One of the last days that we were in Hungary we got to visit the gypsy church about an hour away from Debrecen. The gypsy's are a group of people that live in Hungary, Romania, Ukraine and some of the surrounding areas. For the most part they are hated by the European people. It is a common saying among many people that gypsy's will be "the fuel for the fires of hell." Harsh. The church in Debrecen bought a chunk of property in a gypsy village and established a church in a vacant house that was on the property.
We got to attend their Thursday night church service. It was really cool to see these gypsy people with joy, worshiping God, and being treated with love and respect. Gary spoke briefly and then their pastor, a young guy named Danny, shared. I got to hang out with the little kids while Gary and Chris hung out with the adults. Typical. It was a lot of fun chasing these kids around and playing soccer with them. They asked me where I was from (this question really pushed my Hungarian skills to the limits) and when I told them, "America", their first question was whether or not I knew Jackie Chan. Much to their dismay, I
did not (and still don't for that matter). The people that I met their were very gracious and hospitable. I met this really sweet high school girl named Lily from the church in Debrecen. She went with us to the gypsy church as she does every Thursday night. On top of that she goes to the nearby orphanage every other Saturday. At only 17, this girl had a very good handle on what it means to serve people and to live a life that is dedicated to loving others and loving God. I was really challenged by my time with her and with the other young Hungarian people that I met as well.
The gypsy church is the primary ministry of Carol Greathouse (she is from Pleasanton, but lives in Debrecen now as a missionary, with her husband Rob). She loves the gypsy people immensely and they love her equally, referring to her as their "mother." It was amazing to see the love that is being shown to a people that a society has shunned and ignored. The gypsy people are hated on a wide scale but due to the efforts by the Debrecen church, and others like it, hopefully this trend will change.
One of the last days that we were in Hungary we got to visit the gypsy church about an hour away from Debrecen. The gypsy's are a group of people that live in Hungary, Romania, Ukraine and some of the surrounding areas. For the most part they are hated by the European people. It is a common saying among many people that gypsy's will be "the fuel for the fires of hell." Harsh. The church in Debrecen bought a chunk of property in a gypsy village and established a church in a vacant house that was on the property.
We got to attend their Thursday night church service. It was really cool to see these gypsy people with joy, worshiping God, and being treated with love and respect. Gary spoke briefly and then their pastor, a young guy named Danny, shared. I got to hang out with the little kids while Gary and Chris hung out with the adults. Typical. It was a lot of fun chasing these kids around and playing soccer with them. They asked me where I was from (this question really pushed my Hungarian skills to the limits) and when I told them, "America", their first question was whether or not I knew Jackie Chan. Much to their dismay, I 
did not (and still don't for that matter). The people that I met their were very gracious and hospitable. I met this really sweet high school girl named Lily from the church in Debrecen. She went with us to the gypsy church as she does every Thursday night. On top of that she goes to the nearby orphanage every other Saturday. At only 17, this girl had a very good handle on what it means to serve people and to live a life that is dedicated to loving others and loving God. I was really challenged by my time with her and with the other young Hungarian people that I met as well.
The gypsy church is the primary ministry of Carol Greathouse (she is from Pleasanton, but lives in Debrecen now as a missionary, with her husband Rob). She loves the gypsy people immensely and they love her equally, referring to her as their "mother." It was amazing to see the love that is being shown to a people that a society has shunned and ignored. The gypsy people are hated on a wide scale but due to the efforts by the Debrecen church, and others like it, hopefully this trend will change.
6 comments:
It was wonderful to hear that the gypsys have a church. Even in this country the old stories were that they made thier living stealing. God can change hearts in any country, after all He has control of every nation and people.
my Dad's side of the family great grandpa on side... if that makes sense were gypseys in what is now the czech republic. kind of crazy. its nice to read these blogs and learn things. you guys were really blessed to do the things yal did.
from your mormon-jehovah witness-jew friend,
Angela
haha.
p.s. tell melissa this "i miss you and you were the best senior girl leader (even though you were not with us this year)" and next time we have a senior event your coming!"
hey. i dont know if its too late or not, but music tomorrow night works for me! let me know...
i really enjoyed reading the last two blogs and learning about your trip. just think if God calls you and mel to hungary we could be neighbors again. maybe that freaks you out right now. well if it does just ignore it.
and i'm mildly offended by angelas comment. but melissa is great so i'll let it slide.
thanks for the recommendation...paul wickham(???) its great! joel and cara gave me their extra cd!
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