used to go there all the time myself when I was younger. I'll go check and make sure they're all right."

"I'll go with you," Paul volunteered.

However, when they reached the lake, all they could find was the pail with the fish in it. Jeffrey and Mathias were nowhere to be found.