Needs were met most miraculously, almost day by day.  During the months when I planned this construction, I made sure that I mentioned this need to nobody in the world.  In the month of April when construction was going on, I decided I would send a reply even to those who sent gifts only after the construction was over.

On an average 10 people were working daily for construction.  Of course, they all knew how I was managing things daily.  One morning mason told me, “Sir, only half a bag of cement is available.  By 11 am we need 2 bags more.”  I said, “The Lord will provide our needs.  Otherwise I will give your wages whether cement is there or not, as I called you for work this day.”  Praise be to God.  On searching I found we just had Rs.142/- at home.  With the amount a laborer went to the cement shop to see that price of one bag cement in that shop that morning was Rs.7l/- exact.

By mid April, the ground floor was over and I needed steel rods for roof the following day.  I had no money in hand.  But I still went to Kotagiri to find out whether material was available in a shop known to me.  It was available.  The man in the shop asked me when I needed the material.  I said I needed it for the following day’s work.  The man replied, “Tomorrow we are on leave.  Please take your material to-day itself.”  I said, “I did not bring any money with me.”  I could not believe his reply.  “Sir, what is there in money?  Please don’t stop your work due to lack of materials.  I will give it you.  You bring me money later on.”  That man is never known to give any thing on credit to anyone any time.  But that day I can not imagine what made him say what he said, except by the Lord.  He gave me steel worth of Rs.1400/- on credit without my asking for it.  I paid it on a later occasion.  That was the only time I took any material on loan for the building!

If steel rods were not made available that day, construction would have stopped and I would not have been able to complete the work in time for me to place the granite inscription on the building.

Four or five times during that month I had to come to Mettupalayam to get either sand or blocks for work for the following day.  I would be with workers till 5 pm and start out on our van which was running on a miracle tyre those days.  It was amazing to see how the Lord did everything right in time for the building. 

In those days we spent around six thousand rupees a month for our maintenance.  We never ever had a bank balance any time.  But during that month without any human effort or contact or influence what so ever, we spent more than ten to fifteen times our average monthly expenses!!  How can one account for it except to believe that God answers prayers.   Today that building stands there in the Nigiris as a prayer monument with the inscription on it.   Even if Lucifer we to come in person, he cannot deny God answers prayers.  May all glory be to God and to God alone.  Amen and amen.

 During the construction we saw God’s miraculous provision every day without fail.  We had direct, tangible, undeniable, unbelievable  answers to prayer every single day.  How true is the scripture when it calls God “O you who hear prayers!” Ps.65:2.

During the first week of Jan. 1986, the Lord reminded me of my prayer last February, praying for the land where the crow sat with tumbler.  If I did not get that land within the next two months, I would not be able to tell confidently that it was the Lord who gave me the sign by crow.  So the Lord asked me to begin praying seriously for that land.

It was 9 cents of land and the owner was demanding Rs.7,000/- per cent.  I knew that my mechanic friend had offered Rs.6,000/- per cent but the land was not given to him.  So I knew I needed a minimum of Rs. 63,000/- plus registration charges to purchase the same.  I wanted to purchase the land without letting any one know about it thus to prove that we have a prayer answering God.  I knew nothing was impossible to those who believed.

During the second week of January I began to pray seriously about the land to be bought.  I said, “Lord,  give me Rs.1000/- this week so that I would know you are answering my prayers for the land.”  Once I begin to pray for a particular subject, it is my habit to take it to the Lord every now and then till I know my prayer is answered. So I continued that way even when I was out of my prayer chamber. 

During that week I received Rs. 1000/- and it confirmed my decision to continue to pray for the land. 

During the following week again I prayed for a second one thousand rupees for the land project.  I got the same from some source and I started a new bank account and deposited the money in it.  I told Joyce about what I was praying about and how the Lord was answering prayers.

The following week, as I began to pray, I did a small calculation.  If I would get one thousand rupees every week, it would take about seventy weeks for the whole amount while I needed the same in the next four weeks to prove my point.   So I doubled my target and during the 4th week of January, i.e. the third week of praying for the land, I prayed for Rs.2000/- that week.  And amazingly I got the same from three different sources over and above our daily expenses. One source was a convention where I went as speaker that week.  Of the gift they gave I separated the amount needed to fill my target.

We were all excited and we knew for sure the Lord was answering our prayers on a regular basis.

