Thursday 10 December 2009

Fire-Wall

My little campus is the Valley of Elah
where David fought and defeated Goliath as I say in my blog description. Yesterday and today I encountered several battles
outside and inside the valley.
Last evening a CNG (compressed natural gas)operated car
burst into flames on our street.
The gas cylinder exploded due to some unknown reason.
Mercifully the occupants of the vehicle escaped
unhurt or un-singed I should say,
otherwise it would have been a terrible tragedy.
The car was fairly new and insured.
There was a huge commotion on the street with the fire brigade,
police, media and on-lookers.
So I also joined the group for some photos.
I have never photographed an accident before.
The UN conference on Global Warming is going on in Copenhagen
and people are looking for solutions for a greener earth.
CNG is one of them
Compressed natural gas, or CNG, is natural gas under pressure which remains clear, odorless, and non-corrosive. Although vehicles can use natural gas as either a liquid or a gas, most vehicles use the gaseous form compressed to pressures above 3,100 pounds per square inch.
It is quite popular in India , its much cheaper than petrol
and causes less pollution.
Most vehicles in New Delhi run on CNG.
But it can be disastrous if the engine and equipment has
not been installed properly.
This car was not hit by anything.
How the cylinder burst remains a mystery.

Our electricity was turned off
till the flames and smoke subsided completely.
The cable also snapped off so my
poor mummy had to watch a boring cricket match for
an hour or so.


Peace returned after a while
and we were glad that no one
was injured.
The second battle was much closer to home.
The battle for the wall


In the morning men from the municipal corporation
came to check and told us that
the height of the wall was above the stipulated elevation.
This is not true, our wall is half a foot below the standard height.
But you can 't argue with these people.
These mischief makers were looking for a bribe.
But we would not bribe them and in order
to quell the intimidation our workmen lowered
the height so the men went away empty handed.
They were threatening to bull -doze the wall.
Our wall is not the wall of Jericho,
it is Nehemiah 's wall
They left us in peace.

Yesterday a member of a local mafia gang(goonda)
tried to bully our workmen into paying him a "fees".
Our pastor was watching from a distance
and sensing what was happening ,praying
silently in his heart.
Our men answered him boldly and confidently and as Pastor moved
forward to speak to the gangster,
he got on his motorcycle and left.

We are on the winning team.

This is our completed front wall

It is topped with fierce looking jagged glass splinters
like shark teeth to discourage
unwanted people from jumping over it
and into our campus.



On Sunday afternoon a group
of boys kept throwing rocks
at our house and garden for 45 minutes.
My mother and I tried to stop them, but they wouldn 't
so we had to ignore them till they
got tired and went away.
The boys belong to a cluster colony (sagar pesha)
behind our house.
Its a place where low cast , blue collar workers live.

The Bible says the devil prowls around
like a lion to find whom he may devour.
God is our protection
and our fortress.
A mighty fortress is our God.
A bulwark never failing
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing;
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power is great,
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

The last battle of the day was a battle of faith.
A third section of the wall has to be built and we have run out of
money.Our pastor is adamant that we should go on with the building
although our purse is empty.
All this made me very nervous, tense and apprehensive and sick too.
I felt like an Israelite on the shore of the Red Sea.
Crying to Moses;why have you brought us out of Egypt?
Behind us is Pharaoh 's army and before us
the
roaring waters.
Going for the third section of the wall will be like drowning
ourselves.
But Pastor said we will borrow money
and the Lord will refund us.
We need Rs 80,000 at least.
May the Lord part the waters and
lead us through dry land.
Please pray for us.
My cold is not any better,
but for the sake of my mother
I have to pretend that it is
otherwise it will upset her and make her sick.
The wall issues have caused us
enough anxiety already.

16 Fertilize my soul:

Pia said...

real quick here, thank you for that tree! i love the idea. i'll put one on my blog.

madison said...

Hope you get over your cold soon. The money will come for the wall when it's time.

Donetta said...

I will pray for you and your mother.

David Edward said...

help will come - just in the moment you need it - tell the pastor we are praying for you to receive exactly what you need. May his faith be rewarded

Amrita said...

Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words my good friends.

Glennis said...

I hope you are soon feeling well again. I believe like your Pastor that the Lord will provide. You do seem to need the protection of a wall.

Felisol said...

Dear Amrita,
Thanks for one , no two more important reports.
I guess we are unable to imagine thee problems you are facing. Sounds very scary. But you are on the winning team, sure you are.
Praying that you must get well, soon.
From felisol

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Oh Amrita, how brave you are. What a stressful life you have led for one who has such a tender and kindly heart! You have such lofty sensibilities and I wish you did not have to deal with all these troubles! I had no idea India had gangs and such! I thought that was more a Western ill...not so...

I know what you mean about hiding sickness. My husband will become distraught if he thinks I am ill or hurt...I hope you feel better soon. Please try to get something hearty to eat, I feel it could help chase the germs away.

I do not have your sweet nature. I am going to pray that those wretched brats get concussions when the rocks they throw bounce back and hit them on the head!!!

I do have an idea for your pastor -- can he plant some thorny vines or bushes inside the wall? They could groww higher than the wall and perhaps help keep the riffraff away...

Crown of Beauty said...

Dear Amrita,
I am praying that your wall will be completed, that it will be a spiritual and prophetic hedge of protection around you. There are Goliaths in that area... and you have the heart and spirit of David. You are a woman of faith. God is on your side. Five stones will kill a GOliath.

May your cold be completely healed soon.

Love
Lidj

Anvilcloud said...

I didn't know about the use of CNG in India's vehicles. Seems like one possible solution.

Sita said...

Amrita, I echo Lidj's words..
Love, Sita

John Cowart said...

What an eventful time you are going through!

When multiple trouble come all at the same time, my wife says it is just the devil overreaching himself--and he's sure to topple.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Heh Amrita,

Good luck with your wall. evenso all the best with your (bad) health, take care my little friend.

With love JoAnn/Holland

carolyn said...

yes, your Pastor is right, God always pays for what he orders!
Praying for your health and peace!

Terry said...

aw amrita..your mama must have been so afraid when those boys were throwing rocks.
how do they get away with it?
don't the police help?
your wall is so nice. it is built with love amrita and i know that the lord will provide...he always does, eh?
i am praying for you amrita...love terry

Mel Avila Alarilla said...

A very eventful day really, filled with adventures and challenges. The photos of the burning car were excellently taken. You have captured the drama and excitement on the street. As for the wall, you were indeed blessed to be able to overcome those corrupt government officials who were really bent on harassing you all to be able to get bribe money. And the street ruffians who pelted your house with stones were really vandals and thrill seekers. You are experiencing all these because the enemy is irked by your labor of faith and love which was undermining his evil schemes in your area. But you have the armor of the Lord. I will pray for your immediate recovery my friend so that you can continue to accomplish all your God inspired activities. Many are praying for you and your church, and you will realize the purpose of the Lord in your lives. Thanks for this noble and inspiring post. God bless you all always.