I was so embarrassed and I did not know what to say or how to face them.  So I just walked into my room and began to lie on bed rather thought less.  I could not even pray!
Joyce is able to manage such situation and as the line man walked into our compound she greeted him and was kind of trying to manage the situation.  But the line man is helpless if we did not pay the bill.

Before Joyce could say any thing to the line man, came the post man into our compound.  He had with him an M.O. for Rs.l000/-  and it was just sufficient to pay the EB bill.  It was around 950 or so that month!

Some times we do get some money orders.  But the amount will be smaller.  We do not ever remember getting a thousand rupees as MO any time before or after. 

The story is that a old friend of Joyce from her days before marriage, met one of our friends in Dubai.     When Joyce’s friend knew that our friend from was from  Coimbatore  and we too were in Coimbatore, she gave our friend this amount to be given to Joyce when our friend got back to India.  So the amount was sent as MO by our friend after reaching her home town in India.  That amount reached us in time for the EB bill!!
If  the bill was not paid, we would have been without electricity until it would be paid.

Praise be to God who daily bears our burden.  Amen and amen.  

That Sunday I did not go to the assembly as it was raining.  I cannot stand rain at all.  So I was all alone at home when Joyce and children went for worship. 

After the worship when Joyce and children came home, they had three other people come along in another car to visit me.  A brother had come from Mumbai to the assembly.  When he came to Coimbatore, he wanted to meet me.  Since he could not meet me at the meeting, he had come home.  We had a small chat for about 20 minutes and he had to leave as his lunch was arranged elsewhere. 

He then prayed and left out house.  On parting he gave me a cover as from him and another from another brother from Mumbai.  Then the local brother who brought the visiting brother in his car also passed on a cover to me.  After they all left, we had our lunch and we opened the covers to find that there was 6800 rupees in all along with one or two gifts Joyce had received from local friends that day.

We did not know how to thank the Lord for His meticulous care in our lives!

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 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! 

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.)