| "I think this is it," I said, as we drove down the street at dusk and saw the piles of trash around their house. It was hard to tell if anyone was home, but we unhitched the boards on the broken fence and walked across the packed-dirt yard. I called out and knocked. They smiled and were so glad to see us, as we handed them Christmas candy and treats, an advent wreath of candles, and a poinsettia. We caught the faint whiff of urine as they invited us into their home--and we stepped into another world. They had no electricity--just a small wood-burning stove and only one 10 x 12 foot room (sectioned off by a blanket hanging where a door should be) where the mom, dad and four boys sat. We stood for a moment, smiling, hugging and using hand gestures and simple phrases in Hungarian and Lovari (Romani), wishing them a happy St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6). May this small act of kindness to this family of beggars in our neighborhood show them Jesus, while also challenging us even more to "love our brother whom we have seen" (1 John 3:16). |
| | Ariela taking her Christmas shoebox to our church for distribution to Roma children
Though we live in Hungary, we minister also to Roma in Croatia and Serbia. A recent survey listed these sad facts and this quote about Roma in Croatia, Hungary and 7 other EU nations:
- 80% live below their country's at-risk-of-poverty threshold
- Every 3rd person lives in housing without tap water
- Every 3rd child goes to bed hungry at least once a month
- 50% of those between ages 6-24 do not attend school.
"This report underscores an unsettling but unavoidable reality: the European Union's largest ethnic minority continues to face intolerable discrimination and unequal access to vital services." |
| | Prayer request
So please pray that the Lord will use the gifts and literature distributed at Christmas to draw Roma in Hungary and Croatia to Jesus.
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| | Donations can be sent to:
Pioneers, 10123 William Carey Dr., Orlando, FL 32832
Or made online at:
http://www.pioneers.org/give
To give for our missionary support, please designate for account 110250 "Todd & Pamala Price".
To give for Roma Bible translation projects, please designate for account 150786 "Roma Bible Society".
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