GOD WORKS AMONG THE ROMA (gypsies)
During the middle Ages the Roma (gypsies) migrate from the area of India and Pakistan to Europe as wandering pilgrims. The “strange” travelers are valued for their music, and craftsmanship.
The Roma have often been the victims of extreme prejudice, manifested in everything from negative stereotypes to slavery and killings.
Late 1300s Turks conquer the Balkans; Roma are mistaken for Turks in other parts of Europe.
1400s-1800s Roma Persecuted: enslaved in Romania, men forced into labor camps in Spain, banishment, and killings.
1942 – Roma is victims of Hitler’s “Final Solution” .
1944 - 1990 – Assimilation policies in communist Eastern Europe, including bans on Roma language and culture, and forced sterilization of women.
2005 – 12 Eastern European nations declare this the “Decade of the Roma Inclusion.” Results are mixed.
They live in a place called ghetto! The cause of the big unemployment and poorness is not only of discrimination but high level of missing education.
Today most Roma have settled into permanent residences and are Europe’s largest ethnic minority 12- 15 000 000!
God works among the Roma. They are very open to Jesus. Reflective of their culture, the unique expressions of their faith is overflowing with vitality and responds to their immediately questions of identity and need.
GODS GLORIUS PLAN
The Church - What’s the calling of the Church – to be praying for the salvation of souls of the people, and to be a pillar and support for the Truth, to be a place of worship. All this is true and is good to be done.
Liberations - Which is even more, we shouldn’t only pray for the ill to be healed, not only to chase away evil spirits, and to set free the people in the name of Jesus… we will do in too if God lets us do it…
But isn’t the church also called to bring in freedom and change from the discrimination, racism, and xenophobia? The church has been called not only to be a religious institution for the salvation of the people, but also to be a catalyst of social and considerable processes in the society as a whole and the politics, as well as in each level of the social life.
A change must take place in Romany, and I believe this transformation will come with better equipped laborers on the Field. I also believe that God has a great plan for the Romany Church and for the Revival of the Romany community. Approximately 1,2 Millions in Bulgaria; 12 Millions in Europe and more, 40 and more millions around the world, Romany Diaspora are still unrich for Christ yet. And how we gone cowered Romany with Word of God, and the one of key answer is Leadership, good and well prepared Leaders.
Necessity of Education and training is the key element to the solution of the problem we are facing. Education and total education, and I thank you for the help and support for all this.
We need more training centers, not only 1 or 2, in Razlog so that as many faithful brothers as possible can get trained in order to know what’s to be done and how to be done. We need people who know the Word of God and to live according to it, Amen!
