He Had His Hands On Me

By Rhodiel Steele Johnson

God is able to turn things around for His children. No matter what situation you find yourself in life, in your family, or outside the family, God can turn it around for the better. In this case, the author went through a lot of difficulty. She held on and stood her grounds and God gave her victory. Today, she can look back at the path where the good Lord has taken her and give a big thank-you to Almighty God for all His goodness and loving-kindness toward her.

To the readers, do not give up. It may seem the Lord is not aware of your suffering, but He knows everything. In due season, He will hear your cry. There is no mountain too high that He will not go through with you. There is no valley too deep that He will not go deeper with you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781098097837

Book preview

cover.jpg

He Had His Hands On Me

Rhodiel Steele Johnson

ISBN 978-1-0980-9782-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-9783-7 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Rhodiel Steele Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

My Miraculous Birth

Grace for Schooling

The Great Storm

My Journey to Secondary School

My Secondary School Days

Family Feuds

My First Date

Mr. Steele Came to My Restaurant

Spiritual Warfare

Steele and I Got Married

Bethel Temple, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Pamela Got Healed of Skin Disease

Coming to America

We Moved Over to Virginia

The Great Bai Bureh

About the Author

To my heavenly Father whose hand was with me from the beginning. To my late husband Mr. C. B. Steele-Johnson, my children, and grandchildren.

Foreword

Many have undertaken to write their lives' story for several reasons known to them, but for Rhodiel, it is for the glory of God. We often see God in our victories; but the accounts of her story are there to teach you that God is in the midst of our storms, our fights, failures and our difficulties. As the Word of God says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 NIV).

At other times, things which seem to come into our paths that look like they are taking us away from our original plans are in God's plan to take us to our original plan anyway. Like Joseph, we do see the end of our dream, but we do not see the paths that lead us to the end of our dream. But as the book is titled, God has led Rhodiel to see it—God had His hand on me.

His hand does lead us to the inheritance He has for us, and He will work all things to the counsel of His own will so that at the end of the day, He alone receives the glory and the honor. His ways are passed finding out. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Ephesians 1:11–12 KJV).

Our lives are shaped through the families we were born into, through the ones who influenced our family members, and those who influenced us. Our lives are also shaped through our friends and also through our enemies, through the ones we love, and through the ones we fight. Every one of them is a tool in God's hand to propel us toward destiny. Some may mean to harm us. Others, through their own shortcoming, not willfully mean to hurt us may end up hurting us; but we gain strength and determination through their hurt.

Our joys and victories are there to encourage us and give us rest from our fights. Sometimes, they are short-lived to enter into another trial in our lives. That's what Rhodiel's story is all about, and it's a story many of us can identify with. So if this is also the story of your life, be encouraged; you are not alone. I believe that Rhodiel's story is to encourage you and remind you also that God also has His hand on you.

Rhodiel also wants to leave a heritage for her children and their children after them. Many of us Africans who migrated into foreign lands and gave birth to children and grandchildren in the West don't leave a heritage for them of our origins in our motherland. Our upbringing shaped our lives.

Many of our children in the West who are growing up in Western cultures find it hard to understand the standards set up by their African parents and their own style of parenting. Rhodiel's book will give you an understanding of our upbringing and where we are coming from and the origin of her ancestry so that those who stem from her will always remember their roots even though they may be dispersed all over the world and in the United States of America.

—Pastor Desmond Thomas of UK

Acknowledgments

A special thank you to my publisher. A special giving of thanks to my church families in Bethel Temple (Freetown, Sierra Leone, Center Point Church Fairfax, Christ Is Lord Church Springfield). I also want to thank my intercessory prayer group for their prayer support. To Mary and Tony of Fairfax who walked alongside me through thick and thin. To Linda, a former coworker of mine who encouraged me to write my story. To Sister Hawah Bysello, my intercessory prayer group leader who stayed calm under the pressure of writing and was a fantastic help. Special thanks to two special ladies who are like daughters to me—Miss Louisa of Fairfax, Virginia, and Miss Madonna of United Kingdom.

Very special thanks also to my youngest daughter who is also my namesake. Rhodiel P. Steele-Johnson was always prompting me to write the history of my life. To my sisters in Christ, Mrs. Violate Cole of Laberia and Mrs. Victoria Crankson in Ghana, Mrs. Claire Aboko Venn, who gave a summery of me. She is also in the US. For the many times we spent in prayers. To the Juxon-Smith family for being there for me at all times and to Jennifer of Fairfax, Virginia, for being a source of encouragement to me at the time of need.

To Mr. John and his wife of Fairfax Assemblies of God Church for being there for me at the time of need, whose prayer, faith, and support has been absolutely tremendous toward me. Special thanks to Mrs. Aba Frazer Leigh in United Kingdom for being a mother figure to me and a great encouragement to me. Last but not the least, to Dr. Paul and wife Elaine of Fairfax, Virginia, I worked for that always rooted for me. To my cousin in France, Sanusie Kalokoh for unveiling the story of my grandfather, Sanusie Kalogor, to me.

To Rev. Desmond Thomas, who wrote the summary of the book. Thank you to Clifford Beatty for all your help.

Chapter 1

My Miraculous Birth

The story of my life! I gave God praise, honor, and glory because when I looked back, I could see the hand of the Lord in every stages of my life. Now, I know that it was the miraculous hand of God that was upon me since I was in my mother's womb.

My great-grandfather on my father's side was a well-known tribal warrior by the name of Bai Bureh. Bai Bureh was the great ruler and military strategist who led the Temne uprising against the British and the creoles in the Hut