Tvurdista

On October 19, we went to teach in Tvurdista, a large gypsy ghetto about an hour from Stara Zagora. The living conditions of the people there are very primitive. There is no running water and no plumbing in the homes at all. Most have a well but the water is often polluted and all of them have outhouses for toilets. Since the homes are crammed together side by side, you can imagine what it is like. The streets are mud and the houses look half finished. Many have no windows or doors, only curtains.



Before we went to the church, we took a bag of food and a bag of clothes to a number of families. They were all so grateful to receive these basic necessities you would have thought it was Christmas.



Despite their almost desperate circumstances, the people were joyful in their praise and worship. We had a great time singing and dancing with them before we started our teaching.


We taught the introduction to our marriage course because the Pastor, Vesko, requested it. He said that most couples do not have a legal marriage so teaching about the marriage relationship was more important than leadership. The people seemed to receive it really well and the Pastor was very complementary.
After we finished, they insisted on serving us a meal. Although they are extremely poor, their hospitality was very humbling and we couldn’t refuse.



Once again, being among these people makes us almost ashamed of our abundance. We could not help but marvel at their joyful worship in the midst of such grinding poverty. It proves to us, once again, that money cannot buy the really important things in life.