ministry this month has looked different than any other month. my team and i were not assigned a ministry, a host, or even a city. we got to pray into all of these details. on the race, this is called ATL, standing for “ask the Lord”. i did this the first month as well, and it really allows you to see how ministry is life and life is ministry.
last month we had heard a little bit about this people group called the romani people. we had heard that they were outcasted, looked down on, not seen as the same as the rest of society, and not treated even close to the same as other people.
and what we heard, unfortunately, was very true.
the first people i saw when i got off the bus in novi pazar was romani children. they saw that we were clearly not from here and came running up to us. hands open like a book. speaking in serbski, asking for money. heartbreaking.
as we continue to do life here in novi pazar, the more we have noticed these people and what a prominence they have in this town. there are children walking around the streets, outside of shops, in the square where it is very busy, just begging.
in europe, where most people are light-skinned, the romani have a very dark complexion, so they are easy to distinguish just by looks.
let me tell you a little bit about these people’s lives and it might give you more insight as to why they have captured my heart.
the romani people are spread throughout all of eastern europe. they originated in the northern India subcontinent, which explains their dark complexion.
they are seen as dirty, filthy, uneducated, illiterate, poor, thieves, beggars, and the list of negative connotations goes on.
some of these might be true – they aren’t the cleanest people, but that’s because they aren’t given anywhere to clean themselves or even house themselves. they might be uneducated, but that’s because the kids get kicked out of school for not having clean clothes or shoes, or because their parents can’t pay for them to attend school. they are absolutely poor, and this is because the rest of society refuses to employ them. they might be thieves, but how else are they supposed to survive when they can’t get an education or a job? they are beggars, but that’s what they are taught from a young age.
most times when a romani child is begging, their parent is not far off in the distance, watching. they are given a certain amount of money that they are supposed to collect in a single day. and if they don’t collect that amount, they are tortured or beaten. this is how their family survives day to day.
there are a lot of politics and government-related details that go into how romani people got to be so outcasted, and how they have remained so outcasted. i see both sides. i really do. but i will always always root for the underdog. i will almost always see the side of the oppressed. i will always fight for those who no one else is fighting for. that’s the passion inside my heart and soul.
i have had this desire to do anything beneficial for these kids while we are here this month. because i have a public health and sustainability mindset and background, giving in to their begging doesn’t help them at all. it doesn’t empower them to change or realize that there is more to life. it gives them reason to keep begging.
i understand that i, myself, being one person, can’t change the whole cycle of how this poverty and oppression works, but i can make a lasting impression on these people.
we have played with the kids in the streets some. we show them handshakes and they give us high fives. we hug them and spin them around. we show them love. we show them how to be a child. their childhood is completely robbed from them. my teammate gave one little boy a tube of bubbles that she had, and his whole world lit up. he quit begging us for our money and played with bubbles. you could see the spark in his eye and it was really the sweetest thing, but also the saddest. they aren’t taught how to be kids, or allowed to be kids. they are raised to be beggars, the income makers for the family. it breaks my heart.
when we are seen playing with these kids, hugging them, giving them attention, making them laugh, and loving on them, the rest of the people look at us like we are crazy.
isn’t that how a lot of living for Jesus is? we don’t live this life to impress others or fit in to society, but to make a difference in the souls with the little time that we do have on this earth.
so i indulge in loving these children and shaking the hands of the mothers while looking them directly in the eyes with a smile on my face. because that’s what Jesus would do.
i’m here to show people love, and i will do nothing short of that, even when that means i look like a fool.
God gets the glory, always.
here’s some pictures of a few of my new friends:
we have named this little girl bella. she hangs out outside of the supermarket with her mom and sister asking people for money. when she sees us, she drops everything and comes running to jump in our arms and hug our necks.
i’m not sure this little guy’s name. He’s a stinker, but we’ve taught him how to love people instead of hit people. we may have been the first people to ever hug him.
this little girl came up when we were playing with this puppy. we had one of our friends with us that speaks serbski and english, and we had her ask the little girl her name. she just waved us off as if she didn’t have a name. we were all confused. then she pointed to her ears and signaled no by waving her finger back and forth. we finally understood: she is deaf! her smile is beautiful and she had the softest spirit. i hugged her and said “ciao” (goodbye), and her and the little puppy ran off together. my heart flutters at new friendships, especially between humans and doggos.
God’s love overcomes any stigma, discrimination, or label the world can put on you.
go be love and be loved today, my friends.
<3 mags
