Week of Prayer Day 7 - Thank God!

Thank God for Mira and Sasha Zivanov, CBF field personnel who work in the St. Louis area with immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. These include Romany from Bosnia. The Romany have been most open to this ministry. They participate in ESL classes, worship services, food pantry, and tutoring. Mira and Sasha are themselves immigrants from the former Yugoslavia and can directly relate to the experiences of the people around them.

Praise God for Romany on the move like Pastor Stevo from London. He evangelizes and disciples other Romany at home as well as in Ireland, Toronto, and Los Angeles. Praise God, too, for the witness of Slovak Romany who have started churches in their new homelands.

Thank God for Luton Roma Church, an outreach in England with Romanian Romany immigrants.

Thank God for CBF’s International Team in Europe with units in Belgium, France, and Spain who reach out to all migrants, including Romany.

Praise God for Christians across Europe like Rachel Brunclikova in the Czech Republic who voluntarily tutor Romany students. As she wrote in last year’s prayer guide, “Pray for the Roma students coming each week to the Roma Education Center for tutoring. May we give them not only the knowledge they need to do better in school, but may they also see God’s love through us as we work to help them.”

Thank God for Italian Baptists who used a “Camper of Friendship” to visit Romany throughout Italy. Thank God for Italian Christians called to minister with Romany migrants, many from Romania, who camp under bridges in makeshift shelters.

Praise God for the CBF field personnel who have worked at the all-Romany Gandhi School in Pecs, Hungary for two-to- three years. Three sets of short-term personnel taught English and led other activities at this junior/senior high school. Glen and Clista Adkins were the last short-term field personnel to serve there. They continue to invest in future Romany leaders by bringing teams to lead intensive English camps.

Thank God for people like you, who support Romany on the Move through prayer!

Week of Prayer Day 6 - As You Go

From Shane and Dianne McNary, Slovakia and Czech Republic:

When leading members move in search of better jobs, it can be devastating for a local church.  It can also be discouraging to disciple members for positions of leadership only to have to start over again when they move away.  Stereotypically, Roma are always on the move.  Practically and missiologically, Roma expat communities from Central and Eastern Europe are having an incredible impact on the church wherever they go.

A pastor friend lamented the fact that so many of their leaders were leaving, there were more members living outside of Slovakia than they had still in the country!  Similarly, a Czech pastor struggled in his attempt to recruit potential leaders for their church, only wanting to invest in the lives of those who made a promise not to move abroad in search of a better life.  A Slovak Roma pastor told of how they chose a family from the church to send to England as missionaries so they could plant a church for Roma living there.

One pastor tells how a new church plant began when a group of Slovak and Polish Roma found the church’s services online.  The expat Roma who lived in Ireland reached out to the Slovak Roma church to see if there was any way they could help lead them in planting a new church.  Utilizing technology, the Slovak church leaders and the leaders of the church in Ireland teleconferenced regularly for prayer, instruction, and encouragement.  Once established, the Roma church in Ireland continues their relationship with their mother congregation in Slovakia even though they were never part of the local congregation.

What we call The Great Commission emphasizes the truth that “as (we) are going,” we are to make disciples.  For many Roma on the move in search of better opportunities, the truth of the Commission is experienced again and again as they plant new churches across Western Europe.

In your prayers:

• Pray for churches in Slovakia and the Czech Republic as they reimagine themselves as missionary-training centers for all their members.
• Pray for new Roma church plants in countries across Western Europe – that they would also reach out to non-Roma in their new homes and not only to other Roma.
• Pray for all migrants, whether in search of jobs or fleeing wars, that God will continue to speak and guide them as they are on the move.

