The drone of the yarn-spinning machines made it difficult to hear much of anything.

Southeastern students Richard and Casey and Jaitra,* a local pastor, found themselves in a cloth factory in one of Mumbai’s many slums. The factory was a last ditch effort to make an in-road into the community. They had already been kicked out of an apartment complex, and their message wasn’t accepted on the streets.

As they entered the factory, heads popped around corners. Richard and Casey began sharing their faith. Jaitra started preaching the Word, but the noise made it impossible to hear.

As it turned out, the noise was only a momentary distraction.

“God just shut that thing down,” Richard said.

Just like that, the machines came to a halt. Quietness fell. Everyone noticed that the machines had stopped, but no one seemed to care. Jaitra continued to preach. Richard and Casey prayed.

“In my heart and in my mind I was like, ‘It’d be awesome if there could be a church here because it is a huge building,’” Casey said. “That is my prayer … that God would set a church in that place.”

The family who ran the mill prayed to receive Christ. Many more had the first seeds of the Gospel planted in their hearts. This is one place in one slum where God is bringing people to Himself. The Southeastern team’s prayer is to see churches planted.

“God, let there be churches here in these places, each place we go in the slums,” Casey said.