Each day for the past 3 weeks I’ve ‘helped out’ at the church run pre-school in Shutka the largest Roma settlement in the world. Lets be clear though, by helping out I mean playing, laughing and being laughed at, singing (occasionally dancing,) praying, and loving the 4 & 5 year old kids who have quickly become some of my favorite children in the world.
I’ve walked the dirt tracks of Shutka with my grown up friends Nebosha, Ivana and Dejanna, smiling at the stern faces of the gypsies who usually quickly return my smile and ‘stravo’. The streets of Shutka are some of the very poorest in Europe and yet I’ve been invited in to sit and drink coffee and to allow these gracious people to welcome me into their homes to share the little they have. I’ve prayed simple prayers with some of these people, that God would care for their children and that He would provide for them. Its a tough place, life is hard here and spiritually its super crazy and yet I always leave with a smile on my face. I see Jesus at work in dirty streets and smiling faces.
Jesus is here; he’s walking the streets, kicking a football around, drinking coffee with aging men, helping the women as they scrub the filthy clothes of their offspring. He sits with families and talks about their lovely children, teaching parents by example how to show that love. And then rebukes quietly but firmly men who beat their wives because thats what they saw their fathers do. He sits with families who call themselves Muslim and explains simply that there is one God and then demonstrates His love and power by healing the eldest son (this miracle was one that was wrought over 2 years through the love and prayers of Jemo’s pre-school teachers). He plays, He smiles, He turns up day in day out to teach at a small pre-school on the edge of this town whose name means ‘garbage’ He gets frustrated when landlords extort money and when the roof continues to leak after He’s paid to have it fixed, He copes without complaint when the water is turned off on the hottest day of the year and instead carries bottled water from the city centre on a crowded bus, when the electricity fails for the umpteenth time that month He simply changes his plan and carries on regardless. Jesus loves Shutka.
Last Friday we said goodbye to 6 children who will be going to school next year (schooled children are something of a rarity in this town) we gathered them together and the rest of the children extended their hands and we began to pray for them. These six, Leonardo, Sara, Riamonda, Armando, Leonora and Saradin stood proudly but with heads bowed. As we finished Nebosha leant towards me and whispered in my ear pointing to his 6 six graduates “this is the army of God in Shutka”. And he’s right for these children have spent 3 years together learning about who they are in the face of God, learning to love each other, worshipping and praying each day being valued and loved by those who care and pray for them. They have been trained and now they must be released into the world of Shutka. They aren’t abandoned though; Nebosha visits each family once a week to check how they are doing and once a month brings some kind of provision, cleaning products, basic food or school supplies all of which help the family to keep the child in school rather than forcing them to go back to the street and somehow contribute to the families meagre income.
And in Shutka I’m dreaming of a boiler room, a community of disciples that will support and encourage the existing work (there is also a Saturday kids church and weekday lunches for 100 children) and to love the men, women and children in that place. To truly be the hands and feet of Jesus, dirty hands from helping men build houses and women scrub clothes and dirty feet from playing soccer in the dusty streets with laughing children.
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