My son Jordan & I have just had a quick trip to Tamworth to baptise my elderly mother by full immersion.  This happened very quickly and I'm still absorbing it myself.

 

My mother is 83 years old and has been in a nursing home for 18 months, as a result of the inevitable deterioration of a body inflicted with Parkinson's disease.  She is in constant pain from other conditions and also experiencing angina attacks due to blockages in the arteries to the heart that were inoperable due to age and frailty. As is the case in many nursing homes, staff are run off their feet, and often take time to answer buzzers for people who need help.  Mum's angina has increased significantly over the last 3 weeks and this often happens at night.  An added complication is the fact that she has been experiencing paranoia and feels everyone is against her.  Two weeks ago during a phone conversation when she told me how she had waited for a long time - which is relative due to her lack of ability to process a time frame anyway - for her buzzer to be answered when she required anginine for her heart, I urged her to call out to God instead of always expecting help to come from staff.  I was at my wits end to find something to comfort her with as I often had prayer on the phone with her and although she always felt peace and comfort this was short lived.
She called me recently and she told me that she had indeed called out to God during an attack one night and at this time spoke in tongues.  For a moment I was cautious as I could not be sure whether it was one of her "real" moments, but then she told me that 'she had spoken in a language she didn't know' and I felt sure that this was indeed from God.  I encouraged her to ask God to confirm this for her when she wasn't in distress so that she could be sure of the gift. Several days later, I rang to see how she was coping with the news that my sister had breast cancer, as we had previously kept this from her. She had not had an opportunity to ask God's confirmation of her gift so we had prayer on the phone and I heard this tiny little voice speak in tongues. It was faint but very obvious, and I felt a shiver go down my spine at the knowledge that God had blessed her, and also me, this way.
After speaking to some of the over sight at the prayer meeting that night they encouraged me to go to Tamworth and baptise her by full immersion, no mean feat when the only way Mum is moved is in a lifter. The next day I spoke with her about it and she was very anxious to be baptised.  So Jordan and I left early Thursday morning and after arranging it with the staff for 3pm Friday afternoon Jordan was able to baptise his nanna in the bath at the nursing home.  She was lowered into the water with the lifter, after repeating the words in Romans 10:9.  Her 3 children, son & daughter  in- law & Jordan who is her youngest grandchild, were present as well as 3 staff members.
 Apparently there was quite a buzz in the nursing home about the whole event.  My sister and her husband had flown over from Perth the previous Saturday as a last minute plan, so it was a great blessing that her 3 children were there for Mum on that occasion.  God always has everything under control !!!
Afterwards, exhausted and tucked up into bed, she told me that something had been missing and now she felt that the circle had been closed.  Mum has worshipped  & served God all her life and given my brother, sister and myself a
knowledge of God through our upbringing, so for her to come to this place at this late stage in her life is quite amazing.
I thank our wonderful God that He is full of mercy and grace no matter how old or physically impaired we are. 
Barb