The HOUSE: 8A
At this juncture I must go back to our main story, leaving many important incidents that took place in my life. God was so good, He was with me at every point of life. He chose a husband who was 'good looking and God fearing' I lived with him 22 years of 'happy married life believing the wonderful guidance God had given me I married him without seeing him till I gave my wedding ring on the alter of our marriage.
This and some other things will be picked up in the course of my story, as it goes.But now I resume back to those 4 questions at the back of my Bible, and about the wonderful answer I got in Numbers 32:24 Build cities for your women and children..."
As I told you we were living in rented houses.
The first one was given in rent by one of my students which was a beautiful individual house for rent for Rs200/ one year we stayed in it, later for the summer holidays we vacated it put the things in our relatives house, went to Vijayawada where his sisters were put in , where we had to pay the rent too. so after the summer holidays, as the financial burden was too much, my journal was going on and on with many sighs and tears, in the presence of God.
So I had decided I should seek for a very less costed rented house. I sought for a thatched house for Rs. 60/ only one room it was so horrible.
I thought ok because he goes to office at 6 am and I go away to college at 9 am we both would stay at home only in the nights, so the rest of Rs120/ could be used for his sisters', fees etc.
I was saving EVERY PIE, NO NEW SAREES, NO FURNITURE , yet I did not make any scenes at home, and I learned to sacrifice silently to meet the two ends was not possible some times, unless I curtail my lunch or breakfast some times; this he did not know, I did not have kerosene for which I used to go to the ration shop, so I started to cook on three bricks, and dried wood and dung cakes, I reminded myself, that the ammagaru, (Mrs Daniel) used to cook on orange peels when there was no money in the home. The toilet and bath was common for three portions, but still I adjusted so well even though I used to live in Britisher's buildings for Police officers, and five star hotel suit like hostel in college as Lecturer, Ratnam used to bring break fast and coffee flask to my table in the room, and some time lunch to my room , we were treated as VIPs by our sister Principal Josephine in those days, we had luxurious life and never knew any problem in my life financially, till I got married.
Once my dad came to our home, found how miserably I was living , I did not have a bed for him so he lied down on the mat. But still he did not say one word against my husband. But he expressed his sorrow to me. for which I answered him that I was quiet happy with the conditions as they were for my husbands's sake.
Again I thought giving summer rent was too much for us, so I vacated it went to vijayawada again , there I got jaundice , went to Vizayanagaram to my parent's house, again pregnant took one house near college for Rs350/ after a few months I vacated it and went to Rs 80/because of too much rent. Rented a house, this time a tiled house, near the pastor's house, and again to save money, and went back to vij, and came back stayed in small house again, shifted again into Rs 120/ house,( near Vedaraja house) and from there to Rs160/(chalamayya house) house and again to Rs 250/(Rajavilla ) house and again to Rs350/( Leelapanduranga House) some times because I need to save money, as meeting the two ends was too much for me, and sometimes, the neighbors were drunkards, thieves,debauchers, and criminals, I had to change the houses so often because we need to pay two rents in Eluru as well as Vijayawada for his sisters. Every summer I had to vacate the house I live and when I come back I could not find good houses in good locality, therefore for the safety of me and my children was at stake.
When we go for less rented houses , they were available in low class localities, where people of low charactered used to live, some of them were envious of us and fighting with us, some of us tried to steal things from our house.. etc(robber story)
Ultimately I could not bear these tests any more .. I was vexed with changing the houses. I and my husband both thought we should have our own house now.
My dear husband got a promise, Proverbs 24: 27 " Finish your work outside, get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house" .He showed it to me, I do not know what it did mean then, but now I ponder over it, he must had finished his sever commitments in his own home town, and fields outside and thereby he got green signal in the word of God to build a house now in Eluru.
I was praying ( Niluva nilakaramaina needa leni vaaramu Prubhuva)" For we do not have an enduring place to live in.... We both were kneeling down and praying for a house because Bank where I get my salary deposited every month, is giving loan to the Lecturers, and many of my friends were buying and building the houses.
One day God reminded me the promise He had given, 'Build buildings to your women and children' Numbers 32:24 "Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised."
Good, I thought, so far I was under the impression that there are very good tall buildings for my children to study, St. Theresa's Elementary school, High school, Jr college, and Degree and PG college where I was employed. So when God told me go back to the place and build buildings to your children, The schools were in my mind. But now I extended the promise given by God to own house too.
Many a times, when God had given me one promise, though it was fulfilled in one incident, I would use the same promise even to other situations, and did see the promise be fulfilled again and again. So this is one of the many many incidents where the same promise was for the school buildings for children was going to be claimed even for owning a house too, When the spirit of the Lord help us to pray, He will guide us how to pray,He will remind us the promises to be claimed, He will give us assurance of those promises , sometimes one promise to many occasions.
We Started to pray in 1993, My dad went to the Lord in 1992, it was another beautiful story of His kindness, when he was alive he tried to buy a house or land for me in Eluru, but I did not heed him and I was so stupid I hurt him too in saying no to his desire.
Now we were on search to buy a house, or build a house. I shared this with my friends in college, and one day that is the last working day of College I was walking home along with one Mrs Mani, Zoology lecturer. In the course of the conversation, she said, 'Leela, there is one house which we saw to purchase, half of the house was purchased by another Zoology lecturer in Boys's college, half of the house is there to be sold. I saw it, and it is good for me, but my husband did not like it, so he is objecting to buy. If you are interested I will show that house to you. So on our way home we turned to right side street, and got the keys from another lecturer of opposite house, and saw the house to be buy. That particular lecturer was in charge of selling the house, so he told us that the house was for sale but it was above Rs.200000/-
My husband and myself thought it is too much for us to buy. Because in our family rules we should never go for any thing which is beyond our capacity .
Remember the date we saw this house, its' very important and the things that happened later. It was April 30th 1983.
How God wondrously works in our lives!! God has a plan, a design for our lives, beforehand, but He reveals it to us step by step, only when we seek to find it.And we have to pray first, some people are under the impression, that God knew our needs and we need not pray. This is wrong concept, God knew our needs, when we ask Him, He will see whether we yield to His will and claim His promise to do. Tagore in "King of Dark chamber" beautifully quoted this," I can do what I like, yet, I do what He likes. If we do not seek it we will not know it, we cannot see it, we will never know it. , we will never would see it, we will never know the hand of God and His will in our issues of life. Keeping our supplications at His feet and waiting for His will gives us testimony, Thinking that all our needs would be fulfilled if it His will is not Christina faith,
If we do not know His Will, we will never could glorify Him.. and thank Him. We will not have a testimony to share, then we would not have others who would glorify Him along with us.
In fact we should glorify Him and thank Him all the time. Whether we know Him or not but when we witness His glory in our lives so closely and praise Him .. it would be something that it would be like we singing along with the psalmist many a times, all our lives.. !!
Open your mouth WIDE, I will fill it up" Psalms 81:10 We need to have a BIG mouth opened Wide to receive His bountiful mouthful of food. and promises.
For Chapter 8B CLICK HERE
