A Minnesota family has baptized over 27 babies spanning three generations in the same gown, which is made of a parachute that saved the family’s grandfather from dying in World War II. Bob Pratt was a veteran who served the United States in the Second World War as an airman who flew B-17 bombers overseas.
During his military service, Pratt’s aircraft was shot down over Yugoslavia, which he grabbed his parachute saved his life during the harrowing incident. Subsequently, Pratt’s descendants created a baptism gown out of the parachute’s threads used for dozens of babies in the family.
“It’s very, very special,” Dave Pratt said. “It was cold and it was mountainous. He wrapped himself up in the silk in order to stay warm that night, so it saved his life twice,” he added, further emphasizing the importance of the threads. “My grandmother knew she had to do something special with that parachute because it saved her son’s life,” Dave noted. “And it’s more than an heirloom, it’s sacred.”
Appreciating the gravity of the parachute, Dave acknowledged that he never would have been born if it hadn’t saved his father’s life so many decades ago. “Without the parachute, I wouldn’t be here, my siblings wouldn’t be here. Our children, grandkids — we wouldn’t exist,” he said. “It gives me goosebumps.”
“I hope my daughter and Nellie, when they get older, they will realize how special this is,” he said, becoming visibly emotional. “It’s very, very special,” doubling down on what the heirloom means to the generations of the Pratt family.
In other baptism-related news, The Christian Tribune reported on the evangelical efforts of Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, where 50,000 people attended a mass baptism event. Reportedly, over 2,000 people were baptized at Pirate’s Cove in Orange County, California. “In twelve months, we baptized 6,500 people!” Laurie said, celebrating his ministry’s major accomplishment.
“I see that God is working. As you know, the last great spiritual awakening, the Jesus Movement, happened in California, and we’re praying, ‘Lord, do it again,’” he stated. “This is where we used to baptize people during the Jesus movement days,” Laurie added. “[My wife] Cathe and I were baptized there, too. This is where we also shot the scenes for the Jesus Revolution film.”
Just before the event at Pirate’s Cove, Laurie had also packed tens of thousands of people into Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California where thousands more were baptized. The pastor wrote on social media, “What a night! Angel Stadium was packed to capacity! 45,000 people filled the stadium. Thousands were not able to get in. Countless thousands more watched online around the world. The focus of the Harvest Crusade is calling people to Christ. So many responded to the invitation. I will give you numbers when I receive them, but thank you all for your prayers and support and as always, To God Be The Glory! People like to write California off. But God is not done with our state. The last great spiritual awakening, the Jesus Revolution started here. I pray it will happen here again!”
Watch the Pratt discuss their heirloom below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.