The "Dump" church

I still haven't gotten a definite answer on when this dump church started. There is a whole lot of "Did we come here last year?" and "Hey this is where the guys all got out to help push that broken truck!" But anyway, this church was built in the slums surrounding the dump within the last 2 years. Either way, we got to visit it yesterday.
We left the orphanage after breakfast and headed into a new part of town. Right away I began to notice the conditions getting worse. I can't put my finger on what the changes were exactly. Something about more trash and shabbier huts. Fewer finished roofs and more palm leaf covered huts. Anyway, we got to the church, a small one room cinder block building filled with women and children. Observation number 2, there were no men other than the pastors there. We were ushered into the front of the crowded room. I skillfully avoided getting put into a plastic chair facing the congregation, feeling like some kind of sweaty, uncomfortable idol, and instead took a seat in the middle of the small group of kids. Kelly gave a message on shepherds again, or I think he did, I wasn't really paying attention. Both the kids and the adults seemed to have more lax social rules about kids and white people and paying attention. I tried to get one little girl on my lap, but she was too scared. I asked a little boy next to me and he climbed right into my lap. This may sound a little odd, but I was delighted to find out that he was a little slow! I couldn't understand what he said when I asked him his name and his reactions were typical of someone with intelligence issues, but he that only made him even more adorable. He was the first Indian child that I interacted with that took some creative initiative. He started playing with my hands and next thing I know, the was pretending to feed me with his hands! Needless to say, I was delighted, if we had been outside, we could have started pretending we were frogs or something. Another girl sitting by me was exceptionally smart and obviously wanted to interact as well, soon we were all playing with each others hands and exchanging kisses on the cheek. When the service was over they promptly grabbed my hands and were smiling broadly. I was soon bombarded with widows wanting prayer, but the kids stayed by my side the whole time (Adam had to wade through the crowd and save me when it was time to leave). I could have stayed at that church a lot longer. These people were hungry to know us more and they were hungry for God, I would love to explain to them that knowing us more and knowing God more don't aren't really interrelated. It is something I felt many of the people we met didn't understand, but I have a strong feeling that is because there is so much about this culture that I don't understand.
Its funny, but I am beginning to fully appreciate the truth in the Bible's insistence that the poor are blessed and the meek will inherit the earth. Blessed are the hungry. The more people know they are weak, the more they hunger after God.
This is the reason why I think the majority of Kiran's churches are made up of women, of widows. Once a woman's husband is gone, either by accident, suicide, or abandonment, a woman is doomed to be poor and helpless, even as young as 25. She has no dowry and with the added burden of children the chances of remarrying are very slim and jobs for women are not enough to sustain a family comfortably. These women know they are in trouble. They know they need the help of a some one more powerful. So when Kiran comes and proclaims the Good News of a protector and helper, it is the women who answer the call first. It takes a while for the men to follow.
We are in Hyderabad now. The team is slowly leaving. Kelly leaves tonight and Nico leaves very early tomorrow morning. Pray for safe travel for all of us and pray for protection and provision for the orphanage. The Kingdom is here!