Michael Collins and Sharon Erickson were baptized in the Spirit Lake Church on succeeding Sabbaths, Collins on the last Sabbath of 2006 and Erickson on the first Sabbath of 2007.
Collins, 12, had recently moved from Vancouver, Wash., where his mother was a member of the Orchards Church. Michael's grandparents, Jim and Mary Carricker, and his mother, Vicki, had encouraged his interest in spiritual things, and Doug Pond, Spirit Lake pastor, had concluded a series of studies with him. He said he enjoyed attending church even though all the members at that time were adults.
Erickson had discovered the Sabbath while studying the Bible on her own. She decided to attend the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Chewelah, Wash., to see how they kept the Sabbath. When she moved to Newport, Wash., two ladies, Shirley Stevenson and Judy Mandigo, became friends with Erickson and helped her study the Bible.
Looking for a church home, Erickson visited the Spirit Lake Church one Sabbath, was invited to dinner, decided this was a friendly church family, and has made it her church home, driving 40 miles round trip to attend.
Michael Collins and Sharon Erickson were recently baptized at Spirit Lake, Idaho.
