Prayer House: 9A
Taking that promise I went back to Eluru, joined my little children in St.Theresa's Elementary School with big buildings and good administration. Later I claimed the same promise and bought the house in Ashoknagar with His promise and guidance.
Though we had the status to build a new home, or buy a new flat or house, we did not go for those, because God told me to buy this old building, that too part of a house. Our rooms in our house would be like Railway Train compartments one after the other, with a little piece of vacant land at the back and right side of the house, a place for the car garage, and for little kitchen garden and outside bath and toilets, and water reservoir at the back.
I do not lack any thing in this house, We built room with a slab roof in the year 1996, we used that room for the kitchen. When the steps were built I went up to the terrace and saw a big vacant site adjacent to my back compound wall. It has a small parapet wall which can be crossed or jumped over by any one. Beyond that I saw small dirty huts, and kachda paths. Every one were throwing their dirt and dust into this vacant site, as it was full of thorny bushes, and dirty water and pigs.
Even we or our nieghbours who were adjacent to that vacant place were doing the same, throwing the dirt from the houses into the place. But I looked at the place with different eyes, I felt that this must be the place God wanted to give us to build 'pens for the sheep'
We were made to be in charge of the LEF branch in Eluru since 1985, and we did not have a proper place to have our Sunday worship. We started to have worship in our house, and in (late) Chandrayya house, later in Mr. Jacob house, which was converted into a school later.
We were put to humiliation many a times with the highly educated owners and we were not welcomed into their houses many a times. Reasons may be umpteen, which I knew partially but never gave any heed to their pride.
The pride of the owners became unbearable certain times, as not only we but even the congregations were had that burnt of humiliation.As we were undergoing all this humiliation , we felt that we should have a place for the Sunday worship. God gave me eyes of faith to look into the site as a future Worshiping place. "Pen for your livestock, " ringing in my ears. In my Telugu Bible its written as " a backyard for your sheep"
This adjacent back yard vacant place was in my mind,therefore. I asked my husband to go back and enquaire about the place, like how much it costs etc.
We both had the best jobs, he was working in ntra Government and me with UGC(University Grants Commission)We had bulk salaries, besides, we could go for loans to buy THIS land. But never that thought came to our minds. We were happy and content with the house God had given to us. Buying lands, and gold was not in our dictionary. We bought this house because we were in dire need of a shadow, a roof on our heads. But apart from it buying lands or sites, or houses was not our desire. If at all we had such mind we would had purchased that place by taking a loan from the bank which would be no problem as they promised me that they would give some lakhs of rupees if only we go for vacant site.
But we never never had such a idea, or interest in acquiring properties.Earning property, buying gold , was not our priority list. Instead we used to spend more on music cassettes, message cassettes, and books, biographies etc. What we invested then was a foundation stone to the character of my children. We still have a mini library in our house. The Tin shed was replaced by a little room for the books, with an attached bath room and space for a bed , we constructed this in the year 2000 January after 6 years of our purchase of the house.
I was persisting my husband to go and find about that place for the Sunday Worship.
When he went back into that slum area the people showed a broker who would be a mediator between the seller and buyer. He said, there was 1200 square yards place and each square yard costs Rs. 800/-
When my husband brought that piece of information, we both thought, the HQ would not give their consent to buy this place. As it would cost approximately Rs.1000000/-Therefore we kept quiet.
But there was no rest in my heart. God told me He would give a 'backyard for our sheep'. Was it not look like just as a 'pen for the sheep'? with its short walls, and so much of greenary though they were thorny bushes; I felt this must be the place for Sunday worship.
My husband went for a Work camp in BG, I was at home with little children, so I called upon the praying women of the Fellowship, to wail and shed tears for a place to worship. We fasted and prayed for three days. later my husband came from the Retreat and went to the AEN office where he worked.( The story how he got transfer to Eluru after 12 years of his toil by shuttling between Eluru and Vijayawada was another miracle wrought by God in our lives. Walking with God needs Faith, walking with God and having a family , begetting sons and daughters and living on this earth requires FAITH, faith that works every minute of our lives. Faith without deeds is not Faith means, in our lives in every occasion we need to depend on God to do any thing. Do anything is nothing but DEEDS, That is the meaning Faith with Deeds.)
After the work camp he reported to his duty in South Central Railway AEN Office. That evening he came and told me some wonderful news. " Leela, do you know what had happened today in my office?"
I was all in ears to listen to him , because my husband a man of a few words telling me something means, I knew it must be of great importance.
