Lost In the Prairies.....Found by God

Last week our heroine got the ring, now what was she going to wear.........

The weekend following our engagement, I went dress shopping and I didn't go alone. My room mate and I took along our friend Chris. We joked around about our conversions, as we all had not been followers before the Alpha Retreat. Part of the reason, as well, that Chris had agreed to go along was that our friend Joanne's dance troupe was dancing at one of the malls and we planned to go there after dress shopping (by the way, they are now married.)

We first went to the see Joanne dancing, then we went to go dress shopping. We went to a bridal store that was having a sample sale. Not as large as Kleinfelds, but it was busy just the same. My room mate and I went through the dresses. Chris sat down and stayed out of the way. As I tried on each dress, we watched Chris's reaction. He didn't like any of the ones we had picked out. A consultant brought us a dress. We both looked at her like she was "daft." She quickly stated that it looked horrid on the rack, but once on was great. I tried it on begrudgingly just to amuse her. When I put it on, I knew it was the one. When Chris saw me in the dress he said "That's the One!!!!" I quickly put a deposit on it. A plus about my dress is that it was actually one size too large, so there was no stress about losing that last 10 lbs.

Next Hair. Luckily, my room mate had hooked me up with her hairdresser and she immediately agreed to do my hair. In fact, she was willing to do it "under the table" which worked for me as the money would actually go to her for all her hard work, rather than the salon (an overpriced and pretentious place).

I also started to take Profession of Faith classes (Catechism for Adults). I enjoyed these classes and learned a lot about God, my faith and my self. The classes strengthened my faith and led further in my relationship with the Father. However, it also left me with a feeling that I wanted to be baptized, again.

As a child I had been baptized. Not that I don't believe in infant baptism (another time), but I didn't feel that my baptism had been honest. When each of my children, subsequently have been baptized, Leroy and I have had to answer questions about raising our children in the faith

First: Do you acknowledge that our children, though conceived and born in sin and therefore subject to all manner of misery, yes, to condemnation itself, are sanctified in Christ, and therefore as members of His Church ought to be baptized?

Second: Do you acknowledge the doctrine which is contained in the Old and the New testament, and in the articles of the Christian faith, and which is taught here in this Christian church, to be the true and complete doctrine of salvation?

Third: Do you promise and intend to instruct these children, when come to the years of discretion in the aforesaid doctrine, and cause them to be instructed therein, to the utmost of your power

I felt that my parents, if they had answered the questions, had been false or evasive. Neither attended church, let alone instructed us God's plan or word. I felt that they had lied. I felt that they had only baptized my sister and I as a show. I wanted to be re-baptized. I wanted my conversion to be pure and honest. This did cause quite a stir. I explained my position to our Pastor. The Church leadership agreed, once they heard my story.

I did Profession of Faith and was baptized on September 24, 2000. I was nervous at giving my testimony in front of Leroy's parents and his aunt. However, once I did I felt free. I felt like a child of God. A new person. I was clean of my past and ready to move on to my future........