Week of Prayer Day 5 - Moving On

From Keith Holmes and Mary van Rheenen in the Netherlands:

The Ursari Romany in Moldova used to earn a living as bear trainers. They would move from place to place, entertaining the locals with their dancing bears. When Moldova became part of the USSR, they were forced to settle down. But once Communism ended, they lost whatever jobs they had in Moldova. They were forced to be on the move again. Some moved seasonally to Ukraine to work in the fields. They then took their pay--sacks of sugar beets—to Moscow to sell. When border controls and customs fees made this too difficult, many of the non-Christians switched to begging at both Orthodox and Muslim religious places and festivals. Others went as far as Siberia, buying and selling in local markets. Some, particularly the believers, longed to stay at home, in their own village, to build the church there and provide stability for their children. Several applied for loans with Christian micro-economic development organizations. None resulted in permanent, full-time income.

Now a number of these very families are on the move again. Recently, Russia began imposing significant fines on beggars. Those who begged came back to Moldova. They heard that Germany was accepting refugees. Believers and non-believers began a mass exodus, taking their entire families with them. There were 200 children registered at the village school. The pastor estimates that there are now only 20 left. Will the Germans eventually send them back? Will they get tired of living in tents in refugee centers and come back on their own? Or move elsewhere? Only the good Lord knows. He goes with us wherever we—or our Romany brothers and sisters—go.

In your prayers:

• Pray that Christian Romany will share their faith wherever they go; 
• Pray for spiritual support for those who emigrate in search of work; 
• Pray for spiritual and economic support for those who stay.

Week of Prayer Day 4 - Hopeful Future

From Jon & Tanya Parks in Kosice, Slovakia:

Do you remember your high school prom? For many of us, proms and high school graduation are memorable rites of passage, events that mark the end of one chapter in life and the beginning of a new one. Slovak students have a similar event that’s a combination of prom and graduation. They dress in formalwear and gather to share a meal with their parents, classmates and teachers. The graduates wear a green ribbon to mark their upcoming graduation. They observe time-honored traditions and share publicly their hopes and dreams for the future.

Just a few weeks ago, a group of students gathered for one of these events near the city of Kezmarok. This particular gathering was even more special because of the students themselves. All 12 are Roma. Together, they make up the largest graduating class of Roma students in Slovak history.

Roma in Slovakia face many challenges in education. Some arrive in first grade having spoken only Romani at home. They must learn a new language to even survive in school. With these and other challenges, many drop out. Very few even begin high school level. Only a handful of Roma in Slovakia graduate from secondary school . . . much less with the opportunity to study at university or professional school. That’s why this group is unique. They all have plans to continue their education. Some of them, talented dancers and musicians, hope to study music. Others want to improve their Roma communities and plan to study social work. A couple even hope to study toward Christian ministry.

In a region with 90% or higher unemployment among Roma, an event like this is truly a reason to celebrate! These students will have the opportunity to show the world what Roma can accomplish.  They’re truly Roma on the move!

In your prayers:

• Thank God for this group of dedicated young Roma!
• Pray for them as they explore the possibilities for the future.
• Pray for educators in Slovakia as they look for new ways to help inspire and educate Roma students.

Week of Prayer Day 3 - Moving Forward

From Ralph and Tammy Stocks in Bucharest, Romania:

from L to R – Sorin Badragan (Dean of Seminary, Bebe Prica, Oti Bunaciu
(former Dean of Seminary), Ralph Stocks (CBF Field Personnel)

Meet Bebe Prica, a Roma pastor serving a church in tiny Badila, Romania! We first met Bebe when he enrolled for the Gypsy Smith School of Leadership Training.  He has a quiet, unassuming personality that quickly drew other GSS students to him. Upon completing that two-year program and with the approval of the Romanian Baptist Union, Bebe was ordained. He continued and completed his studies in the undergraduate program at the seminary. Look today and you will find that he now is studying for his Masters at the seminary!

In addition to his own leadership, Bebe seeks to train believers by initiating one-day seminars led by other pastors. His church hosted a visiting youth choir whose concert drew many from their community. The children and youth in the church warmed quickly to volunteer teams coming to lead VBS-type activities.

When the norm is for Roma men to progress no further than the 8th grade academically, Bebe has far surpassed that standard to excel in his quest for religious education. He is beloved by his church and community and exhibits how his personal faith has impelled him to traverse cultural norms as he serves his Lord!

