Site To Promote Prayer Awareness! (When we work, we work. When we pray, God works!)

(Unknown to any man any where, the Lord provided funds to build a two storied concrete building 700sft. in all. Unbelievable, yet absolutely true.  Praise be to His Holy Name.) 

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.

(Unknown to any man any where the Lord provided funds to errect a 700sft. concrete building  in just thirty days  as direct, tangible, undeniable answer to prayer.  Read more in ’Every day miracle’, ‘God who fed elijah is alive and active’.)

While preparation was going on outside, inside the prayer chamber I was bargaining with the Lord.   I said I was going to trust Him to finish the building in 30 days.  I also promised the Lord that if indeed the Lord helped me finish the whole construction in one month, there would be a granite inscription placed on the building saying, “This building stands witnessing the fact that God of Elijah lives.”

The Lord gave me Isa.58:9 as his promise.  “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say ‘Here I am’”

And in the next 30 days a two storied concrete building emerged out of nothing.  As the Lord created every thing out of nothing,  now He helped his servant to complete the building when I had nothing other than His promises in my hand. 

The whole building is done in hollow blocks which has same combination of cement, sand and granite chips as ordinary concrete.  Columns and beams are done in ordinary Reinforced Cement Concrete.  Ground floor has three doors while first floor two.  Ground floor has three windows while first floor has 10 windows.  The building has a RCC beam ll0’ long, and four 8’ RCC columns, two 6’RCC columns and 4 RCC footings on which  beams rest.

Each hollow block is 15” x 8” x 8”.  Roof has pre-cast RCC beams 4” x 3” and 12’ long at every 2’.  Roofing blocks is 20” x 6” x 5”.  

Idea to build with hollow blocks came in one of those days when I was thinking about the building.  One day I was sitting on my bed looking through the window down to the place where the building would come.  As I sat there thinking about the building, unawares I
was tuning the transistor and it picked Coimbatore station.  I never ever listened to radio during day time.  But that day I did.   They had a feature on hollow blocks when I
turned it on.  They started with the history to details about how it is made and its advantage over against bricks etc.  The thing which attracted me towards it is its cost.  It works 25-30 percent cheaper than brick work, yet equally strong. 

So I went to Coimbatore which is about 70 kms. from my pace, and saw for myself a three storied building constructed with hollow blocks.  Roof too was done with same material and it had an overhead water tank on it.  I was deeply impressed about the whole thing.  Very rarely people do roofing with this.  But I decided to go for the same roofing and roofing materials will never be readily available.  So I had to place order for my needs.  Blocks for the walls were purchased from Mettupalayam which was just 30 kms. from home.

By the time we started construction on the 1st of April, half of the materials needed were already ordered and made available.  The other half was ordered during the first week of April.  On the 28th of April last load of roofing material also arrived at the construction cite by which time walls were on the finishing stage. Since we left the building without plastering, all cement work for the two stories were completed within thirty days.  Curing was done later, of course.  Doors and windows were fixed after curing only. 

There was a gap of about one month before we actually started constructing the building.
The land had to be cleared of tea bushes and made ready for construction.  Blue print had to be made and approval got from local authorities to construct the building.   We took a whole month for all that.  

The land was about 40 degree slop.  People thought I would need to spend a lot of money to level it for a building.  On the other hand, I planned it in such a way that ground floor was in two levels.  For the thirty feet long building, beam on the one end was planned to be on the ground and at the other end an 8’ room on the ground  with RCC columns would take the beam there.  In other words, part of the first floor was on the ground.

The land was in triangular shape.   The base of the triangle was about 60’ long and the tip of the triangle was about 30’.   So I planned a ‘T’ shaped building 30 x 10 one way and 10 x 10 attached on one side .   Ground floor was in ‘L’ shape due to the landscape.  Thus two floors together would make 700 sft. of building; 300sft. ground floor and 400 sft. first floor.

(Price of the land came down to almost less than 25%!  Ways of the Lord are always marvellous.) 

