30 Posts Challenge: Follow Up

Hi Guys! Just wanted to share with all of you who came along my journey of posting 30 true aspects about myself that you may not know… the AWARD from our dearest Fatima aka Splendor In Embers! Praise the Lord for using her to challenge me… in many ways!! Wanting to encourage someone I love and care about blessed and encouraged me!

By opening up myself to sharing truths with others, we spoke on these things below:
1. Introducing myself
2. Me and God
3. Me and Writing
4. Me and Anthoni
5. Me and Foster Care, part 1
6. Me and Foster Care, part 2
7. Me and My Fireworks
8. Me and Anxiety, part 1
9. Me and Anxiety, part 2
10. Me and Anxiety, part 3
11. Me and Depression
12. Dying to Self
13. Friday the 13th (A Blessed Day)
14. Designed to Follow
15. How a Devo Becomes A Poem
16. The Devo Poem
17. “Crucify him! Crucify Him!”
18. I Mourn, I Grieve (Edited)
19. What Makes Me Happy
20. River Baptism
21. I Love to Sing Hymns
22. God Speaks, I Listen!
23. Bearing One Another’s Burdens (as a Prayer Warrior)
24. A Friend Loveth at All Times
25. I’m a Very Private Person
26. My Fear of God
27. Ripping Your Heart out
28. My 2017 Solar Eclipse Experience
29. One Last Aspect
30. Challenging You

Along this journey, the Lord used His whispers, His nudges, and His many resources for encouraging me! Lovely A and her Self Care Challenge was a part of those resources! There are others I can’t mention, but you know who you are. Thank You for letting God use you to help me “fly” within God’s gift of life. And what would I do without InnerManTheatre… my patient son for his feedback and tech support (and Anita!).

I praise Him for each of you who took to read  (while patiently waiting for me to learn my way), for reaffirming His whispers (with your likes and follows) to be meant for more than just myself. Your comments allowed God to fill my cup with blessings. And the Awards! So unexpected! All crowns to lay at His feet! God bless you, Lovely A!

My Dearest Fatima, How grateful I am to God for you! For your challenge! For your heart. Please know I am praying for you and your precious family as often as God allows. You’ve always been dear to our family! You ARE family! Thank you for my AWARD!

If you are interested about this Challenge, you might be delightfully surprised to know that you do not have to wait for someone to nominate you, as I have read some of you have for quite some time. You only have to accept and post. See for yourself her 3 rules posted here. Praying for each of you! God loves you! ❤

30 Posts Challenge: #20, River Baptism

“Well, Irene, we finally did it! We finally got to one of those river baptisms we always wanted to watch.” This was what came to mind Sunday when my stepdad and I went to a river baptism, something Irene and I had been trying to do for years. She’s been gone 10 months, but would’ve loved it. She would’ve gotten in the water with them. Or she would’ve loved to watch our local church baptize 32 people in that river.
It would’ve started with parking and walking.

If you look in the 2nd row, 7 cars down, on the other side of the red truck, that was me and Bobby! When we saw this picture being taken, we were (from your view) on the far right just under the trees, sharing a picnic table with a lovingly family of 6 from Africa. After we had parked, we had a good walk, a rough walk. For those of you who do not know, I have disease and damage all over my spine, and struggle with feet and leg problems as well. Last fall, I was barely walking, unable to lay down or sit back, or move my neck, After a lot of physical therapy, nerve blocks, and medicines, I am at least able to walk better and stand, but for limited times and limited situations. My stepdad had a stroke in April of 2015, and while he is recovered, he too is limited with walking, standing, and struggles with breathing. But the Lord provided a chance to see 32 people “buried in His likeness, and risen in His newness of life.” WE did not want to miss it.

We walked around to look at the river, saw people along the banks, some which eventually went into a huddle with the Pastor, stood for about 45 minutes, and then  we heard them offering hotdogs. Bobby and I got in line, speaking to several faces we knew and meeting new ones. We got our dogs and a water, then spotted a good friend who offered us to share his table with him, his wife and 4 kids. It was so awesome to hear them speaking their African language to each other as a family, even the littlest ones. The mom had one of the black shirts on that said All In, which meant she was going in.
When it was time, the crowds were so long and everywhere along the river. Bobby and I were struggling just to walk, and hang on to see the ones we came to watch. The picture just above is a friend of my deceased brother. He was baptized, then allowed to stand with his daughter as she was baptized, and was offered to help lean her back. My brother would have loved this.
Below you will see 2 pictures with 2 children: the 1st when they were small. They use say hey to Bobby at church when we met them. The 2nd picture is them now. Bobby wanted to see the brother baptized. The older sister told us her best friend was also being baptized, and that the Pastor was letting her help baptize her brother and best friend.

We did not get to SEE any of the baptisms literally in the water (we praise God for those who took pictures), but we did hear the cheers each time someone was baptized, and all of heaven was cheering with us! We got to congratulate people as they came up the river bank. It was a struggle to walk back to the car, but the whole day was worth it! We are not the least bit discouraged for next time. We are better aware… be prepared with portable chairs and a camera! Praise God for the day He gave us… and all those baptized.
Oh and thank you to everyone who gave permission to use the pictures! God loves you!