When I hear the word gypsie I think of this...
Esmerelda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Although, this movie may have a few accurate depictions of what a gypsie is like, I would say it probably does a poor job. Last night, my eyes were opened. As Emmanuel spoke he talked about the poverty of these people. Most of them live in small shelters that breed disease because of how cramped they are. In most placed they are looked down upon by the native people. The reason I say native people is because the gypsie population has no real "mother" land. If you went up to a gypsie today, they would not be able to tell your where their people originated from because their origin is unknown. Some study has been done, and many think that they come from Mongolia or from some where near Pakistan. For a long time gypsies' were just nomads. Most did not and still do not work. Their main source of income is stealing. Because of this, most people do not trust gypsies which further ostracizes them from society. Today, a lot of them are settling down because of the way that the work environment is.
Something that was even more unsettling is that these people don't know how to live any different. Some have broken out of the cycle and are doing well for themselves. Most are still in the same positions that their ancestors were in 700 years ago. He even talked about how around 20 years ago many Christian families adopted gypsie children orphaned after a bloddy revolution. This action, meant to bring love to these hurting children, has actually been much harder on these families than they had first thought. Even though the children have been with these families almost since birth, many began to steal by the age of 10. It is almost as if they are genetically predisposed to act out in this way. Most Romanian families now will not even consider the idea of adopting a gypise child.
I know all of this seems quite depressing, but there is hope! The gospel is the answer. As I sat there last night, I became burdened with the fact that I could not do anything to help these people. Then it hit me that even if we could meet every physical, emotional, and educational need that these people have, it would not be enough. Their souls are still destined for hell. If all that a person could do is show them Christ's love and share the gospel with them, their lives would be changed forever. Then the work of the Holy Spirit could do much of the transformation for us. Because as much as I would like to think that I can change someone, I can't.
I will most likely never go to Romania or interact with gypsies. I will, however, interact with young children in a classroom 5 days out of the week, nine months a year. As a future elementary school teacher, I know that I have a huge mission field I am preparing for. Children right in my backyard need to know Christ's love and the gospel. I don't need to go to Romania to find children that are hurting and broken. Nothing excites me more, than being able to give a child hope and love in the midst of a broken world.
Random Comment: To add some humor to my otherwise serious blog post, I will now talk about my interactions with Racie's father Dennis Miller, and his funny comments about her. He came up to me after the meeting and thanked me for my comments and interaction. We talked for a few more minutes and then I mention to him that I am Racie's roommate. He laughs and says "All she can talk about now a days is her wedding." I told him I didn't mind it one bit and loved hearing her talk about it. Then he makes a comment about how Racie is the assertive one in the family. Being Racie's roommate this semester has given me a chance to see this side of her even more. Since I am the much more passive laid back roommate, I find this quality very refreshing. She helps me in many ways to come at life with a little more confidence and gusto, and for this I am very grateful. Below is a picture of an everyday conversation between Racie and me...(I'm on the left and Racie's on the right..)
