kenneprobstWell Ya’ll I am getting back on track and blogging more regularly as I promised I would! Pastor Chuck and Lynda Kelly arrived yesterday afternoon and for those of you who read my blog and are not from Calvary Chapel Bullhead City Pastor Chuck is my home pastor! It has been a blessing already just to spend some sweet time in fellowship and catching up. It was great to hear Pastor Chuck Preach and really touch on some great issues about prayer and being equal in Gods eyes.
In the states most of us tend not to look at the skin color of those around us and judge them! Here in Bulgaria the Roma people are still facing this issue of racism and in all reality this factor is restricting them from growing as ethnic group for the better this racism is ripping them apart physically and mentally. The underlining issue I see within the Roma Community is that if your an Individual that wants to better your life that wants to avoid the drugs, drinking, sex, stealing, and all the rest a typical Roma person faces you end up becoming ostracized because you get the “what were not good enough for you” syndrome with the others in your hood. On the other hand when an individual decides its time to better his life it at times can be near to impossible for many a reasons. Money in today’s society is an issue even for most in the states its costly to go to school, well college in Bulgaria is cheaper then most places its still a lot of money for the Roma. Then the Roma also face the issue of racism and the propaganda that portrays the Roma as less then human its truly sad and breaks my heart.
You know its funny how the Lord works and he is truly more amazing than I could ever put to words. As I was praying before I came here Lord break my heart for the things that breaks yours and he has given me this deep burden and love not only for the Bulgarians as a whole but more specifically the homeless and the Roma. On the flip side to this the Lord has given me both sides and has showed me the fruit of His works in the homeless and in the Roma. I have been to many Roma churches and their Love, Faith , and Joy for the Lord in their walks with Him blows ours out the door. A passage comes to mind when I think of these people and its in Isaiah and this is how they truly live their lives its AMAZING!! The Bulgarian Roma Churches have not been around all that long but yet we have so much to learn from them.
Isaiah 8:12-15 ” Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that cause men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall and for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble they will fall and be broken they will be snared and captured.”
Bind up the testimony and seal up the Law among my disciples I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him.”
Can I get an Amen? The question comes to mind why don’t I live my life this way? Why do I fear the things of this world such as money, cars, girls, life? 2 Timothy 1:7 ” For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” The only thing we should Fear is the Lord. What else is there to fear when the Lord controls all things? Lets not forget that the Lord created us. Jeremiah 1:5″ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” The problem many have is that we spend to much time fearing things of the world and not enough time devoting our lives to God in prayer and in the word. If we spend time leaving our fears to God our troubles to God then think about all the stress free time we would have to do the AMAZING things the Lord has planned for us. Habakkuk 1:5″ look among the nations and see wonder and be astonished For I am doing works in your days that you would not believe if told!” So my question to you is are you going to spend your time fearing the things of this world or are you going to give them up to God and spend your time serving him and doing what really counts? The question now lays in your hands its up to you to decide whats important to you. This is just something the Lord has been showing me and having me chew on and I felt like it was something the Lord wanted you to chew on as well!
Acts 18:9-10 ” And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision ” do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent for I am with you and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city”
Joshua 1:9 ” Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”
In His Service,
Kenne
Love it Kenne, speak His truth, do His will and give Him glory. I love your blogs and this spoke to me. I jut do not comment much. I am learning to step out, He is giving me strength to do so. God bless you bro, may you get a good rest for tomorrow.
Hi Kenne!
I understand that you have a heart and desire to serve the gypsies and I believe that Niki is doing a great job in the gypsy community in Elin Pelin but there are some things that you state which are not true (or at least, they are not the full truth).
“On the other hand when an individual decides its time to better his life it at times can be near to impossible for many a reasons.”- most of the gypsies just don’t want to change. They don’t believe that they can change and don’t want to even try. There are some exceptions of course. I know enough gypsy families that are not like that and have worked their way out of the typical gypsy poverty life. Most of them don’t want to go to school, don’t want to work, don’t want to do anything.
“Money in today’s society is an issue even for most in the states its costly to go to school, well college in Bulgaria is cheaper then most places its still a lot of money for the Roma.” – Education (I mean all classes from kindergarten to the high school) is free of charge. Even if they have to buy their books and stuff, there are enough social programs that can provide them with the textbooks. Higher Education (what you say here as college) in the state universities is designed in such a way that there is a special quota for gypsy minority to attend university free of charge. Bennie for instance knows a gypsy girl from Pazardzhik who had to hide from her parents that she was going school because her parents didn’t want her to attend school after her 5th grade. What kind of parents are these that would want their child to remain with less or even with no education??? And no, they are not homeschooling them.
You say they have no money – well check this picture – http://www.monitor.bg/article?id=75056 – this is block 20 in the city of Yambol which the city council destroyed because it was dangerous for the people living in it (which are gypsies). Well, I can count 3 satellite dishes on this picture. So, they don’t have money to keep water running but have a satellite dish to watch TV. Just another thing about block 20 – when the city council decided finally that the building will be destroyed the gypsies started destroying it by themselves in order to take the iron which was holding the building and sell it. One child was almost killed because a falling block had caught her hair and pulled her down ….. from the 7th floor. You can see more about this building in the video here: http://vbox7.com/play:84f58f8d. Sorry but there are no subtitles but at least you can see in what they were living. By the way the building was owned by the city council.
I don’t mean to irritate you or discourage you but I would like to let you know that one issue has always two points of view. You cannot just blame the racism of the bulgarians for the condition of the gypsies. Yes, bulgarians are prejudiced towards the gypsies but the only way this could change is when the gypsies change themselves if they want to. It’s the same thing as the non-believers – you cannot force them to believe in Christ when they just don’t want to. This is part of the free will that God has given to the people. I would like to encourage you to continue to learn about the gypsies and the bulgarians since you are here and not to look at just one side of the story but tend to find more and more in order to get the full picture.
Boyan
Thanks Boyan for input and concerns about what I posted! Like in all situations there are two sides and I thank you for sharing the other side. On your first point I understand that most of them don’t want to change. We have the same issues in America with the whites, blacks , Mexicans you name the ethnic group and I will guarantee you have the same issue with a group of people of that race ( not all of them but some). With that said what I was talking about was a psychology term that I can’t recall the name of the term at the moment but its where one gets stuck because of the ” what were not good enough for you” syndrome I was talking about. This is something that is proven and I do think that they get nailed on both ends that cant move out because of this syndrome and even if they try most Bulgarians are raciest to them. With that said most within the Christian community are not raciest but those outside the Christian community are and we can not expect anything more of them until they come to Christ its just apart of the culture.
About the Money thing I was toling about college but that is pretty neat about k-12th grade.
About the satellite thing I have actually seen that. I was talking to a pastor who works with them and this is what he told me.” that they work a job for a while go out a buy a big tv or a big satellite because it makes them “higher” up in the gypsies social class.”
And thanks for sharing with me
Kenne