Roma visit to Bostanj Castle Ruins

For the second time we joined up with some that we worship with on Sundays, to visit a Roma settlement and take them on a "field trip".  We had been 2 weeks earlier and had just hung out with the kids and had gotten to celebrate one of the girl's birthdays.  There was a young boy Blaz there who Alex kept trying to play with.  He would run away everytime we got close.  It has been so fun to have Alex with us on these visits, because she is a great ice breaker.  She has no inhibition towards anyone and goes right up to all of them.  They in turn are mesmerized by her and want to know where she is from.  This visit we were even asked if she was Roma, as she looked like darker Roma from close to the coast.

This visit we took the children on a hike up to the remains of a castle.  Blaz and 3 other boys joined us as well as a group of 2 girls.  The rest of the group was our Sunday morning gang.  We outnumbered them, but I pray that they felt loved and not forgotten. 

Becca, Alex and me

Alex and the boys

Luckily, the weather wasn't too cold and it was pretty dry.  We set out to the castle and except for having to call the boys back to us a few times, it went well.  I loved seeing the remains and the kids had a good time exploring. We hiked back down and the kids played a soccer game all together.  After playing for a bit, we headed back to the settlement to share some good ol' American brownies with the kids and their parents.  On the walk back home, it was obvious the boys didn't understand boundaries too much.  The boys would walk right up to a porch of someone else, or begin to play right at a front door of a home.  It reminded me very much of how Alex acted when we first got home from Peru.  On the walk home however, the boys began to become more comfortable with us.  They loved having their pictures taken and looking at them and Blaz even hugged Alex in a picture.  She recognized what that meant and was thrilled that he had accepted her.  The brownies went over well (more so with the kids than with the adults) and after sharing, we headed home.  As we headed home, we pondered something that had been pointed out to us.  After being in one of the homes, we realized, there were small kitchens, but no bathrooms.  No wonder the kids especially have such a hard time plugging into mainstream schools.  Again, I couldn't help but think of our time in Peru and seeing so many shanti towns.

Lili, the social worker who works with the Roma, and the girls!

I don't know how much we can change while we are here, but if we can take the love of Christ to these people, their lives will be changed from the inside out.  My heart is that they know that even though they view themselves as outcasts, they will know they are not forgotten.  With these visits, we as a family are reminded how blessed we are and that we have done nothing to deserve the blessing of being born into the familes and life that we were born into.  Serving on the outcasts and forgotten is truly a privilege. 

The whole gang