Saturday night at the gypsy camp was hands down one of the best experiences I've ever had. Originally we were told that we'd be taking care of little children during a graduation service for 4 boys who had finished their first year of Bible school. But it turned out that the pastor and his wife just wanted us to hang out and take part in the celebration.
When we first arrived, I wasn't at all expecting what I saw. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, actually. It was like a scene out of a movie – a little village of the most basic houses (which were only recently built, we were told), a couple of outhouses for the whole community, horses grazing on grass out of an old wooden wagon, families sitting out front of their houses (moms with babies on their hips), and little kids running around half naked.
Gypsies are Roma people who for the most part remain segregated from the rest of society. We were told that some of them work, but many of them steal or beg in order to survive. Children are not really educated in gypsy communities, so this graduation service we were attending was a big deal.
The pastor of the church and his wife are Ukrainian, not Roma, but they have given their lives for these people. Their daughter felt lead to begin a Bible school at the gypsy camp after she finished Bible college, so these 4 boys are the product of her efforts. They have just finished their first year of Bible school, the first year of its existence, and at 14 and 15 years old, they just learned to read and write over the past year.
The service began with the 4 boys – Igor, Ivan, Vasya, and Benjamin – leading a time of worship. Their passion in praising the Lord along with their fervent prayers was amazing to see. One of the boys told us he began speaking in tongues at the age of six. So cool. The pastor's daughter said a few words about each of them, and they spoke about what they learned over the course of the year, as well as their dreams for the future. All of them said they hoped to be pastors or missionaries.
We got to have a big celebratory meal with them, which consisted of some awesome chicken dish (don't really know what it was, but we sure went through it) and traditional Ukrainian holubtsi (rice wrapped in cabbage rolls). It was such a welcoming atmosphere and they made us feel like family from the very start. Pastor kept telling us that "we were at home now", and I completely felt like I was. The people embraced us and loved on us like we were their own.
My favorite part of the night was encouraging the boys through Scripture. All 6 of us who were there read Bible verses that we felt the Lord had laid on our hearts for them – mine was 1 Peter 4:1-6, which talks about leaving your old ways of life behind and being transformed in Christ, sticking to His plan even when the world tries to knock you off the path God has for you. I just felt really strongly they needed to hear that, as they will be living a different life than most in their community. There will be temptation thrown at them from all directions as they try to live as Christ-like examples set apart from the world.
Before we left, we laid hands on the boys and prayed over them. The four of them stood in the center of the circle and held their hands up to the Lord. We prayed in English while the pastor and families prayed in Ukrainian – we decided that no translation was needed since God hears everything, and it was such an amazing moment.
After the prayers, the boys began playing and singing worship music again, and we all danced around the church. It was a GREAT night. Yeah, I sort of wish I were a gypsy.
