Meeting the Roma- Part 1.

   I have been longing to write about the experiences I had this summer in Turkey and Bulgaria, during a ministry trip with a Bulgarian ministry that serves the Roma people in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. It was a time that literally changed the course of my life; it was an awakening to not only my own future, but it also exposed me to the plight of the Roma around the world.
  Rather than make this a 4 page post, I'm going to break it up into parts. I'm not even going to cover my trip in a linear format. I'm just going to write about the pieces that meant the most to me, and go from there.
 I'd debated whether or not I should write anything publicly because it feels a little weird. This was a deeply personal experience that involves many other people and I don't want to come across as exploitative of the human experience. I'm not trying to sensationalize the situation of the Roma, and this story should be understood for what it is- a story of joy, not of hopelessness. And I don't want to pretend that I accomplished something or really that this trip had anything to do with my own good efforts. This was a ride that I was taken on, and I hope I can convey the level of humility it brought me to, and I hope I can share what God put in my heart in a way that isn't braggy. Because I did nothing but feel DUMB the entire time, as the experience unfolded around me. It was obvious that I was on the trip to shut up and listen to what God was telling me.

   First, let's start with who the Roma are. Because let me tell you, I Googled my little heart out, trying to arm myself with at least some understanding of the culture and experiences of the Roma, to little result. And here's why- these people, often called Gypsies, and prejudiced against with extreme hate. It's absolutely shocking to witness in 2013, in modern Europe. And at the hands of their fellow countrymen. Part of what fuels the situation is that many gypsies are stateless and nomadic, making it difficult for them to assimilate into a community. But what Wikipedia doesn't share is that they are often times nomadic because they are HOMELESS, and are illegally evicted from their homes for absolutely no reason. This isn't just a part of their culture, it's the culture that Europe has cornered them into.Whole Roma communities have been removed from their homes and forced to live in containers, trailers, even boxcars for indefinite amounts of time, segregated from their city. How can they integrate into the culture of their city if they are forced to be separated? Restaurants in some countries refuse to serve gypsies, they are prejudiced against when it comes to jobs, and they are profiled as thieves and beggars by their neighbors. All because of their ethnicity. And the vicious cycle is that this forces them into the very life of desperation that they are accused of- survival can rely on stealing or worse measures in order to feed families and keep from starving.
 Imagine that life for yourself and your children. Can you imagine not only squalid living conditions, but also such extreme hate being thrown at you every day? No wonder Roma kids don't want to attend school, even when they're able to. Could you imagine being forced to live in the dirtiest corner of your city, ignored by the government and officials that are supposed to protect you? Could you imagine prejudice so widespread that it spans countries, meaning there is no where you can go to escape it? What a miserable existence, forced onto these people because of their ethnicity. Recent stories in the news about fair-skinned Roma children being removed from their homes because they don't look like their parents confirms that the profiling of this people group is based on their looks.
  Here's the redemption: God has a different story that he wants to write for the Roma. And the revision is beginning in the most powerful place- in the hearts of the Roma people. The are beginning to experience God's grace, and for the first time, see themselves how God sees them. And as their hearts are being transformed, miracles are taking place and their individual situation is beginning to change. As the gypsies unfold the grace of God, they are also unfolding His divine provision and seeing, for the first time, the hope of the future.
 We met several groupings of gypsies, in different areas and environments. The poverty of some was astounding, and others we saw only in the setting of their church, in an urban area. Here is what they all have in common: joy. I'm talking dancing in the streets joy, uncontainable. Their joy is not linked to their circumstance, it comes from a deeper place. We were fed, embraced, and loved on in a way that stripped me of my preconceived ideas. The faith these people have is a model to the entire world- those who the son has set free is FREE indeed, and they have embraced the meaning of that. You can see it in their inhibition in worship- in spite of extreme lack, they are so thankful for what God has done for them. They have grasped how much God loves them, and it is beginning to change their lives. As I write more about my experiences, I will share stories and things we witnessed.
  I still think about this trip daily, and it has changed the path of my life plans. My hope in writing about it is to spread awareness, organize my own thoughts, and encourage others to go without fear into what God has called them to do for the nations.
Some informational links:
Visit the European Roma Right Centre site here.
To learn more about Zhoro and Meriyana Penchev and New Life Ministries, go here.
To Find out more about 'Welcome Nowhere', a film documentation of the world of a community of gypsies forced to live in box cars, go here.