During the first week of February we had now Rs.20,500/- for the land.  Thinking it was sufficient any way to pay advance, I decided to take steps towards purchasing the land.  Since the land belonged to my enemy, I decided I would request one of the assembly brethren, Bro. John who was with the Electricity Board, to buy the land in his name to which he agreed.

Then I approached Mr. Y. Samuel who was a tailor and a Pentecostal believer, in whose house we stayed for two years on rent before we built our house.  He was a good friend of ours and a well wisher.  I told him all that happened and how that the Lord was going to give that land to us.  He was very excited to hear how the Lord gave this much amount just by prayer.   I requested him to act as middle man between the land owner and the purchaser.  I also asked him to ask the land for half its offered price!

So Mr. Samuel met Mr. Bokan and asked him whether his land was sold or not.  Bokan said it was not yet sold.  Tailor then told him of a party from Kotagiri who was interested in the land.  But the tailor said the party would give only Rs.3,500/- per cent.  Of the nine cents which we were planning to buy, only 4 cents belonged to Bokan.  The other 5 belonged to his brother.  The matter was discussed between the brothers and the tailor.  But the brother to whom belonged the five cents would never give it for that price as the mechanic had promised Rs.6000/- a year ago.  But some how Bokan agreed to sell his 4 cents for our price.

Now the tailor asked Bro. John to come and meet Bokan in person. When Bro. John came,  Bokan said our price was too low and we must add a little more to it.  Bro. John said he would give Rs.100/- more per cent to which Bokan agreed.  Advance was paid then and there and agreement signed.  In the next twenty days cash was ready in the bank.  We purchased 4 cents for just 14,400 rupees instead of 9 cents for 63,000.  After all, we were praying for the land where the crow sat with tumbler.  It was that bit which belonged to Bokan!  How true is the scripture.   “He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving the heritage of the nation.” Ps.111:6.

We were like those who dream when we got this land.  A few years back the same man had chased me from his land as I went in to pluck a few waste plants for rabbits. He had given me ‘last warning’ then.  Later he stoned our house when gospel meetings were going on.  On another occasion he came to our house fully drunk to create trouble. But his land was in our possession for almost half price that he demanded! 

(Unknown to any man any where, the Lord provided funds to buy 4 cents of land in just thirty days, simply in answer to prayer!)  

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.)

(A crow brought a steel tumbler as a sign from the Lord.) 

As I prayed about what to do next one or two ideas emerged.  The first idea was to plan some program for their school going children in the summer.  We therefore thought about the possibility of joining Steward Bible College as staff to come back in summer to the Nilgiris.  But the Lord clearly led us away from taking that step. 

The other possibility was to bring the Kurumba children who went to the near by government schools to give them a hostel facility where we could actually teach them in the morning and evening.

Several hours were spent in the prayer room trying to discern the mind of the Lord.
I was hesitant to start a hostel because I knew how difficult it would be by way of financial strain and labor.  But the Lord asked me whether I ever starved with my five children.  On the contrary we were sumptuously fed!  The Lord impressed upon my mind the truth that five and fifty were the same to Him.

He said,  “If I did not fail you with your five children, why can’t you trust Me for fifty?”
I was convinced in my prayer that it was easy for the Lord to do great things if I trusted Him fully.

I was reading Is.7 for meditation one of those days.  As I came to v.14, the lord spoke to me saying that He was going to give me a sign that He was about to do some great things  for me.  The phrase “the Lord Himself will give you a sign” came back again and again in my mind.

Then I said, “Lord, give me a sign by a crow and I will name my ministry ‘Cherith Children’s Home’”.  Now that I prayed that prayer, I was waiting for a sign from a crow.  I had answer to all my prayers specially those days when I spent on an average eight to ten hours in prayer.

On the third day about 7 in the morning, I was standing in front of my house brushing my teeth.  It was the 28th of Feb.l985.  Pear trees in the Nigiris fall their leaves in February.  There was a pear tree just opposite to my house below the road with no leaves on it.  As I watched there came a crow.  There was a steel tumbler on its beak.  The crow placed the tumbler on a branch there and fluttering its wings made a peculiar noise for a minute or so and then leaving the tumbler on the branch the crow flew away. 

