Zlatitsa

On October 21, we went to Zlatitsa, a very small village about 20 miles from Sofia. This was probably the worst area we visited in terms of the squallier. However, it is very small so the sensory impact is not as great as some of the others we have seen. Most of the people here live in what I would call huts, not homes. Many live in just one room. Again, there is no running water, no plumbing and the streets are mud. Flies are everywhere (and other biting bugs). Chickens, dogs and cats run in and out of the homes. The children are filthy and there is much disease.


Many gypsies are not married; they just live together. The pastor here is a Bulgarian man who serves these people without pay. He lives in Sofia and drives here to serve them. He started with five people and began visiting each home. Now he has a church of about 60 people or so. He is teaching them about the importance of marriage (legal marriage) and has been taking the couples to the authorities and getting them legally married after doing a wedding service for them. Now, most of the couples in the village are married. The town officials are amazed at this; it defies all of their preconceived ideas about gypsies.


The church itself was formerly an abandoned stable. They have gradually “remodeled” it and made it into their church.


Once again, we taught the introductory session to our marriage seminar. Because of the pastor’s work among them, these people really “got it.” For them, it was not so much new information as a confirmation that what they were doing was right and pleasing to the Lord.


This was our last night “on the road.” Starting tomorrow, we will be in Sofia for just over a week. We will be teaching different topics to four different groups of people, but all are in Sofia. That will be good for us. Traveling to teach every day is very tiring, even though the distances are relatively short.