Bro. Joel Paramanandam (VGR office manager) was introduced to Bro. William as a brother from Chennai, Tamil Nadu State, India (about 220 miles from VGR India office at Chennai). During the course of their conversation, Bro Joel casually mentioned to Bro. William that he had read the numerous letters he wrote to the VGR Chennai office. It then dawned on Bro. William that this was the Bro. Joel that had corresponded him so many times, and he embraced him and thanked God for the opportunity to meet him.
Bro. Joel made a surprise visit to the house of Bro. William to enquire how he was faring in his walk with the Lord and to encourage him with quotes from our beloved prophet.
He was very happy and began to sing the song “Love lifted Me,” but couldn’t finish it, as he just couldn’t express his gratitude towards God for what He had done to change his life.
Bro. William comes from a Roman Catholic background and read the Bible since childhood. He was rejected from enrolling to be a Roman Catholic priest. He moved from Gujarat to Mumbai and Bangalore in March, 1984. He was a weakling in his childhood and his father, who was a drunkard, introduced him to country liquor, saying he would feel stronger if he drank it. He brought his family to Bangalore with accommodation provided within the factory premises as a storekeeper. He got deeper into alcoholism due to depression and was drinking three quarters of rum daily (a quarter each in the morning, afternoon and night) and was hardly eating food. He would be found drunk in the gutter with vomit, and this embarrassed his entire family staying with him. He and his family were the only residents in the factory after it was shut down in 2003, leaving them without power and running water. His family left him in 2007 to another house, and he was left alone in the abandoned factory. He saw advertisements of a famous Pentecostal evangelist in 2005 regarding meetings in Bangalore and attended them.
After the meeting, he saw hundreds of pamphlets thrown to the ground and picked them up and saw that it was about Bro. William Branham baptizing on the banks of the Ohio River in 1933. This stirred up a desire in him, and he wrote to the VGR India office address, stamped behind the tract and began getting Message books from them. As he was feeding on the Messages, he had a desire to be baptized and wrote to the VGR India office asking for baptism in 2007. They promptly sent him the contact details of the VGR Librarian in Bangalore, but he kept the letter in the table drawer and forgot about it. This is the year his family left him. Two years after that, in 2009, he heard a Voice at about 1:30 AM, asking him to take up the letter and write to the VGR Librarian. He wrote asking for baptism and received a prompt visit a couple of days later. He explained the purpose of taking baptism and was baptized the following week after preparation with scripture and quotes. Right after his baptism, his desire for alcohol disappeared without him knowing it! There was a significant change in his life when he was given a mobile phone with microSD card to listen to, and he began to hear the anointed Voice as he followed with the text of the messages. He tells us that he learned English from Brother Branham as he studied in Gujarati (state language of Gujarat, India).
His changed life influenced his elder brother and sister in Gujarat, and they came down to Bangalore to be baptized and to experience the change themselves. They now listen to the Messages in Hindi (national language of India) and Bro. William constantly encourages them almost daily with whatever "golden nuggets" encouraged him from the message he listened to on that day.
He helps in the local fellowship, by handing out the Message books to the those attending the service and reads the Bible-reading before the service. He takes three buses to reach the Sunday service and is there two hours before the service. He's a real encouragement to the fellowship at Bangalore.
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more;
But the Master of the sea,
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me,
Now safe am I.
CHORUS
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
love lifted me.
Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
love lifted me.