Pray for the Roma

As you know, I've been working on a short film highlighting TWR's ministry to the Roma people in Central & Eastern Europe since early February. The film was well-received at the Annual Partners' Conference last Friday night, so I'm pleased with how it's turned out. Expect to see it online around the first of May.

But this isn't about me; it's about the Roma.

I've had the privilege of meeting many Roma here in Slovakia and in Bulgaria, and my heart goes out to this people group. People hate them. They've been persecuted and oppressed for centuries and, sadly, violence against them has only been increasing during the last two decades. This article from Sunday's NY Times brought tears to my eyes. Pray for these people.

• That every Roma person would come to know and experience the love of Jesus Christ, and that they would grow in their faith and their love for one another.
• For the pastors in the Roma communities, that God would encourage them and give them strength to be examples to their congregations and their villages.
• For TWR and its Partners, that they would receive all the necessary funding to continue and increase their work among the Roma people.
• For Roma families, particularly the women, as they raise the next generation.
• That those who have radios will start new listener groups and churches, and that, from among them, God will raise up godly leaders.
• That the hearts of minds of those who hold prejudices against the Roma would be changed through Christ's love.

A Roma woman I met in Slovakia shared these words with me:

"I am a Roma, and my desire is that people open their hearts for God, that they don't live just their own lives, but they open it up for the Lord, because He is the good God who paid for us. I want everyone to hear His Gospel because He is the hope. My wish for them is that they forgive one another—that's when God is revealed. I would like to encourage them that there's someone who loves them. Although this world is malicious towards us, the Roma people, I want to say that God is the hope. Love one another."

Amen.

Annual Partners' Conference

Hello friends!

Mike and I will be at the Annual Partners Conference in Bratislava this week, the biggest event of TWR Europe. Our PR Department hosts this event each year that brings together all of TWR Europe's national Partners. It is our Partners in each country that are the true lifeblood of Trans World Radio.

From offices and studios in their own county, our National Partners research the need for certain programming in order to produce culturally relevant material. (For example, Project Hannah's "Women of Hope" program has excellent scripts available, but the content details may need to be altered when speaking to a woman in the Middle East as compared to a woman in Western Europe, for example.) The on-the-ground work by local staff work to translate, adapt, produce, and broadcast programs so that others can hear the message of Jesus in their own language and dialect. National Partner staff communicates with listeners by phone, letters, and Skype.

It will be a privilege to meet many of these men and women this week, not to mention putting faces to names we've been e-mailing for so long. We appreciate your prayers this week, as this is an essential time for this global organization to come together to share about various areas of ministry, learn together, and encourage one another.

Thank you,

Heather and Mike

P.S. - You know how every time you look up the tour schedule of your favorite musicians, they're always in Europe? We're catching an Ingrid Michaelson show in downtown Vienna tonight for about 30 bucks. Yes, please! So, I suppose we should ask you to pray for energy as well, since the conference starts bright and early tomorrow morning! :-)

A Weekend in Bulgaria

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Sofia, Bulgaria with Branko, my new boss, and Lauren Libby, the president of TWR, to visit Stoyko Petkov, the director of our local Partner ministry, Studio 865. My primary purpose on the trip was to film an interview with Lauren for some PR materials I'm working on, but it was also eye-opening to see first-hand some of the impact TWR's ministry is having. I found myself doing a lot of listening to and learning from people much wiser than myself, and returned from the trip with so much to process that it's taken me awhile to wrap my head around it all.

