You know, I originally started this blog with a cute little anecdote about my mismatched outfit that I wore to a Roma church, a day of saying “yes” to the Lord with a change of plans, and following His guidance even in the unknown situations. I then wanted to use my cute little anecdote to lead into what I have experienced and learned about the Roma communities (known to us as “gypsy” but this term is offensive to their communities so the word Roma is used instead) in Eastern Europe this week.
Reading back now, a cute little anecdote just doesn’t seem to fit. It might get your attention and keep this post lighthearted, but the Lord is teaching me that some things in this world are heavy. He is teaching me that our task as believers is not always to lighten the situation and only claim the joy of the Lord. Rather he calls us to try to understand the magnitude of this fallen world, and to weep with those who weep. I am not about to downplay the darkness of the world, just to make this post easier for me to write and easier for you to read. I am not about to paint a different picture than the one I have seen, and this picture is not one that is full of rainbows and sunshine.
This week, I met a widow and her family in a Roma community. This widow has 9 children. Her and her family live in one room, with 3 beds and a furnace in the corner. You can’t really call it a home. Her deceased husband was a pimp; he sold girls into prostitution. The authorities caught him and he died in prison 5 years ago. Her marriage wasn’t legal so this woman does not have much help from the government to take care of her 9 children. Her and her family originally practiced Islam. Through the grace of God, her and her family now know and love Jesus as the one true King.
This week, I learned about the education system of many Roma communities. Each community speaks their own language. This language is spoken, not written. Some never learn a language outside of their own communal language and are thus, very hard to employ outside of their communities.
This week, I met a little girl who hadn’t eaten in 3 days. She’s about 8 years old. She scarfed down the dinner that was bought for her. She has dropped out of school to help take care of her younger siblings. Her age reminds me of my own sister, Anikka. But her age is about the only thing that reminds me of Anikka, because this little girl didn’t smile, didn’t talk, didn’t laugh, and held the weight of the world in her eyes.
This week, I witnessed the celebration of an engagement in the Roma community. The soon-to-be bride is 11 years old.
This week, I learned about Roma weddings. Roma communities often spend excessive amounts of money on weddings and some showcase the consummation of the marriage. Because virginity determines the value of the woman, bloody bed sheets are fanned in public by a family member of the bride and celebrated by the community. These “marriages” are not legal or authorized by the country.
This week, I learned the term “bride market.” Bride markets take place two times a year in two different regions of Bulgaria. Eligible Roma women stand in a line and men peruse the market. Men offer sums of money to parents for their daughters. There is an area for “new” brides. “New” brides are virgins. All other women are not really considered eligible at all, and are therefore labeled “second hand” at the markets.
This week, I learned about what it means to be a young woman in the Roma community. I heard the story of a girl who was kidnapped at a young age, raped, and then rescued by her father. When she returned to her parent’s home, her mother wanted nothing to do with her. Because she was no longer a virgin, she was “used” and therefore had no value. The mother suggested a life of prostitution because now that her virginity was gone, she was of no use elsewhere. This young girl was thrown back out on the street.
This week I learned about the difficult task at hand for missionaries who labor for the Kingdom of God in these communities. It takes about 10 years of building relationships for one of these communities to even begin to trust an outsider. When missionaries do establish trust, they preach to a congregation who can neither read nor write. It is very difficult to foster a personal relationship with the Lord, without the ability to read His word and become rooted in truth.
This week my heart has cried for the Roma communities and for people who believe their worth and identity lie their virginity. My heart has cried for people who believe their worth is in what they can do and how they can be used.
This week I saw a glimpse of the darkness of the world and the enemy’s grasp on so many places and people.
This week I was reminded that we do not struggle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places.
This week I saw a glimpse of a very tangible spiritual warfare that infiltrates the structure of entire communities.
This week the Lord has stirred in my heart an even greater holy, hatred for Satan’s grasp.
This week I have uncontrollably sobbed and have desperately prayed.
This week I have been reminded that the enemy is still here to kill, steal, and destroy the identity and worth of children, young women, young men, old women, old men, parents, widows, and everyone else made in the precious image of our great God.
This week I have appreciated and celebrated the magnitude of the gospel. The Lord of Lords came down from heaven, in the form of a man, to save us from this life of chaos, of murder, of fear, of strife, of malice, of darkness. And ultimately He has saved us from an eternity spent in sin, and an eternity without Him.
This week I have been reminded that my hope is in Christ and that He has already won.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” –Colossians 1:9
Please join me in prayer for the Roma communities around Plovdiv, Bulgaria and around the world.