There was a file on my table from DEN office of Vijayawada by the time I went to the office. It was laying there since one week there. As soon as I went into the office I was told to take care of the file immediately as it was a summons order from the higher authorities about some fine has to be be recovered.
While I was going through the file one gentleman who was highly educated with M.Tech academic qualifications, and a wealthy Land Lord of Chetaparru came to meet me. Because he was fined by the South Central Railway as his sugar factory which was in Hanuman Junctions, 30 kms away from Eluru, and 30kms from Vijayawada, leaving its residue into the Railway land , and therefore DEN Office of the SC Railway sent summons to this Land Lord to pay some fine.
But those papers were sent to my husband for investigation, and that file was on his table on that particular day, and the owner came to him and said,
" Sir, If you do my work ( showing the file ) fast I will fulfill your "formalities"( bribe)"
Knowing what he meant by 'formalities' my husband did not skip the opportunity to give testimony of his changed life by the Saviour who shed His blood to give us victory over every sin.
My husband, (Tadigiri Yesuratnam ) said, "Sir, I am not that type of person, I work and take my salary, I kept my these two hands Holy in the sight of God, I am a Christian and I never take any bribe. In fact being a Railway employee I never misused my Pass but bought Season ticket during all my travels to Vijayawada while I was shuttling between Eluru and Vijayawada for 12 years. I will do your work perfectly, for that you need pay anything."
The gentleman was astonished and asked what does he mean by not misusing the Pass, my husband answered him that any employee of his cadre receive 3 sets of Passes to go to any place in India to and fro without any charges, and 6 sets of PTOs to travel on 1/4 railway fare. When the employees need to shuttle between the two places, usually they travel by Express trains claiming one of the Passes. And its an understanding between the TCs and the employee and they would not get the signature of the TC, as once it is signed he cannot travel again on it. That too the Pass can be used on Express trains, whereas Season Ticket cannot be used on Express trains. So I traveled on Passenger trains for 12 years, starting at 6 am and reaching at 9;30am and starting there at 6;30 pm and reaching home around 10;30 pm, though it was too tedious and tiresome for me. ( Actually the train reaches Vijayawada only 60 kms away in one hour if it is Express train, because he opted for passenger train he was travelling 3 and 1/2 +3 and 1/2 to and fro everyday, in rain or shine.)
The gentleman, by name Mr. Subramanyam choudhary was taken aback by the true testimony of the man in that little office, he immediately said," I apologize for the way I talked to you. "
Later he enquaired why he travelled so many years between these two towns, for which my husband told him, " My wife is working in St. Theresa's college here, in Eluru."
"Oh , is that, even my own sister Sujatha is working in the same college."
"Is she the Lecturer in Politics? we knew her very well because she is living in a rented use opposite to our rented house to the next street where we live now our own house."
"Where is your own house now?"
"The very next street to your sister's street, Tenali Rama Krishna street,"
Which house is yours?"
"There is a temple in the entrance of the street, from there 4th house"
"There is a vacant place behind your house, did you see that"?
"Yes Sir, there is a big vacant place, I know it, in fact I tried to buy it for our worshiping place, but the broker told us the high rate, so we dropped it"
"Oh is that so? where is your worshipping place now?"
" Presently we are conducting the sunday worship in a school hall"
"Actually that vacant land is mine, if you want I will sell it to you" he grinned and told my astonishing hubby.
"Thank you very much , sir, I will inform about this to our Head Quarters in Madras, let you know"
"Oh certainly, meanwhile if you can get one bronze cross for me I will pay the cost"
That was the gist of the conversation took place between my husband and the Land owner of the present worshiping place in Eluru. As far as I remember the conversation told by my husband I memorized it and shared the testimony a number of times with many.
If you think that the place was ours just like that you are mistaken, there were still certain wonderful miraculous events took place in between , I saw the hand of God and we praised God for His bountiful graces, and mercies, in dealing with this worshiping place. Wait for that episode , how God Himself visited us and made things possible in astonishing way.
Can any body imagine that the owner of the land will be sent to our "table",( You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies Psalms 23:5) and he himself offer us to sell the place. Is there any thing impossible to God, when we pray for His glory.. what sort of conversation took place later was a miracle, what sort of negotiation was taken place between us was miracle, how this gentleman spoke and dealt with us was miracle, King of Assyria of Old testament came alive into our lives.
The promise I received from His bountiful table was a miracle. The fulfillment of that promise within seconds is a miracle. you cannot read such stories anywhere except in His Plans for the human lives.
CLICK HERE for chapter 9B
