Angel in the Fire: A Miracle in the Life of Robert Baker

By Robert C. Baker

Angel in the Fire tells the story of a fifteen-year-old boy living in Griffinsburg, Virginiaenjoying life, loving school, and loving his family and community. All this came to an end on Thursday in May of 1966. This book tells that fifteen-year-old boys extraordinary story, his tragic life, and near-death experience. Angel in the Fire also tells an inspiring story of Gods mercy and blessings.
FOR IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN THE FLAME WENT UP TOWARD HEAVEN THAT THE ANGEL OF THE LORD ASCENDED IN THE FLAME JUDGES 13:20

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490869698

Robert C. Baker

I feel the reason I am qualified to write a book because the book I have created relates to my life and community. I feel like they are important aspects to your life and others. I am a minister of the gospel which makes up a big part of my life. My ministry has encouraged me to write my story. From my ministry and other well known ministries in my life I have been able to give back to my community, friends and family. I have the whole community, my family and close friends behind me to promote my life changing experience from god to hopefully touch others lives like it has mine.

Book preview

Copyright © 2010, 2015 Robert Baker.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6968-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6970-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-6969-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015902138

WestBow Press rev. date: 02/06/2015

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

ANGEL IN THE FIRE

A Miracle in the Life of Robert Baker

CHAPTER ONE

Life in Griffinsburg

CHAPTER TWO

My Parents

CHAPTER THREE

The Holidays

CHAPTER FOUR

My Elementary School

CHAPTER FIVE

My Dad’s Stroke

CHAPTER SIX

The Accident

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Hospital

CHAPTER EIGHT

Gerdie Printz

CHAPTER NINE

Home from the Hospital

CHAPTER TEN

Growing in the Lord

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cornfield

CHAPTER TWELVE

My Own Family

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There are many to whom I owe a word of thanks for their help with the writing of this book.

First, thanks to the Culpeper Regional Hospital for their cooperation in this project of love. They have provided valuable information and photographs. From their earliest days, they have been in the business of saving lives (I am one of those lives) and improving the lives of those who have health issues. There is no doubt in my mind that the good Lord used this hospital as well as its first surgeon, Dr. Grahame Henson, to save my life.

Special thanks to June Henson, Dr. Henson’s wife, and also to the Culpeper Star Exponent for referenced newspaper articles for the information about Dr. Grahame Henson.

Thanks to Georgia Mae Lanham for the information about Sam (her husband and my dear friend) and for the photograph of their family.

Thanks to the Museum of Culpeper history for their valuable information and photographs.

Very special thanks go to C. F. Yates, without whom this book’s story would not have been completed. He and his family have been my friends and have truly been a part of my extended family for many years. C. F. provided invaluable information about life in the 1960s, and especially life in Griffinsburg.

Thanks to my sister, Nina Baker Peyton, who helped me research the information in this book. Her memory was invaluable.

To the memory of Conner and Elsie Yates, Frankie Yates, Sam Lanham, Gerdie Printz, Grahame Henson, Dorothy Kelly, and above all, my parents, Henry and Virginia Baker.

Thanks to Ruby, my wife of 40 years, our two children Angela and Richard, and the wonderful grandchildren that they have given us.

INTRODUCTION

When I first met Robert a few years ago, I was amazed by his unyielding personal faith in Jesus Christ. Recently retired from a very successful lifetime of hard work in the business world, Robert along with his wife Ruby attended our church while on vacation.

Immediately, we shared kindred spirits when I learned that he loved to share his faith with others. There are millions of people in the world including the United States of America who have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel. His heart as my heart was in evangelism and missions.

Soon after meeting Robert, I heard him share about the traumatic event that happened when he was fifteen years old. That tragedy had transformed his life in so many ways, and yet he told me that he had seldom shared it in public. I saw how my congregation responded so powerfully to his message. WE played his testimony on our church’s weekly radio program on WPAQ 740 in Mount Airy, and I listened as people would ask about Robert and had appreciated his testimony.

From all those multiple responses to his testimony, I told him that he should write his story down and share it with people around the United States and around the world.

This book fulfills the challenge that was given two years ago. Robert’s father was ill and at fourteen years of age, he began working to help support his family. A year and a half later, the accident happened. Angel in the Fire tells the story of that accident. You will laugh and you will cry, and at the end of the story all one can say is to the good Lord be the Glory! Along the way, the reader will know something about life in the ’60s in rural Griffinsburg, Virginia.

ANGEL IN THE FIRE

A Miracle in the Life of

Robert Baker

"FOR IT CAME TO PASS,

WHEN THE FLAME WENT UP TOWARD HEAVEN …

THAT THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

ASCENDED IN THE FLAME …"

JUDGES 13:20

CHAPTER ONE

Life in Griffinsburg

My Beginning

I, Robert Carroll Baker, was born on Sunday at home in Ole Hollow, the home of my grandfather Hubert Baker and his wife Mary Bailey, in Rappahannock County, Virginia, on May 21, 1950, to Henry Irvin (Dec. 21, 1912-Dec. 5, 1966) and Virginia Elizabeth Baker (July 25, 1916-Feb. 16, 1996). I was born near Sperryville and not far from Old Rag Mountain. Behind the house, one could see Skyline Drive. My parents were married on February 5, 1936. They had nine sons and two daughters in the following order: James, John, Mary Ann, Charles, Edward, Nina, Robert (me), Herbert, Henry, George, and Wayne. When the main event of this book—the accident—happened, I was 15 years old, and there were only five of us children at home. All were boys, and I was the oldest.

When I was seven years old, my family moved from Rappahannock County to Culpeper County and lived for a while in the