Her Name Is Angie

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.
This is a true account. In January of 1978 my family and I moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota. This was our third and last move there. I had been elected as the pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church of Aberdeen. My wife and four children moved into the church's apartment.  About 4 months into my pastorate we received a phone call on the church's phone from a woman named Angie. She had been raised Catholic and married into a Pentecostal Church of God family who she said were Gypsies that painted houses and barns around the country. As far as I know her husband did not claim any particular religious beliefs. Her in- laws had been telling her that if she remained a Catholic and didn't become a Pentecostal she would be lost. The reason she had dialed the church was because she wanted a third opinion.

After speaking with her for a while I explained that it really did not matter what she called herself but whether or not she obeyed the gospel. I gave her several scripture references, such as Acts 2:1-4 and Acts 2:38, Acts 19:5 etc., and told her to look them up in her Catholic Bible as I was fairly certain that it would read close to the King James version. Because this took place in early 1978 and there was no such thing (as far as I knew) as caller ID, I told Angie that I didn't know her last name or phone number and didn't have anyway to get in touch with her. But she knew my name and how to get in touch with me if she had further questions. Then we said goodbye and hung up the phone.

Angie called the church again on Friday (about a week later) and asked if she could come over and ask about baptism. I assumed she had more questions and told her that my wife and I would be glad to meet with her. When she arrived at the church, much to my surprize and delight, what she wanted was to be baptized in Jesus name according to the scriptures. She had indeed studied the Bible passages I had given her and had come over to the church to ask if I would baptize her in Jesus name. Of course I said yes. I baptized her on that Sunday morning in the precious name of Jesus Christ. She came again for that Sunday evening service and sought for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. At that time she also informed us that her husband was going to Montana the next week for some painting jobs. I gave her some information on United Pentecostal Churches in Montana. That was the last I heard from her.

About four years later I was talking to a neighboring pastor at our church's camp meeting. He told me of some folks who were coming to his church that were apparently Gypsies. He told me that they went around the country painting houses and barns. I expressed to him the story of Angie. I later found out that they were indeed the same family. Angie and her family had settled in Kansas. Angie made contact with us and finally came to visit her family in Aberdeen and came to church. She proceeded to tell me her story. Because she had become confused as to what was right she never looked up any of the churches I had told her of. They continued to move around the country and she went to several charismatic churches but never felt that they were the right ones. Finally she attended a mid-week service of a United Pentecostal church in Kansas. She told me that during the service she felt almost as if someone was urging her to go to the altar. She went back the next Wednesday night and felt almost  as if someone was pushing her out of her seat. She obeyed the urging  and before she made it to the altar God baptized her with the Holy Ghost and she began to speak in tongues.

My friend, Angie was a different person from the Angie I had spoken to and baptized years before. She was living a holy life style and bringing up her children to do the same. To my knowledge her husband still did not claim any particular religion, but he did not fight her either. If you are reading this true account but you have never repented of your sins, do so today. Find someone to baptize you in the only saving name of Jesus Christ according to what the Apostle Peter told the Jews to do in Acts 2:38. You too shall receive  the Gift of the Holy Ghost just as the early church did in Acts 2:1-4. The Bible says that, "the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." (See Acts 2:39)  I may not know you, but I am praying for you in Jesus name.