In your prayers:

• Praise God for leaders like Bebe Prica.
• Pray for more Roma men to follow his example.

Week of Prayer Day 2 - Moved to Help

From Jeff and Alicia Lee in Skopje, Macedonia:

Pastor Toni, as he’s known to most, volunteers at the refugee transit camp on the border with Serbia four days a week. He boils eggs and passes out fruit, clothes and other supplies to the thousands of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghani refugees who pass through each day. After a long week in the camp he travels an hour from his home just outside of Macedonia’s capital city to the small town of Sveti Nikole. There he spends his weekend leading a growing house church of Macedonian and Roma believers and another small church in an impoverished village nearby.

He works tirelessly to meet these congregations’ spiritual needs. But over the years he grew frustrated that there wasn’t much he could do to meet the physical needs of his parishioners. His family lives on the very meager salary his wife earns. From time to time he also earns a little bit from his church work. But even when he gives more than he can afford, there are still many unmet needs. He began to consider how the church could do more, more to meet the physical needs of the church-goers and the community around them. When Toni learned of our interest and background in agricultural ministry opportunities he was ready to pitch his idea: A farm. God’s Farm, to be precise.

With land acquired by the church Toni dreamed of starting God’s farm. He hoped to use proceeds from the farm to help the church provide for the practical needs of the members and the community. Toni developed a plan. With a grant from Texas Hunger Funds we helped Toni purchase livestock. In time, the farm will be a tool for further ministry among the congregations Pastor Toni leads.

Join us in praying for the further success of God’s Farm, the growth of the churches in Sveti Nikole, and for Pastor Toni and his family as they continue to serve where God has called them.

Prayer requests:

• the further success of God’s Farm;
• the growth of churches in Sveti Nikole;
• Pastor Toni and his family as they continue to serve where God has called them.

2016 Week of Prayer for the Romany People

Each year in conjunction with International Romani* Day (April 8), CBF Romany Ministries sponsors a week of prayer for the Romany people.  At this time we release a prayer guide featuring stories and pictures from our various ministries.  Throughout the next few days we'll be posting stories here, and we invite you to read along, to be inspired by what God is doing, and to join us in prayer for God's kingdom to come among the Romany people.

The theme for this year's week of prayer is Romany on the Move.

If you’re very familiar with the Romany people, you’ll probably think “on the move” is an appropriate phrase to describe them! After all, for centuries many Roma lived a nomadic lifestyle, moving in groups from place to place wherever their services were needed. Even today, some Roma will move themselves and their family from one place to another in search of better opportunities.

But there’s another sense in which Roma are “on the move” – they are making strides socially, politically, and in advancing God’s kingdom.

The Roma are Europe’s largest ethnic minority, an estimated 10-12 million people with their own distinct history, languages and cultural traditions. But while many Europeans are becoming more culturally open and sensitive, the general attitude toward Roma people is a glaring exception. Many Roma people still experience prejudice and social exclusion, and some live in deep generational poverty.

But there are positive signs. In some places Roma are beginning to find better jobs, receive better education, and improve their communities. And when they do have to leave home, many of them take their deep faith with them. New congregations are popping up all over the globe, because these Roma on the move are planting the seeds of God’s Good News everywhere they go!

In these pages you’ll hear the stories of Roma from around the world who are on the move. Join us during the 2016 Week of Prayer for Roma, as we give thanks for how God is moving among the Roma, and discover how God calls each of us to walk alongside them as they find their place in God’s kingdom.

Maybe you or your group would like to join us in the week of prayer - the prayer guide is undated, so you can use it anytime.  We're also providing a link here to the PDF versions of the guide (see below) that can be printed and used at home or at church.  Please contact us if you have any questions or ideas about using the guide.

PDF Brochure-style for printing (middle page must be cut)

PDF of individual pages (on-screen viewing)

*Romani, Romany, and Roma are all names used to refer to this people group.

Day 7 - "Giving Thanks"

Join us in giving God thanks for these answers to prayer from last year's prayer guide!

