Pruett, Alda M. Furnace Of Affliction By Alda M. Pruett AuthorHouse Copyright © 2011 Alda M. Pruett All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4520-8164-9 Chapter One I really cannot remember when I didn't know that God existed. I have always known He was, because of the way He has taken care of me. I have always known He was with me. Perhaps this seems a strange way to begin the story of one's life, but truly God is the beginning of all things, be it my life, yours or the earth, sea and universe. The Bible declares, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him. And, He is before all things and by Him all things consist." (Col. 1:16, 17) I was born Alda Meryl Baker in Wilson County, Tennessee on July 26, 1938, to Grady Olben Baker and Velma Ashworth Baker, the third of seven children. I have one brother deceased, James Calvin, then George Robert, myself, another brother, Darrell Wayne, a sister, Rilla Jean, and another brother, William Glenn and another lovely sister, Cheryl Lynn. My father was a sharecropper and my mother, a housewife. Folks back then were poor and sharecroppers were even poorer. My dad was part Indian and he must have been of the nomadic origin, the way he liked to move around. There was lots of love, even though I failed to recognize it at the time. And the essentials of a sharecropper's life, food, water, air. Dad sure didn't like to stay in one place too long at a time. When I was about a year old, daddy sold what little we had and went to Texas, leaving George, myself and mother with my maternal grandparents. He wasn't gone too long before he realized that he couldn't make it and back to Tennessee he came. My maternal grandmother was an ordained Church of God of Prophecy Minister. She taught Sunday School in her home every Sunday. Grandma Ashworth was a wonderful lady, a true Christian and through the years, I learned very much from her. I guess you would say she was the first one to teach me to have faith in God. When I was about two and one half years old, my family moved to the big city of Nashville, Tennessee. My dad went to work at Purton's Dairy in Whites Creek, Tennessee. The first house I remember living in was on Alabama Avenue. The city life wasn't only new to a couple of small kids, who were used to cows, pigs and chickens, but to my parents also. About six blocks from the house was a small Nazarene Church. This is the first church I remember attending, and I had the sweetest teacher, Miss Farmer. I remember her being so nice. She gave us an attendance chart with little lambs or flowers to put on it each time we were there. How I hated to miss Sunday School. I wanted all the flowers and lambs on my chart, because when the quarter was up, we got to take the charts home with us and mother would keep mine for me. Brother Collier, the pastor, was a precious man of God, and I loved him so much. He was truly another saint of God used to help mold my life. As I grew older, I became involved in the church. I was secretary of our Sunday School class, then president of the class. I sang in the choir, in a duet, a trio and also solo. I really enjoyed being a part of the church services. I can remember as a child, wanting to work for the Lord. It has always been in the back of my mind, even though at times, I thought of other things that I would like to do. I, at one time, thought of teaching school or singing on the Grand Ole Opry. You know when you are very poor, you daydream a lot. You think of being rich and having a beautiful home, a new car and lots of nice clothes to wear; especially when the best you have are made from flour sacks, feed sacks or hand-me-downs. Like other folks back then. I wore some of the hand-me-downs and was glad to have them. Sometimes, I would receive some store bought material as a gift and mother would make me a dress. She was a good seamstress. Once in a great while I would get a real store bought, readymade dress. That would be my show off day. Daddy would have me model the dress for him. He liked for us to do this. My folks couldn't give us much but it made daddy feel good for us to show him that we appreciated it. Several years after Brother Collier passed away, someone told me of a statement he made concerning me, as he watched me during Vacation Bible School when I was eleven or twelve years of age. "One day that little girl will make a good worker for the Lord." How I desire that statement to be true. We moved to another house at the end of that same block on Alabama Avenue. I was about five years old. One Saturday, mother and daddy took us to the matinee at the Elite Theatre on Charlotte Pike. It's torn down now. Time takes its toll on all things, I guess. Anyway, this movie was about some sailors and Hawaii. I have always been quick to learn, and