Bulgaria was a time of growth, reflection, and victory. And this was not from me, but from God. I would have messed it up if it was only up to me. But thankfully, God continued to show me His goodness and His grace.
We got to visit a couple of different gypsy communities. The Roma gyspy people are a traditionally nomadic people group with their own language. They have roots in India and have moved to different parts of Europe and the Americas. We visited the community and got to play with the children there. We learned a lot about them and how to help people while still allowing them to be independent and not take away their ability and pride of doing something on their own.
It was our first visit to the Roma gypsy community. The language barrier was immediate and obvious, very different from our time in Spanish speaking countries, where we knew a few words at least or when someone on our team could help translate or when we had a translator available. Now it was like starting over. We did not understand a word!
After walking past a field of flowers to arrive to the village, we entered a large parking lot where the kids were playing in between the large, old apartment building complex. I attempted to make conversation with some of the girls and our host helped translate a little as we all walked together.
Towards the end of our visit, I gave a girl the red World Race bracelet I was wearing, seeing she was wearing a couple of bracelets of her own. I was not supposed to give anything away. We did not want to create an atmosphere of dependency and desire to receive material things that would be expected from future missionaries visiting.
We came up with a plan to make string bracelets for all of the kids the next time we would visit. We would braid the bracelets and teach the kids how to make them too. This would come to be a fun pastime that the kids enjoyed. We would show them how to braid it so they could do it on their own. In this way, my mistake would be redeemed.
Before I arrived to the beautiful country of Bulgaria, God had shown me a glimpse of His heart for the people. He showed me His tenderness towards them, this traditionally wandering people group. I have been somewhat of a wanderer myself in my travels and desire to see and learn new things. So I instantly could relate to this people group and have a love and appreciation for them. I wanted to get to know them more and see God’s heart for them too. God is a God of redemption.
The gypsy children love to have fun and they love to connect with you. They live life differently and we were just there to show them love and bring joy to them, as they shared their joy with us through games, laughter, making bracelets, painting nails and playing with water balloons. We even had a slip and slide on our last day at the one community!
Through it all, what impacted me the most about the Roma gypsy children was seeing their hearts. Though they are traditionally a people with “wanderer’s hearts,” they are on God’s heart and they are full of joy and full of life. They love having fun and they love to laugh and enjoy life. They like to just sit with you and be with you. They are God’s beloved children. God has a home for them to end their wandering. God’s heart for them is faithful and His love for them will never end. They have a place in God’s family and they are worthy and so, so precious in His sight.
As we pulled away from the village we were visiting for the last time, I was sad to say good-bye and it was harder than I had thought it would be. Even in the short time there, I had connected with the children there and felt God’s heart for the young people. I prayed: Lord, show them their home is in you; reveal your tender heart for them and show them how precious they are to you.