We prayed for Danka and her family that they will be encouraged to continue their work in the Roma community (McNary):

• Danka and family have had a busy year.  A granddaughter was born in the fall, and Danka has completed training to work as a health assistant in the Roma community. 

We prayed for the prison chaplains in the Czech Republic; this is a new concept here and the funding and other support they receive is minimal (Brunclikova):

• Give thanks that the chaplains in the Czech prison system continue to receive funding and support for their work.  Praise God for the impact they have on the lives of Roma living in the Czech prisons.  

We prayed for Jekh Drom (One Way) as they explore options for a community center near a Roma settlement in Slovakia (McNary):

• Jekh Drom, after several disappointments, is still looking for the right building to purchase. 

We prayed for Romany Christians to mature in faith and, like Anna, disciple other Romany (Mary van Rheenen):

• Praise God for Anna and for the Godly influence she and other mature believers have on their family, friends, and neighbors.

We prayed for Peter and the impulse toward hope he represents (McNary):

• Peter was involved in a very serious car accident in the fall.  Praise the Lord that he was able to completely recover from the concussion he received in the accident.  

We prayed for teams from the US who would be serving in Vazec, Slovakia in the spring and summer (McNary):

• Praise for a good year of teams in 2014 and a busy team schedule in Vazec in 2015.

We prayed for wisdom and insight for all Romany (and personnel like Wycliffe) involved in Scripture translation (Holmes):

• Praise God for the publication of the New Testament in Eastern Slovak Romani and the distribution of an audio version of this NT. Praise God for beginning a translation project into the Romany language most widely used in Poland. Thank God for the recent publication of the entire Bible in Baltic Romani.

We prayed for the people in Lomnicka, Slovakia, and for the servants of the church who serve, often at great personal sacrifice, in order to show God's love (McNary):

• The needs in Lomnicka continue and those who serve there continue to need our prayers.

We prayed for more openness and dialogue between different religious groups who may serve side-by-side in a community yet rarely seek ways of serving together (McNary):

• Pray that more concrete ways of ecumenical cooperation can give testimony to the One Hope, Jesus Christ, we hold in common.
  

Day 6 - "Forming a New Kind of Future" (Daniel)

Mihaela Cornilescu is raising her 8 children in a tiny apartment in the poorest area of Bucharest, Romania. At night, their sleeping bodies cover nearly every square foot of the home's floor.  The building is a concrete shell, sporadically laced with drugs, alcohol, crime, and despair.  In this small cell of a room in the belly of a grafittied and littered ghetto, she struggles to raise the children and make ends meet while her husband works all day, 6 days a week.

She and her husband are working to form a better future for these eight children. They could have sent their children to the local public school. Instead, they chose to send them to the Ruth School, a free Christian school in their own neighborhood. They made this choice because people at the school care for their children almost as much as they do. In addition to receiving school supplies and a hot lunch, the school also provides medical care, clothing, counseling, tutoring . . . even chapel each Wednesday morning.

Mihaela and her husband are pleased that the children are getting more than just a formal education. The children are also excited by this learning environment. Last year, her eldest daughter did not miss a single day of school.

Mihaela cannot read or write. Her husband works at a dead-end, low-paying job. They want their children’s minds transformed and empowered to understand their world more broadly, to journey out into it more bravely, to take care of it more shrewdly, and to love it and the God who made it more excellently.  In this way, the redemption that Ruth School brings to these Roma children is a redemption offered to us all.

Prayer Requests:

• For the Cornilescu family, that each of their children will reach their fullest potential in life, and come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
• For Ruth School to successfully begin a Special Education program, in order to maximize the potential for many of their struggling students, including some of the Cornilescu children.
• For Project Ruth, that it will thrive in its ministry of educating and empowering the Romany people for the glory of God.

 Skyler and Ronella Daniel, Romania

Day 5 - "Overcoming Challenges" (Parks)

Each morning Daniel rises early so he can make the 7-kilometer trip into town.  He attends classes at a high school for Roma students in Kezmarok, Slovakia – one of only two such schools in the country.  If he has money for a ticket he rides the bus. Other times he catches a ride with a teacher or friend.  He often has to walk part or all of the way . . . but still he comes.

