Dear Sylvia,
know if I will ever get to meet you again, but there are a few things
I want you to know.
are gonna tell you that you are incapable. All the odds are already
against you. One day, you will have hopes and dreams and some people
will tell you that those can never be met because of “what” you
are. One day, that innocent smile will be replaced by a bitter frown
because of the oppression laid on you. If things don’t change, in
just a few short years, you will be standing on the street begging
for money. Soon enough, you will be a carrier of the burdens laid on
your ancestors; burdens that weigh you down and keep you in
the dust.
Sweet Sylvia, what I want
you to know is that all the “odds” are wrong. I want you to know
that who you are is beautiful, accepted, loved, capable, worthy of
being honored as a human being and made perfectly in the image of
God. I want you to know that no matter what “social class” you
are a part of, it will never be the thing that defines who you really
are. You will no longer be the carrier of bitter burdens passed down,
but you will be the joy of your family. You will bring life because
that’s what you were created for.
You were
made to shine.
I hope to see you again
someday, but if not, please know that you will forever be in my
heart.
–The Roma (Gypsy) people
have been discriminated against for centuries. They have been treated
as if they have no capability to learn or work, so many of them beg
for money, steal, and live in houses made of trash on the outskirts
of the city.
into school find that people will not hire them for good paying jobs
because they are Roma. A lot have been taken over by bitterness
toward God and anyone who is not Roma. Please begin to pray for these
people or even to come over and show them that they have a hope!
People here aren’t willing to do it, so someone has to. We got to
visit a few Roma communities today and were treated like royalty.
They are wonderful people who have so much to offer. We got to play
with kids and talk with adults. They are smart people who are just
trying to get by. They have hopes, desires and love. Little children
like Sylvia need to know that they are worth something.