Saturday morning, we all went to a memorial ceremony in honor of 15 Evangelical pastors in Bulgaria who, 60 years ago, were falsely accused, arrested, tortured, and sentenced to life in prison under Communist rule. This very public trial was later followed by 9 more arrests and many other individual cases, all part of a well-orchestrated (and well-documented) Soviet scheme to destroy the Evangelical church in Bulgaria. Ultimately, it failed. Many pastors died in prison, but some still live and preach today. During the ceremony, three of these pastors who had suffered for their faith shared what was on their hearts. They spoke of forgiveness and warned the church to guard against the more subtle enemies that seek our destruction today--particularly complacency and materialism. It was quite an event. Ambassadors from several countries (including the US) as well as the former vice-president of Bulgaria were in attendance. And, out of all these dignitaries and important people, only Trans World Radio received a round of applause when introduced. It was pretty humbling. Everyone was truly grateful for the work TWR was doing even way back then, broadcasting the Gospel through the Iron Curtain to reach and encourage an oppressed church and it's imprisoned pastors. Afterward, we spent more than three hours over lunch talking with pastors from various denominations.

On Sunday, Stoyko drove us three hours north to Lom, a village just across the Danube river from the Romania border. There, we visited a Roma church where Lauren was asked to preach. Surprise! He did a fabulous job, using personal stories to illustrate Jesus' desire to forgive and reconcile people.Later that day, we visited another Roma village with two of the local Roma pastors. Two months earlier, our Partner had given one of these pastors several cassette tapes of TWR programming to give to people. He gave it to a young man, who gave it to his sister, who shared it with her friends...who all came to faith in Jesus and started a small church! When we arrived, we were welcomed by the most joyful woman I've ever met into her tiny, dirty little home, where a small group of Roma women, youth, and children gathered to hear about Jesus. It was such a privilege to be there. The Roma pastor asked me to share how I came to know Jesus, which I did while Stoyko translated. At the end, we asked how we could pray for them, and the woman's only request was "that we know more and more of Jesus." Another Roma girl, no older than sixteen yet already a widowed mother of three, prayed for wisdom in raising her children to know and follow Christ. It was a humbling experience. I, poor by American standards, have more to my name than their entire village. These people have nothing to call their own, yet all they wish for is more of God. They lived in conditions I would never wish on anybody, yet I found myself envious of their situation. They were wholly content, free from distractions, and full of joy. I'm excited to see what God will do through His children among the Roma.

Speaking of the Roma, I spent the last couple weeks wrapping up production on a new Epic Story film about TWR's ministry among the Roma people of Central and Eastern Europe. Hopefully I'll have something to show you before too long. Stay tuned!

Caring for "the least of these" in Serbia

Trans World Radio's programming is constantly growing and changing. When the tsunami hit in 2006, TWR created programs to offer hope to the hopeless situation through Jesus Christ. They are doing the same in today's cholera epidemic in Africa.

In mid-November 2007, a research study was released that exposed the indecencies of a Serbian orphanage for mentally handicapped children, they had to do something. Children in this orphanage were so tragically unloved, some not being taken from their cribs for years at a time. For the full TIME article, please click here.

Following the report, TWR Serbia (Ikonos) and others sought out a way to help these children. Ikonos is merely a 15-minute car ride away from the main dormitory for disabled children and felt that such a close proximity indicates we need to help these almost forgotten children. Together, they came up with the idea to create a CD with 52 30-minute stories for these marginalized children. The programs are called "Grandma Vera's Storytelling."

Currently, TWR is not able to enter into the Mental Disabilities Health Care institution, but we can enter regular orphanages and institutions, as well as dormitories for special needs children. In these places, programming and Bible stories have been very well-received by the children. We pray that God will give us a door into the Health Care institution. TWR cannot heal this children or send workers into the orphanage, but we can send healing through Jesus Christ.

For more information about Grandma Vera's Storytelling or how to help, click here.

Radios for Roma

Last summer, TWR's Partners in several Eastern Europe countries handed out Galcom solar radios to Roma communities. The Roma people are an oral society, which means their communication is done with little reading and writing. They are so discriminated against that few children are allowed into schools and unemployment is very high. They have little trust. They are told they are unworthy and unloved. Many governments have tried to ban Roma customs and languages while attempted to assimilate them entirely.

Initially, they just handed out solar radios with information about TWR programming. Prejudice against the Roma as thieves and crooks were so strong that many got in trouble for owning the radios, since no one would believe they are a gift. When TWR handed them out again, they handed out radios tuned exclusively to TWR's programs.

