In the early forties, during World War II, the government built a huge"Powder Plant" in Pryor to make ammunition for the military.  My dad, along with hundreds and hundreds of other men moved to Pryor because of the jobs.  There wasn't anywhere for all of those people to live.  Pryor was just a little town.

So people lived in tents, or two and three families to a house--depending on the number of bedrooms.  And that was if you could find a house to rent.  There were only a few.  My dad commuted to work from Tulsa where we were living at the time until we finally found a two room house to rent.  I slept on the sofa.  I was four years old.  I have no idea why memories from our childhood are so vivid when I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday.

The government stepped in and started building two and three bedroom houses for the town as fast as they could build them.  They were called "The court houses."  There were seven houses in each court.  Three houses facing each other separated by a sidewalk with one house at the end of the sidewalk. Group after group after group.  Hundreds of them.  Acres and acres.  And even then you had to get on a list until your name came up.  They couldn't build them fast enough for the influx of people.  Of course, that meant that hundreds and hundreds of carpenters moved here for the jobs as well, along with plumbers, electricians, etc. etc. all of them needing a place to live.

Each house in the court had shutters with cut outs.  Candlesticks, moons, and five other designs.  We lived in a candlestick house and were so thankful to have a home.  Everybody was in the same boat.  Nobody had enough money to live on, but you couldn't buy anything even if you had money.  Food, tires, gasoline, everything you needed--was rationed.  You had to have a ration book to buy anything and you only got a limited number of ration coupons to spend.  Everybody traded coupons.  They were better than money.  A tire coupon was worth a lot.  All the rubber had gone to make tires for the war.

John 14:2 "In my Father's house there are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."

We won't have to wait for a house in heaven.  It is already under construction.  Continued….