As I was watching this behavior of the crow, the Lord said, “That is the answer to your prayer.”  To which I replied,  “Lord, I cannot accept it because the tree belongs to my enemy.”  The tree actually belonged to one Mr. Bokan who stoned our house a couple of years back when we had our public gospel meetings there. 

On the following day while we were having our family prayer, we heard a noise. Something fell on the roof of our house.  As soon as prayer was over, I climbed the roof to find a coconut shell there.  The Lord made a crow to drop it on the roof of my house itself this time! 

I took the shell from the roof first and told the Lord that I was going to take that tumbler from the pear tree as well which I did.  But to prove that it was He who made these two incidents take place, I asked the Lord to give me my enemy’s land in one year! 

Who would believe that on Feb.28, l986 we registered 4 cents of land which belonged to my enemy.  Unknown to any man any where the Lord provided funds for the same and Mr. Bokan gave the land to a brother in the assembly never knowing I was behind it all and the land was going to be used for a hostel for Kurumba children.

By 1985 I learnt the Kurumba dialect to the extent that I could do a phonemic analysis of the language and write a basic grammar for the same.  Using modified Tamil script I was able to write down the language as well.  By then I also translated the New Reader Scriptures of the BSI which is a life of Christ taken from four gospels.  But now the problem was the Kurumbas must be taught to read and write before the materials would be published for them.

Planning a literacy for Kurumbas is a near impossible task as their hamlets are so small and so scattered in the Nilgiri jungles.  One has to walk two three hours into the jungles to see two or three houses there.  Again another half hour or one hour through the most difficult terrain to find the next two houses.  I had names of forty Kurumba hamlets in my list.  But they are found scattered in the border jungles of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.   How to plan literacy program for such a group was my problem.  Out of the 40 names that I had in my list, I had only visited some 10 with atmost difficulty.  There were two government settlements where they had twenty or thirty families, one near Aravenu and the other near Manjacombai. Children were either not interested in studies or others were in some government schools till they were twelve or fourteen years old.

Again it happened in my absence in Aravenu.  It was reported to Joyce that a Kurumba man was admitted in a hospital run for Tribals by a Welfare Society.  The hospital was right in the middle of the jungle and there was no resident doctor or other facilities there.  Very poor care was given to patients due to lack of staff, facilities and medicines.

As soon as Joyce heard about it, she went to a driver friend of ours and with his help went to that hospital and brought the patient to a good Christian hospital where doctors were friends.  The hospital had very good facilities also.  The patient was almost dying when he reached the second hospital.  Doctors admitted him because he was now our patient though they thought the patient would die soon.  But the amazing thing was that the patient recovered fully within a week.  By the time he was discharged, he had a new layer of skin as one layer had fallen off his body.  The patient was all swollen up when admitted.  I was back by his discharge time.  The doctor friend told me that he gave no other medicine than Vitamin B tablets to the patient!

On another occasion Joyce had a Kurumba lady brought to our house and made a nursing home in one of our rooms with the aid of a local medical practitioner.  The lady was given drips for two days.  But finding that she was still sinking, her relatives took her back to the village, on which way she passed away. 

Once I was away for three weeks for ministry elsewhere.  When I came back I learnt that one of our families in the assembly was having a season of sickness in their house.  They were estate laborers and they had fever one after another and had to be admitted for treatment as they were running very high fever.  By the fourth week the fourth person was in hospital.  When I was back, the matter was reported to me and I went to the hospital to see them and to pray for them. 

The patient sat up on bed as I went near and I made a short prayer.  As soon as I finished my prayer and said ‘Amen’ I opened my eyes to see the patient sweating profusely.  Her fever had left her instantly.  I myself did not expect such an instant healing.  But it pleased the Lord to heal her immediately.  She got discharged and went home the very  same day.