As a very small little girl, before starting school, I remember playing under our house. I could hear my Mother and Daddy talking above me, in the kitchen. They were discussing something about God and Heaven and Hell. This is the first time I can remember hearing of this. It gripped me so with a feeling of fear and reverence, that I could not move for a long time. I felt a ‘presence�?there with me; this is the first time I knew this being. I loved His being close to me. I wondered if mamma and daddy knew about Him.

As I grew, I loved to go out alone and play. Even though I had five sisters, I still loved to get off alone at times. When I was alone, I would feel this sweet ‘presence�?come to me. I longed for these times when This came. It happened all during my childhood years. I did not tell anyone of this.

After, going to the Baptist Church for a few years, I received their ‘belief, salvation�?

I was very serious about this. I prayed a lot. Mother taught us to pray and read the Word.

When I was in the fifth grade, a lady came to our school, and taught us little Bible stories. We were given prizes for memorizing verses. This is how I began to learn the Word. I surpassed all the other children in this.

As a young girl, still in the Junior class; (not yet a teen)---our church would have Scripture quoting contest. The whole church would participate in this. The pastor would chose one team; and I would chose the other team. The object was to quote as many verses correctly as we knew. We could not use one that had been quoted previously.

I hesitate to tell this; for I sense that some will take it as bragging-- but I do not mean it this way; I only want to lay ground work for my love and knowledge of the Word. I think some of you will find this interesting; though some will scoff as usual.

When a person could no longer quote a verse, they had to sit down. Each time we did this, it was always a tie between the pastor and me. He never let it go to a deciding place between us. I now wonder if He was afraid I would set him down.

This helped me to learn a lot of Scripture.

I was somewhere around the age of eight or nine; my Mother had gotten food poisoning. She was deathly sick. She knew she was dying. I remember being sick at the thought of loosing her. I was standing by her bed; she was too sick to know that I was there. We were alone in the room. As God is my witness, He spoke to me as plainly as I am telling this; I knew He spoke to me. He said, Pray for your Mother and she will live. So, I kneeled down by her bed and prayed for her. I knew in my heart that she would live; for He had told me. And in just a short while she was well. She did not know until years later that I had prayed for her that night. I told her about it long after I was grown.

Through the years I began to realize that the things I read in the Word of God, were not fitting what I saw in the church. I always felt hungry for the secrets of the Word. I always sensed that I was not being fed as I should be. One day God spoke to me and said, If you are going to be fed, you are going to have to feed yourself. So, I began to search and study the Word all I could. The more I read, the more I saw that things were not as the Word said they should be.

I began going to the Holiness church where I had gone as a very small girl; before our Daddy made us start going to the Baptist church. These two churches were very close together.

This was after I had married. My husband did not go to start with. But, after a few years of marriage, he began to go. He was ‘saved�?in the Baptist church. He loved the Word very much; read it all the time. After a while he began to tell me that there was more to it. I did not know about this.

I taught the ladies Sunday School class in our church. I would not use literature; I taught straight out of the Word; the only teacher to do that. Each Saturday night I would prepare the lesson. I could always just get lots of things so easily. For I knew the Word so well.

But, one Saturday night, as I tried to prepare the lesson, I could not get a single thought. It seemed my mind had gone on strike. After a long struggle, I became very frustrated and upset. I did not know what was wrong. My husband told me to go lay on the bed and relax and maybe God would help me. I did. I lay there trying to think and pray; all of a sudden, I felt a powerful presence come into the room with me. At first it scared me; but then I realized it was God. It was so very sweet. But it was strong!!!

I did not know what to do. I started saying, ‘Jesus, Jesus�?--as I said this, the Spirit came closer to me; it was awesome. Then I started saying other things in prayer; the Spirit would back off; then I would say Jesus, Jesus, As I said this, the Spirit would come close to me. This went on for a while; the back and forth. But then, I finally went to sleep; I knew God had visited me in a very unusual way. I know that is why He did not let my mind receive the thoughts as usual that night; He wanted to reveal His Spirit to me.

Each time I went to the Holiness church, and saw the moving of the Spirit on those people, and the joy they had, and the way they prayed with such power, I became more and more hungry for their type of worship. But, I did not know how to pray that way. I did not know how to worship that way.

It finally reached a place that it made me physically sick at my stomach to go to the Baptist church. I said to myself, if God is what this Word says he is, there has got to be more to serving Him than this. That grew in me, until I could not hardly stand to go at all.

Then, one Wednesday night, sitting there on the piano stool, God spoke to me and said, I want you to leave this church and never go back.

It trilled my soul; for I KNEW God had spoken to me.

As We were getting into our car after church, my husband was saying to me, I am never coming back here any more------ and I was saying the very same thing to him at the very same time. God had spoken to both of us.

We did not know what He wanted us to do next. After trying one other Baptist church (only one time)---God showed us both to go the holiness church next door to the Baptist.

At first, I was timid and fearful of their way of worship. But, as I saw the joy in their lives, I became so very hungry for this kind of life. I went through almost a year of being so hungry for the Holy Ghost, I just thought I could not live. I thought of it day and night. Of course, I did not know WHAT I wanted; I thought I already had it ; for the Baptist had taught me I had it when I first believed. I don’t remember ever not believing.

But I was hungry to feel the power of God. One night in service, a lady in the choir was testifying; she spoke of Heaven; I could see a string of light from me to her; I could not see anything else. Afterwards, I stood up to testify; After a few words, the spirit came on me and I could not speak; it frightened me; I did not know what was happening. I tried to speak; but the words would not come out; I could not make them come out. Then, I saw a vision, of myself standing in a corner of the church, with my hands both up in the air; praising God and speaking in tongues. At this time I did not believe in speaking in tongues. Thanks to the Baptist preachers.

God said to me, if you speak again, it will be that way. So, after standing there silent a while, I became nervous and sat down. I felt sick at myself; but I just could not do it. So, I told God if He would give me another chance, I would do what He wanted if it killed me. That is how backward Baptist raising had made me.

Somehow, I knew from this experience, that I would receive the Holy Ghost during the Praise service. I began telling my husband that I was going to get it. And in the praise service. At first, the faith was weak; but each time I said it, the faith grew stronger; till I finally KNEW IT. My husband would ask how I knew this; I said, I don’t know how I know it; I just know it.

Finally, on May 31, 1964---( I had a new baby girl, Wanna’s sister; she was 3 months old)---On this night My husband had stayed home and kept the children; we now had three girls, Wanna being the middle one. I told him before I left that He should go; for I knew I was going to receive the Holy Ghost that night.

That morning after church, I had kept one of the ladies a good while after church; asking her questions; I wanted to know if there was ANYTHING that could satisfy this great hunger in me. I really did not believe anything could be great enough to satisfy it; for the hunger was so very great. It had just consumed me for almost a year.

She said, Oh yes, sister Jo, God satisfies. Well, that set me on fire. For I knew if anything could satisfy MY hunger, it would have to be MAGNIFICENT!!!

So, I was excited all day; I felt nervous in my whole being; I felt I just could not hardly wait for night to come; I KNEW I WAS GOING TO RECEIVE IT THAT NIGHT. I KNEW IT!!!!

I told my husband he should go with me for I was going to receive it. He did not know if I knew or not; so finally he decided to stay home and keep the kids. He said , I would go if I knew for sure; I told him well I know for sure.

The experience is too great to tell in a few words; and since this is already long, I will pick up here in another post and tell of it. It did happen that night. In the praise service. I will tell of it in detail in the next episode.

I hope you enjoy this; hope it will be a blessing to someone.

JO