When you come into the classroom full of students, you’ll most likely notice Daniel because he’s one of the few who sit still and quiet.  Hunger and poor living conditions among the Roma make many of these teenagers restless and rowdy at school.  By contrast, Daniel’s shy smile and respectful nature put you at ease.  He doesn’t have the best grades, and he speaks quietly and hesitantly.  But he works hard, and his calmness and determination sometimes inspire his classmates to work harder, too.  He attends church in the settlement, and his faith is helping to shape his life.

Believe it or not, transportation is among the least of the challenges Daniel faces as he learns.  His family’s apartment is tiny, and he often doesn’t get the sleep and food that a growing teenage boy needs.  He has no real place to study, and when he struggles in school he gets little support from his community.  In Slovakia, only a handful of Roma make it past primary school.

For decades the Roma in Slovakia had only a bleak future, with most of them trapped in cycles of poverty. But slowly they are forming a new future, and students like Daniel have a big part to play in that future.  Pray for this generation of young Roma men and women like Daniel, who are poised to make a lasting difference for the Roma of Slovakia!

Thanksgiving and Prayer Requests:

• Join us in thanking God for young students like Daniel, and for the teachers who are willing to invest time and energy into their future!
• Join us in praying for Daniel and his classmates.  Pray also for the teachers and administrators of this and other Roma schools in Slovakia, that face constant pressure from local and national governments that seek to hinder or shut down these schools.

Jon & Tanya Parks, Slovakia

Day 4 - "Together, We Will Try" (McNary)

T, a sixteen year old Roma boy from Slovakia, spent most of his life in a state-run orphanage.  Despite his pleas and the recommendations from counselors and teachers, T was returned to the custody of his parents.  Though he had to leave the relative comfort of the orphanage to live in the one-room, dirt-floor shanty with his family, T continues to stand out among the other Roma in his village.  He tries to dress, speak, and act differently than his peers.  T’s quiet presence and ability to connect with others makes him a favorite with the members of the short-term ministry teams who have come and served in his village.

T shared that he wanted to go to vocational school because he liked to study and wanted to get a job. The realization that he would not be able to do so because of lack of funding threatened to steal the hope from his simple plans.  That is when I knew that forming a coalition of support to ensure T’s future opportunities was required.  I went to his school so his teacher and principal knew that the promise of help was real.  They are going to do their part.  “But his parents must support this as well,” they said.  So I visited his parents at their home. 

“T’s teacher will do her part.  I will do my part.  There is an organization who will handle the finances for him.  T will have to try and be responsible to study.  And I am here to ask you to do your part and allow him to go to school.”  So many parts.  So many pieces depending upon the other in order for this plan to work.  So many people forming a coalition to lay claim to T’s hope for a brighter future through education.  Together, we will try.

Prayer Requests and Thanksgiving:

• Pray for T as he completes his studies this spring and transfers to vocational school in the fall.
• Give thanks for the many participants in this coalition who are forming together a solid team of support – teachers, parents, friends, and donors - for T’s education.

Shane & Dianne McNary, Slovakia and Czech Republic

Day 3 - "Empowered to Learn the Word" (Holmes/van Rheenen)

Romany parents teach their children many things:  how to talk (frequently in their own version of Romani); how to socialize in their interwoven networks of family and friends.; how to survive in a frequently hostile social (and physical) environment; how to remember and pass on information--orally. Romany have a listening-and-talking culture rather than a writing-and-reading one.

Romany girl shows little brother how to write

Marleen Schönthaler, a talented preschool educator here in the Netherlands, realized that many Romany struggled with literacy because no one had taught them the skills needed in order to learn to read. She began to think up fun activities which anyone could do with children--or adults. Davar:  Bridging to Literacy, was begun. The name comes from the Hebrew for "word." The activities use readily-found items. They only take 10-20 minutes. They can be linked to Bible lessons or done independently. Leaders do not need special training to do the activities.

At the request of a Christian worker in Romania, Marleen has also begun to develop Bible lessons with similar activities for Romany mothers and children to do together. Romany mothers will learn how to teach their own children, in their own language. It is our dream that more and more Romany children will not only be ready to able to learn to read and write, but that learning this key skill can be done in their mother tongue, with the help and encouragement of their own parents. 

Prayer requests:

• For more Romany to hear and embrace the Word of God;
• For the translation and use of Davar  in Romany communities(click here to link to Davar website).

Keith Holmes & Mary van Rheenen, Resource Coordinators

 

 

Day 2 - "Forming a Different Future" (Brunclikova)

Radek is one of the Roma boys I tutor at the Roma Education Center in Lysa nad Labem, Czech Republic. He is a good, hard-working student, a talented musician, and a member of the Roma dance group MIRIKLE.  Radek was recently accepted to the Prague Conservatoire. This is an honor for any young musician, but for Radek, a Roma, it is even more of a distinction. My prayer is that Radek will be transformed by his studies at the Conservatoire; that he will realize the potential that he has and use his gifts and successes as a testament to other Roma and non-Roma as well.
Tutoring at the Roma Center gives me both joy and heartache.  I love the smiles and laughs of the students as we help them with their studies in English, math, and the Czech Language. Most of them are eager to learn.  But I also see how many of them struggle in school, for different reasons. They come (or their parents send them) for tutoring in hopes that they will have better grades and, eventually, a better life.  In talking to the parents, I see that they understand that the key for their children to have a better life is education. However, many of them lack the skills to help their children because they themselves had difficulty in school. Hopefully, the tutoring we provide will help at least some of the children to reach their goals in life.

Prayer requests:

• Pray for Radek as he begins his studies at the Conservatoire next year.
• Pray for the Roma students coming each week to the Roma Education Center for tutoring. May we give them not only the knowledge they need to do better in school, but may they also see God’s love through us as we work to help them.

Rachel Brunclikova, Czech Republic

Day 1 - "It's Never Too Late..." (Stocks)

"Pastor, can you help me? I want to learn to read."  The Roma man who stood in the doorway of the church with his black hat in one hand and his Bible in the other was a regular attendee of the services.  He told his all too familiar story about having to drop out of school early to work to help support his family. His story is common among the Roma living in the Ferentari neighborhood of Bucharest.  From this encounter and additional stories of other adults who are now seeing the value of an education, the Boaz 2nd Chance program was born.  This addition to the ministries of Project Ruth has the goal of helping those adults who want to complete a grade, earn a certificate, or improve their reading skills. With a specially trained teacher these classes meet in the evenings and are filling a great need in the neighborhood.  Among the first to attend was this young Roma man eager to learn to read. 

Thanksgiving & Prayer Requests:

• Praise God for this opportunity of education. 
• Pray for word to spread in the neighborhood so others can learn. 
• Ask God to continue to provide opportunities for adults to learn.

Ralph & Tammy Stocks, Romania

2015 Prayer Guide and Week of Prayer

Each year in conjunction with International Romani* Day (April 8), the CBF Romany Team publishes a prayer guide featuring stories from our ministries, ways we see God at work, and ways you can pray with us for the work among Romany people across Europe.  Once again, we invite you to a week of prayer for the Romany people (April 6-12).

Education and learning are great challenges - and powerful agents of change - for almost all the world's people.  For the Romany people this has proven particularly true.  That's why the theme of this year's prayer guide is Forming a New Future: Romany in Education.

Romany have their own language groups and rich cultural traditions.  They are Europe's largest minority, and yet they are still marginalized and face discrimination in most European countries.  Field Personnel from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's Romany Team work among the Romany, mobilizing resources to evangelize and disciple unreached Romany people worldwide to bring about indigenous, self-producing communities of believers.                                              

We invite you to join us in a week of prayer for the Romany people, using these reflections as a guide. These stories, supplied by CBF Field Personnel across Europe, tell of ways we've seen God changing the lives of Roma people and communities through education.  Each day provides a new story and prayer requests from a member of CBF's Romany Team.  The seventh day provides you with an opportunity to look back at the requests from last year's guide.  Our hope is that these stories will inspire and challenge you as well, and show how you can join in this important transformation through prayer and action.

Each day during the week of prayer, we'll publish the reflections here on our blog.  But you can also download a PDF version of the guide to print and use.  This guide can be used many ways.  You can use it in your devotion time alone, with your family or small group, or it could be distributed and used by an entire church family.  These are just a few of the possibilities.  We'd love to hear how you use it!  Please contact us if you have any questions or ideas about using the guide.
*Romani, Romany, and Roma are all names used to refer to this people group.

Download the PDF version of the prayer guide here.

Police Target Women on Streets of Tirgu Mures

Last Sunday, March 8, we were in downtown Tirgu Mures, Romanian. 
We noticed the police were only stopping cars with women drivers. 
What they did, 
once they had stopped the women, 
was truly extraordinary. 

They gave them 
flowers and a gift bag. 
March 8 is International Women's Day.* The drivers stopped looking worried and drove away looking pleasantly surprised.

The 8th of April is also an International Day--of the Romany. Our team celebrates this each year by putting together a week-long prayer guide. A new post with prayer requests will appear each day, April 5-11. Feel free to pray--or use the prayer guide--all year round. 
(By the way, most women like to get flowers all year round, too.)



*In former communist-block countries, this is emphasized even more than Mother's Day. Since every woman is a woman (but not every one happens to be a mother), this strikes me as not such a bad idea.

Day 7 - An Impulse Toward Hope

            Peter Gaži, 27, is from Valaliky, a village near Košice, Slovakia.  We first met Peter when he was a senior in high school and we taught English there.  We've kept in touch with him over the years and have had opportunity to share meals in his home with him and his family and to attend the service where he was set aside as a deacon in the church.  We were not able to be present at his ordination as a priest, though our thoughts and prayers were with him.  While visiting Peter in Lomnicka where he has served as a chaplain since mid-2013, we spoke about faith and what his prayer was for his people.   

"To believe is worth it," he began.  He spoke about how demotivating it is to live without faith and the blessings that come to the believer and also to others through the life of someone who has faith.  The individual, their family, school, everything changes when a person begins to live a life of faith.  And this faith is visible to others and gives them a source of hope as well because, "It is demotivating to live without hope.  Hope gives a future - a transformed future."  And then he mentioned something which really caught my attention.  He spoke of "an impulse towards hope."   

When I asked what he meant by that, he said that the most important impulse or glimpse of how everything can be transformed by faith and fill a person with hope, is Jesus Christ.  And quickly he added that it is possible to have an impulse towards hope from others as well, "another person - a mother or teacher.  Maybe Ghandi or Martin Luther King, Jr. can also be for someone an impulse towards hope."  From Jesus and perhaps these type people we can catch a glimpse of what life can be like when transformed by faith and filled with hope.  "The hope which comes from and is the impulse for transformation can also transform the whole nation."      

Looking out the window we noticed the dozens of children playing in the road.  Lomnicka is not only an all-Roma village, its population has the youngest average age of any other city in Slovakia at just eighteen years old.  This year in the church they expect 150 to participate in Confirmation.  "This why it is important to find that hope" Peter added as he gazed at the group of children.  I commented to Peter that he had lost a little weight since I saw him last.  "I've lost more than 30 pounds. Lomnicka is not an easy place to serve" he says with a smile. 

Please pray:

• For Peter and the impulse towards hope he represents.
• For the people in Lomnicka and for the servants of the church who serve, often at great personal sacrifice, in order to show God's love.
• For more openness and dialogue between different religious groups who may serve side-by-side in a community yet rarely seek ways of serving together.

 Shane McNary, Slovakia and Czech Republic

Day 6 - Not Ashamed

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.   Hebrews 11:16     

When my friend Robert, a chaplain in the prison system here, asked me to come and speak at the prison where he works, I admit that I was a little hesitant. I'd never been to a men's prison, and wasn't sure what to expect.  I also wasn't sure what I had to share with them, but my friend wouldn't give up, so I agreed to go and speak at the weekly chapel service.  One of the main reasons I agreed is because of the fact that a high percentage of the prisoners are Roma and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see how they live there. 

   Like most Czechs, the prisoners love singing.  In visiting with the prisoner who led the singing (a Roma man), I found out that he came from Litomerice, the town I lived in when I first came to the Czech Republic. We talked about our favorite places there and some people we might both know and we both got a little teary-eyed as we talked.  

  They spent the first 20 minutes of the service singing, mostly praise songs, but also a few popular Czech songs. Then it was my turn to share. I gave a brief testimony, and spoke about the work I do here in the Czech Republic and then let them ask questions. Not surprisingly, their questions were more about life in America and why I chose to live here, but some were also interested in why I am a missionary. This gave me the chance to share my conviction that we are all missionaries no matter where we are.  I truly believe that God is not ashamed to be called their God and has indeed prepared a city for them.

Please pray:

• For Roma prisoners and their families in the Czech Republic. Pray that they will find hope in God's promise of a heavenly home.
• For the Prison Chaplains in the Czech Republic; this is a new concept here and the funding and other support they receive is minimal.    

Rachel Brunclikova, Czech Republic

Day 5 - A Shining Light

            The osada (settlement) in Vazec, Slovakia can be a pretty dark place.  Lots of Roma squatting in small shanties on the edge of the village, but there are a few bright spots in Vazec.  One shining light is Danka, a Slovak woman, who works tirelessly for her community particularly the Roma.    

In 2009, Shane and I met Danka at the social work office in one of the city buildings. She was quiet and modest with a heart to work among the Roma.  As we have worked with Danka over the years, she has continued to show her love and concern for the Roma in her community.  Even though she is no longer employed as a social worker, she continues to volunteer her time.  Sharing a meal around her kitchen table with her family, you can see the commitment that she and her family have to strengthen their community.      

Along with several others, Danka has established a non-profit called Jekh Drom (One Way) to work with the Roma of Vazec to address needs identified by the community.  The areas identified are:  1) employment; 2) housing and 3) education.  We have committed to work alongside this non-profit to encourage and assist them.     

 Jekh Drom has drawn a lot of criticism from the majority population of Vazec who have no interest in assisting the Roma to improve their circumstances.  They have a hard road ahead of them . . . but with a shining light like Danka, the way is looking a little brighter.  

Please pray:

• For Danka and her family that they will be encouraged to continue their work
• For Jekh Drom (One Way) as they explore options for a community center near the settlement
• For the Roma that they will be actively involved in looking for solutions to meet their needs
• For teams from the US who will be serving in Vazec this spring and summer.

Dianne McNary, Slovakia and Czech Republic

Day 4 - Dreaming Big

I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  Joel 2:28b NIV    

I admire Reilo. He had this idea and did it. Like most Sinti Romany in Germany of his generation, he never finished school. But after he became a Christian, he longed to have the Bible in the language of his own people. He was young; he had a vision. He, his German pastor, and a couple of other Sinti began to translate, without any training and, in Reilo's case, barely an elementary school education.  This led to involvement by Wycliffe Bible translators, the establishment of an organization to create and distribute Scripture material in Sinti Romani, and, ultimately, the entire New Testament in Sinti Romani.     

By the time we made that audio recording of the New Testament, Reilo had become an older man. His sons and his daughter served as voices on the recording as did Reilo himself. The New Testament is now available in printed as well as audio form. Reilo still dreams dreams. After all, work on the Old Testament is still in progress . . . .

Please pray:

• For the distribution and use of Scripture materials in the Sinti language, especially the New Testament;
• For wisdom and insight for all Romany (and personnel like Wycliffe) involved in Scripture translation.

Keith Holmes, Resource Coordinator