March 10th, 2015 by Zac

No, we weren’t sure it would work, or help or create some kind of a problem. We are not experts in this field of gypsy ministry. But we knew there was a need and we thought we could help.

In the end we gave Christmas gift boxes into the hands of 32 Roma kids. Stunned is probably the best word I can use to describe the responses. For me it’s a word that captures the surprise, confusion, reluctance and joy all at the same time. They were certainly surprised at our faces at their door the day before Christmas. They were confused about why we would be bringing them such a big gift. They (and their parents) were a bit reluctant to accept the gift, not knowing if it signaled some kind of commitment to our group. But for certain, there was joy at the beautiful coats, shoes, gloves, scarves and toys packed inside each box.

It’s hard to say what kind of lasting impact our efforts made. It’s especially hard to say for sure in these contexts. But one thing is for sure. It filled our hearts with joy to know that we gave our energy, money, time and love to someone else beside ourselves. And that we were obedient to God’s challenge to defend the cause of the poor and needy (Jer 22:16)

For all those of you who helped us buy the gifts with your special donations, we hope the pictures here fill your hearts with joy.