A Wonderful Experience With Bro.Philip

PART2

Dear beloved in the Lord !

Greetings in Jesus’ precious name !

We just returned from Chennai after Bro. Philip’s funeral. What a glorious event!
Please find my next snapshot from the life of Bro. K Philip. I have titled: “21 Paisa” & our Jehovah Jireh.

——————————————-
“21 Paisa” & our Jehovah Jireh

Bro. K. Philip & Sis. Celestial Philip with their baby Anna was posted by Bro. Bakht Singh to a serve the Lord, at a small town named Kadapa (also spelt Cuddapah) in Andhra Pradesh. But, when they arrived, they perceived that the condition of the church was not congenial for a healthy growth of the assembly.

And there seemed to be no option for him to take a decision, without the permission of Bro. Bakht Singh. Hence, he had to travel, all the way to Hyderabad. But, this was almost out of question, because travelling required money & he probably did not have enough.

This was when, he heard that Bro. Bakht Singh was coming to a nearer town, Nellore. He was much relieved, because the travel may not be that expensive. But still, in those days it cost about three and half Annas (1 anna is approx. equivalent to 6 paise.) That is, he needed 21 Paise – as a one way fare. But, still finding that ‘big’ money, was a question mark.

Bro and sister got on their knees, looking to their “Jehovah Jireh”. The Lord God who knew their needs & the needs for the ministry – heard their cry. The Lord provided in a miraculous way the bus fare to Nellore. He went to Nellore, met Bro. Bakhtsingh, prayed, discussed, and some important decisions were taken.

The work of the Lord flourished. And, the rest is History. Today, the Church at Cuddapah has a huge gathering of believers, every week – with ministry spreading far & wide. Glory to the name of the Lord !
——————————————-

In closing, I am joyful in the Lord that these testimonies are helpful to you. More such snapshots to follow. Please review my future FB posts.

– Bro. R. S Kuruvilla is the God Servant at Patmos Prayer House, Coimbatore, India. He has been with the assemblies for past 45 years, and a full-time co-worker, along with Bro. Bakhtsingh & Bro. Philip. for the last 30 years. — withPatmosPrayer House and 2 others.

PART 1

Dear beloved in the Lord !

At this juncture of the home call of our beloved Uncle K. Philip; I would like to bring to your attention a few incidents about his early life, ministry & the many miraculous ways through which our good Lord had led him. Many of these are from my recollection of my memories, from the scores of messages that I have heard & also the long hours we have spent together in the ministry – over the last 30 & more years. I plan to post a couple of such write-ups, everyday. If you find any factual errors, please feel free to write back. And, I would be glad to edit. May the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified !

The jerk on the Ship:
The year was the late 1930s, or early 1940s. Mr. Kuruvilla Philip a Gold Medalist from DUFFERIN (the only institute then to train Merchant Navy Engineers), and a self- motivated young man, having all what today’s management experts would call – “having a career goal & a focused vision”. He had a job based at Bombay, India (now Mumbai), which takes him to many places across the globe with his high-flying career in the Merchant Navy – something that many young aspirants would envy & almost all mothers would boast about.

Being an engineer on the ship, his duty on this day; was to go to the Freezer Room, take some readings. This Freezer Room was the place where the meat for the Ship’s Kitchen was stored. The temperature is usually minus 30 or even less. He entered, closed the door behind him, finished his work, and wanted to get out. But unfortunately, the door could not be opened, because of some technical snag. There was an emergency alarm to alert others in such exigencies. But, that alarm bell also seemed to mal-function. He was trapped in that cold room! Remember, it was biting cold.

Imagine the thoughts that ran through his mind. The thought of being stuck inside, the thought of getting freezed to death in the bottom of that ship, the thought of what his next plan of action could be to save himself.

But, God had to do something… And, Yes, He did it…! There was a sudden massive jerk in the Ship. The whole ship was shaken… Miraculously, the door opened…. And his life was saved! The Lord knew He had to do something to save ‘HIS SERVANT’… for a greater & higher purpose, in life…

Helpless on an hospital bed, far away from home:
It was the period of the 2nd World War. The world was in turmoil. The young Marine Engineer of Merchant Navy Mr. K Philip was on duty. And, his ship was sailing in the Asia Pacific region, along the coasts of Singapore & Malaysia. Suddenly, he developed a terrible & unbearable stomach pain. Obviously, he was de-boarded from the ship & taken to the hospital for further review & treatment.

The last thing you want to realise is that you are “wait-listed” for an emergency treatment at a hospital. But, that was a fact that he had to accept. The hospitals were full. Full of wounded soldiers from the war, awaiting treatment & surgery, to save their lives. The Doctors were overworked. The Nurses were working beyond their limits. And, the facilities were limited. Even then, they just could not keep pace with the constant flow of the patients from the war.

On a quick review the Doctors told him that he needed an emergency Appendicitis Surgery. But, the surgeon was sorry that he had a moral responsibility to first operate on the wounded soldiers, before him. And, it was known that if this was not done, immediately – it could even cost his life. Helpless, all alone & lonely, in an hospital bed in a foreign land, far away from the loved ones back at home.

Expecting that even the worst could happen anytime, his only interest was to at least keep his family back home, informed about this. The only mode of communication was a ‘cable’ (a telegram sent to a foreign country) those days. And, so he sent a cable to his father, about his serious condition. Probably, even hoping for some miracle to happen.

And, a miracle did happen. His Heavenly father did that miracle. He was told that the British Surgeon had decided to do the surgery on him. And, thus his life was saved.
Personally, I see God’s intervention here. Because, He had a higher purpose for the Kingdom of God…

(more such incidents to follow. Please review my future FB posts)

– Bro. R. S Kuruvilla is the God Servant at Patmos Prayer House, Coimbatore, India. He has been with the assemblies for past 45 years, and a full-time co-worker, along with Bro. Bakhtsingh & Bro. Philip. for the last 30 years.