Monday in Delhi

Delhi Monday morning.
We all arrived safely in Delhi on Sunday with all of our luggage and now settled in to the hotel. It is a nice place on a main road with lots of cars, trucks, tuk-tuks (little taxis ) and lots of honking horns and major pollution this year. Most of us had a good nights rest but many were awakened around 4:45 a.m. Monday morning with a 4.5 earthquake that hit the city. It was a bit disconcerting for a bit, but everyone is ok and there was no damage.

Later Monday morning we had a quick meeting to get to know everyone, as we have folks from the U.S., U.K, Singapore and India on our team -a truly international team for this trip. Everyone is doing well and excited about the morning adventure to the slums.

Even though the slum is in Delhi proper, the intense traffic made it seem like we were going to another region entirely. The sheer number of vehicles jockeying for position is overwhelming. Cars, scooters, tuk-tuks, bicycles, rickshaws weaving in and out makes travel a dizzying and time consuming experience. We finally reached the entrance to the slum; the rest of the way we would walk to get to the small building that houses Vanitha and Allen's home and outreach center. We were greeted by the smiles of children who are now being taught at the small center. They were seated quietly, cross legged with their notebooks placed in front of them, welcoming this bunch of strangers warmly. The children sang wonderful songs about Jesus for us and recited scripture. How beautiful it sounded in Hindi! Vanitha's three year old daughter, Judith, recited the 23rd Psalm for us....amazingly precious for a three year old! But they know the importance and the power of God's Word and are faithfully implanting it in the hearts of these children, and the adults who are always nearby, listening intently.

We began our journey into the slums, carefully making our way through mud, piles of trash, an curtains of flies. Not to mention the cows and their trailings. The cows are ever present and coexist with no notice. As we stopped at hut after hut, people would instantly gather, as much to welcome Vanitha as to see these strange folk with her. They get very few outsiders here, so we are somewhat of a spectacle. Each of us were able to present a very warm, wool blanket to families, mothers, and some children so small they could barely carry the large bundle, but oh, how happy they were to receive them! If you could see their meager shelter of sticks, paper, mud, whatever they can put together, you could easily understand why these blankets are truly a Godsend. An entourage of laughing, eager children formed behind our group and escorted us through the maze of pathways. As we find everywhere we go, children love to have their picture taken and love to see themselves in the picture! The plus of digital!! The eyes of these children are so big, deep, and bright. These deep brown wells seem depthless; what stories they each could tell.

At every stop, people gather. A sea of brilliant colors emerge in the saris of the women, flowing elegantly even in such desperate conditions. The deep lines of their faces show the harshness of life, but their smiles are infectious. We communicate through smiles, holding hands, hugs, and trust that the Lord is speaking through them. We pray silently as we go, for it is dangerous to do so openly in many of these areas. Muslim backlash could be harsh for Vanitha and the ministry, so we pray and trust that Jesus' presence is felt without words. We do tell people individually as we greet them that Jesus loves them, and we're so thankful that Vanitha and Allen are continually sharing this truth with them every time they meet. It's so encouraging to see how God has opened the hearts of many of the people to offer their homes for Bibles classes, even in Hindu and Muslim homes. Amazing!

We continued visiting with the people and sharing the blankets until it began to grow dark and we would need to leave the area. I tried to imagine what this area is like once darkness falls with so very little electricity and such throngs of people. Again, we are caught up in the endless sea of traffic. It took us over an hour to get to a Chinese restaurant that turned out to be less than ten minutes from the hotel later in the evening. As we sat down to a lovely dinner, we had an enormous surprise....Jeff and Trish Ward, our friends from Austin who are ministering in Siliguri (northeast India) walked into the restaurant! They planned it as a surprise, and indeed it was!!! They are spending a few days in Delhi and will join us for some of our stay. It's a joy to see them and have them share more about what God is doing in India with our team.

It was a long, full day as we adjust to jet lag, this new, smog filled environment, and first experience for many of the team in an area of such deep poverty, but we are thankful to be here and anxious to see what the Lord has for us and for the people we meet here.