The following is a report of a recent short term missions trip led by Crossroads staff member, Joe Shuman who heads up the Crossroads short term missions ministries called Lifeline.

Ministering in the slums of Mumbai brought with it invaluable lessons about life in the slums. Sitting on the dirt floor of a very small and cramped "home" we heard firsthand of life shattering stories. We heard from a man who had been working as a day laborer when a large rock fell on his leg, shattering it. Crippled he was never able to work again. Today, he relies on other family to provide their needs.

While sharing his story he openly talked of the insurmountable depression he battles since the accident, how most days he doesn’t want to live anymore because he feels useless and inadequate. We were able to pray for him that God would give his leg new strength and that through all of this that he will come to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Days later we were introduced to a unique slum with an impressive leader. This slum, smaller in size than most, was populated by the Banjara tribe with a dedicated Chief who we were introduced to and spent the better part of a day getting to know. This Chief was an inspiration in his leadership abilities. He loved his people and spent many years registering each one of them with the government. This is a grueling task, with many governmental obstacles but it provides the people of his tribe better opportunities for jobs, the right to vote, and most importantly, a sense of significance. He has done all of this with no reward or payment, other than the satisfaction of helping them create a better a future. Crossroads has launched its latest micro-development project amongst this Banjara tribe – opening an Alpha Care Center for the children of this slum and working to plant a church amongst them.

We spent a few days of our trip interacting with the children from the Crossroads Alpha Care Center in Mumbai. This was an amazing opportunity to see the inner workings of this great ministry. Every one of these kids is wonderful! We played with them, colored pictures, shared Bible stories and skits about Jesus, and laughed with them. Before leaving the States we raised some money which we used to buy each child a dinner plate which they can take home providing them a clean and sturdy surface to eat on. We also bought individual water bottles that they can take to and from class each day. Teachers in the Alpha Care Program fill the children’s bottles daily with purified water that they take home so they don’t have to drink from the polluted waters often found in the slum areas. To the older girls we gave were umbrellas. With the monsoon season just around the corner this will keep them dry, improving their health making it less likely they suffer from colds and flu. At the end of our day there, our lives had been deeply moved by the unpretentious smiles of these children and the ways that they praise Jesus!

Evenings were spent sharing at 5 different churches and 2 youth ministry events. What a great experience to see people worshiping passionately, in their own native tongue, the very same God that we adore! We serve an amazing God and the same excitement and reverence for His Name that we feel is shared all across the world!

At the end of the 10 days the people of India had irrevocably touched each of us. Theirs is a colorful culture full of beauty, yet brimming with poverty and a great need to know Jesus.  We can’t wait to go back with Christ’s message of hope again next year.

If you’re interested in joining us next year contact Joe Shuman at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .