Romanian Summary 11 – The Gypsy Village

The part of the entire trip that made the most impact on me took place in a span of just thirty minutes . . . our encounter of The Gypsy Village!  We heard about this community one full year beforehand when a young friend, Cynthia, asked me to help her bless the gypsies instead of celebrating her own birthday.  We honored her request and raised money to buy water for the gypsies.  We had prayed for them, viewed pictures of them, and even researched their ways.  However, nothing came close to preparing us for this brief half-hour experience.

As the buses pulled up to the small village of Subulchu, we were warned to be careful as the children had lice in their hair.  “Lice in their hair?  Wow….they could have gone a million years without sharing that fact.”  This was not going to be easy!  I realized I wanted to see this people, but I was not sure now about engaging with them.  I pulled my own children close to my side to make sure they heard the lice notification, “Do NOT get close to them, we cannot bring lice back with us!”  I was overcome with fear that my already interrupted comfort zone would move to measures completely beyond my control . . . followed immediately by guilt because of the fleshy attitudes in my heart.

Kim and Cynthia jumped off the bus with glee as if they were meeting Princess Diana!  The girls swept the children off their feet, wiped the hair from their eyes, and allowed Jesus to love through them.  They loved these precious ones – lice or no lice, open infected sores or no sores, and clothes or no clothes!  Yes, you read that right—no clothes!  We had been transported to a scene from the magazines on world hunger.

The smell was pungent and thick, and the sight was incomprehensible.  Families lined the streets as we slowly made our way through their town.  They greeted us with toothless smiles, and they showed no shame.  They welcomed us as friends.  This experience was definitely one I had never come close to – not even in downtown Atlanta, where the homeless and desperate sleep on the streets.

The visit allowed Cynthia to fulfill her eleven-year-old birthday wish for these people.  She proudly stood in front of them as their “Princess Diana.”  Each gypsy child lined up for their gift – a very small bag of snacks and goodies.  I was humbled by God’s grace and I pray the picture of this experience will remain in my mind and my heart forever.