When I hear the word gypsy, I’ll tell you what I think of- caravans full of stolen goods, music, dancing, and girls in long skirts, head scarves, and gaudy jewelry. Ask yourself the same question, and I bet you will come up with similar stereotypes.
However, in Romania, the word gypsy means something else. When it comes to classes of people in Romania, the gypsy people are the lowest of the low. Think about how African Americans were treated in the U.S. before the Civil Rights movement, and I think you will have an idea of what I am talking about. They are discriminated against. They are taken advantage of. They are seen as dirty, lazy, and unintelligent. They truly are the forgotten people of Romania.
Yet in the few days that I have been among them, I can honestly say that I have never met a kinder, more welcoming group of people.
When Team NEON and Team Fuego arrived in Viile Tecii, (a gypsy village in Northern Romania) we were automatically welcomed with open arms. We are working with a ministry called Gypsy Agape that is seeking to plant churches in the many gypsy villages in the area. They have already planted several churches and are in the process of planting more. Me, as well as five other girls, are actually living with our contact and his wife, and they have overwhelmed us with their hospitality since the moment we got here. (The rest of our teammates are living with other families in the community, who have been equally gracious.)
My favorite thing about this month so far, is simply that we are always with the people. I feel like a part of the community. I walk out the door and people wave at me. Living here is sort of like stepping back in time. The people live in small, humble homes with roosters and gardens in the backyards. Most do not have indoor plumbing. Many still travel by horse and buggy. But while they may not have much, they are eager to invite us into their homes and offer what they can.
While we are here we will participating in a variety of ministies. We are helping run a kids club for the children in the village, helping at an orphanage, and doing other odd jobs to assist people in the community. While I definitely want to inform you about the different ministries we are doing, I mostly want to introduce you to the people I have met here. Through my blogs this month, I hope to give you a picture of what the gypsy people are truly like. I want you to see how kind, loving, and hard-working these people really are.
And my prayer is that you will fall in love with them, just as I have.
