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Wow, what a week! Teaching the parables of Jesus to Gypsy pastors in Romania was an awesome experience. There were 21 pastors enrolled in the Gypsy Smith School for the week. I taught parables in the morning session and Michael Usey, Pastor of College Park Baptist Church, Greensboro, North Carolina, taught spiritual disciplines in the afternoon session. When the Gypsy brothers were not in class, eating, or asleep, one of them was playing the accordion and the rest of them were singing! They were always eager to worship and learn.
The Gypsy Smith School is a ministry of the Ruth Center. The Ruth Center was started by Providence Baptist Church of Bucharest to educate Gypsy children. The idea of providing some type of training for Gypsy pastors grew out of the Church’s burden for the Gypsy people.
Some of the pastors in the class I taught were from Bucharest, but most of them came from other parts of Romania. One man had an eight-hour train ride. They all really wanted to be there and to learn.
I was fascinated by the unique insights and understandings they brought to scripture. Their reading of the text tended to be wooden or literal, yet it was unmistakably Gypsy. When reading about the tiny mustard seed, they understood clearly the implication. God is about doing great things through that which is seemingly small and insignificant. They, as Gypsys, who have often been pushed to the margins of society, understand small and insignificant. They also understand that the Kingdom of God begins with the small, the seemingly insignificant, and the easily overlooked.
When I arrived in Bucharest, I got off the plane and made my way to the baggage claim area. I retrieved my bags, went to get my passport stamped, and prepared to enter Romania. As I started walking, I had an unsettling thought, “Where am I going now?” I knew there was supposed to be someone to pick me up from the airport, but I did not know who that was going to be, much less what he or she might look like. Coming through the doors, I encountered a large number of people waiting to meet people who had just arrived. I started to my left, looking for someone I might recognize or might recognize me — nothing. I turned and went in the other direction, still looking. Finally, I saw a woman holding an 8-1/2x11 sheet of paper with my name written on it. I was glad to see my name.
I was also glad to learn her name. Her name was Anka. She is the secretary at the Ruth School. Her father had driven her to the airport to pick me up.
When I arrived back in Detroit after the week was over, I was standing in a long line for a long time. I was in line waiting to get booked on another flight to Knoxville because, once again, I had missed my connection. While standing in line, half asleep, I heard my name. That woke me up. There was a ticket agent handing me my new ticket. I did not have to stand in line any more. I was very glad to hear my name.
Names are very important. Before I left for Romania, I asked you to pray for the pastors that would be in my class. Now I would like to share some of their names with you: Florinel, Daniel, Marin, Gigi, Toporas, Ferent, Ionot, Stefan, Mihia, Daniel, Vasile, Andrei, Toni, Alexandru, Vasile, Vasile. Each one of these pastors minister to a group of Christians who, in their daily living, bear testimony to the name of Jesus. Now that you know their names, please continue to remember them in prayer.
Names are very important. Mary will name her baby Jesus (salvation, God delivers), and He will be Immanuel (God with us).
Joy and Peace,
Ed
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