We were debating with a group of guys the other night….a good mixture: Christian and Muslims. One of the guys had a strong opinion about the idea of hope. The discussion was about the Roma people as a whole. A group of people that are considered the low class, who are segregated agains,t all throughout Europe. As a result they are ill-educated, poor, denied certain rights, and even struggle to get a job. This guy is Roma himself, but didn’t grow up in a Roma community. He is educated at the University level, but still can’t get a job; because he is Roma. He is adamant that bringing hope to these people isn’t possible, 
because they are more worried about where their next meal will come from. They don’t care about an eternity with God, because their stomachs ache with hunger and they don’t even know how they will survive the day…..how their families will survive.
Walking the streets of Skopje, it is obvious who is Roma and who isn’t. They dress different and usually have small children with them. The woman often wear scarfs on their heads, peasant skirts, etc. Many will be begging on the streets or digging through dumpsters. It’s not uncommon to see a small dirty child in the dumpster handing stuff out to her mom. Many are also street performers or street vendors, alone or with their family; while their children roam the streets at night. They show no shame, just determination and acceptance. Passed down from generations, this is their way of life. No explanation anymore……just strongholds and generational curses……society curses. This is what they do……it’s how they’ve always been and how they intend to stay. It’s an apathetic acceptance. They are burdened down with suffering and lies.
Where does it change? How long does it take? Where is freedom? Who will stand up and rise?
Change can take awhile, but it has to start somewhere. Genetics are passed down from generations to generations, but so are emotions. When you teach your children’s children that there is not hope for your kind, they accept it and pass it along. It’s a poisonous cycle, a poison that’s very contagious. It’s time to start teaching them of hope, of how things can change if we make them. One voice matters, one voice will eventually be heard. It’s about getting up each morning and saying that you matter…..saying that you can change things. If we can start instilling this on the younger Roma, it will spread like wildfire for years to come. It will change things. If we can bring hope and encouragement to all Roma, the apathy will dissipate.
What about God? He brings new mercies each morning, He fights for everyone, His nature is Love……no favorites. Roma, Macedonian, American, Albanian, are all the same. If they can accept that, there is some empowerment, there is some hope. God is greater than any society, then any social stigma.
This guy was right. The Roma don’t have hope because the poverty has limited their living and eating. 
There is a desperation for survival. He is right because he’s accepted that and so have they. I personally believe that the way we think really does impact how well our life is lived. We can’t control other people, we can’t control elements; but the human mind is powerful and even more powerful when it takes on the attitude of Christ. Walls can fall down, seas can part, crazy miracles will appear.