During the fourth week of praying for the land came the 1st of February and I spend the whole day, from morning till night in prayer chamber.  Usual prayer time in those days was 4 pm – 10 pm.  As I waited in the presence of the Lord  that day with singing and reading and meditating and praying, my prayer was that the Lord would give me Rs.4,000/- during that week.  As I spend the day in the presence of the Lord, staying in the prayer room for hours, the Lord gave me confidence that He was going to supply all the funds needed for the land within the following week.  I was overjoyed and I began to praise Him for His grace in our lives.

As you know by then we had Rs.4,000/- in the land account and I began praying for another Rs.4,000/- during that week, for which the Lord said He was going to provide the whole amount within the following week.  Though I could hardly believe that, I came out of the prayer chamber praising God as I knew whatever He tells me always comes true.

On the 2nd of Feb. Joyce and I had made an appointment with St.Jude’s School in Kotagiri that we would go there to distribute copies of the gospel of Luke to students there. We had received a number of pocket size gospel in English from some source.  We knew students would love it. Hence the attempt.  The school authorities gave me an opportunity to speak to the student body at their morning march past time.  It was noon by the time we came out and on the way back we had our lunch packets from hotel which we brought to our van and ate.

On going back home, I found there was no fuel in the van.  I asked Joyce for any money on her as I had nil.  She gave me some fifteen coins from her purse and we got diesel for the same.  The bunk boy asked us why all these coins to which I replied whether currency or coin, money has value. 

The devil was whispering in my ears saying such a great man who would pray for buying the land for thousands of rupees.   Does not have even a note to buy diesel!  But we were rejoicing in the Lord as we had lunch from hotel that day and had at least coins to buy diesel.  In other words, none of our needs were unmet.  Praise be to His Holy Name.

When we reached home that day we had the greatest surprise.  There was a cover which was sent from Kotagiri.  There was an open cheque for Rs.6,500/- in it.  We knew the one who sent the cheque.  But some one else gave the money to be given to us.  We do not know who that some one is to this day.  Following day I deposited the cheque to the land account. That made a total of Rs.10,500/- within four weeks, from zero.  I continued instant in prayer.  Every day my prayer time begins at 4 pm and goes up to 10 pm.   For months together I did not have supper.   If I felt special burden for prayer, I continued till 12 or even 2 in the morning which were rare.  But on occasion I did that also.

On the fifth week, by Tuesday itself the Lord provided sufficient funds for the land.  There came a letter from a friend of mine with whom I had no contact.  But now he had sent me dollars worth Rs.10,000/- to be used for what ever our need was.  That made the whole amount!(Read rest of the story in “63,000/- to 14,000/-”,” miracle building”, “miracle every day” in Unforgettable Experiences post.)

Once I came to the end of my tooth paste.  I did not know what to do.  In the morning I found it was the last bit and there was nothing left for the following I began to be concerned about it.  But I did not ask any of our other friends for help.  Instead I decided to pray.  After all, I had made good use of my pocket money to help one of my friends.  I had confidence that the Lord would answer my prayer.  In the morning session I was not listening to lessons in the class.  I was pouring my heart to God in prayer sitting in the class room.  At l0:30 post man came and I was expecting a miracle though I had already received my quota for that month!  But nothing happened.  I did not have an M.O. that day.  Then I became more intense in my prayer while in the third and fourth periods.  My problem was how would I be able to go to class the following day without brushing my teeth.  Some how the morning sessions were over and I went for lunch and rice would not go down my throat as my concern was about the tooth paste for the following day.  After lunch somehow I reached the dormitory rather heavy hearted.  I was worried about tooth paste for the following day.  I was reclining on bed rather dejected for the Lord did not answer my prayer but still continued trusting Him for a miracle. 

A little while later Bro. K.S.Varghese came into my dormitory and he was all blown up.  He called on to me and said, “Mathew, I got an M.O. for Rs.10/- from my cousin in Rajasthan.”   KS went on to say, “The coupon says, ‘give three rupees to Mathew Paul’”. He had come with the three rupees to be given to me.   My joy found no limits.  I shouted and praised God for answering my prayer and shared with him the whole situation.  This is one of the first experiences I had in prayer and from then on for small matters or for big, I learnt to trust God every day of my life.  The person who sent the M.O. was M.A.Thomas of Kota, Rajasthan.  It was through his influence that I left SIBI and joined HBI.