Imagine hearing in their uncommon, native tongue that there is a God who loves them, who thinks they are everything, who wants to offer them hope. These programs are powerful. We hope to raise more awareness through one of the Epic Stories Mike is directing. Pray for them during the editing stages.

Moise Marin, a missionary of TWR Romania (white shirt), helped hand out the radios to the Roma communities in Romania. He sent us this report last week:

"Last summer, I distributed a number of solar radios in a village, and one person started a ministry among the people who received those radios there. Now, after a few months, there is a small church. From another Roma church, the people who received teh radios told me that they need to listen more to learn about God because the program is too short. I am thankful to God that there are two churches that were planted in two small villages after the radios were received and TWR's programs were listened to."
Visit radiosfortheworld.com and click on "Eastern Europe" to learn more about the radios and how you can gift a radio to a Roma family or community.

Waiting

Hello,

The snow has finally stopped falling on Bratislava. It was a very Omaha-esque cycle, actually. Coldcoldcold--ooh, It's so warm! It's spring! Let's put away our--snowsnowsnowsnow... Mike is so jealous of my awesome Land's End boots my big sister made me buy for Cedarville back in 2004. I think I've worn them twice before moving here, and now I wear them every day. Amy, I completely related to your blog post about the feeling of absolute power when tromping around in brand-name winter boots. Slush, ice, water, dog spots--nothing phases me and my Land's End boots. (Clearly, I've just destined myself to break my arm on the ice this weekend...)

Everyone asked us for prayer requests when we first got here. Honestly, we didn't have much to say! We were just thankful to be here! I prayed for something to bring Mike and I together. Cue the Bratislava Virus of 2009: one newlywed couple, one flu virus, one twin bed, and one tight hallway to the bathroom. Yep, we got closer alright!

As we continued to prayer for this, though, God laid out opportunities to start making plans for the future--much sooner than anticipated! Often, Mike and I found ourselves looking down different roads. We knew we had the same goal in mind, so it was strange to see that this is where God had us. We knew and are still finding out how the way God works with us individually, though it might not make sense, will lead us to a common purpose if that is what we desire.

It has been a long few weeks. Mike and I have been in a great deal of prayer about our future, and God has been so faithful to listen, direct, and answer. So much of what God has taught Michael and I as individuals and a couple (and all the in-between!) has been patience and wisdom regarding God's perfect timing. We have both run into situations countless times that make no sense, seem to be dead-ends, and make us wonder if God has forgotten about us. It's not long before we realize God had other plans, and, oh, how much better they were than ours! I always end thanking God he didn't listen to my crazy scheming because he loved me too much. (I usually end up saying similar things to Mike, come to think of it...) We have been called on so frequently to be patient. I struggle with this in particular, but God has given me many, er, challenges to learn from Him and his perfect timing. All that being said, it is such a blessing to work through these things as a married couple. It is so wonderful to be in such close, needy prayer with Mike as we bow together before our God.

Mike and I are in the midst of figuring out our future, basically. Where do we go after this? When? For how long? Any news articles on the job economy make us so nervous, but we know God is bigger than that. There are a few avenues we are looking in to, and we know God is faithful to open and close doors as we actively seek to walk in His will. Please be in prayer with us over these things.

Heather and Mike

Epic Stories

Mike and I will be in Greece from Tuesday to Saturday working on another film for the Epic Stories series. These eight films were produced by the TWR Europe PR department back in 2006. Actually, the creation of these films is how I heard about TWR in the first place, as David's production company and Amy's photography were large parts of the mad skills behind these initial films. My internship followed only months later.

Speaking from experience, the Epic Stories are a really powerful tool to raise awareness and education about TWR's global ministry. Each film is 8-12 minutes long and describes a particular area of TWR's work in a particular area and why it is such a vital ministry.

Our favorite Epic Story to use in fundraising was the film covering Ala's Diary, an internet program in the Middle East reaching youth. More than half of the Middle East's population is under the age of 25, and they are all deciding who they want to be and how they want to live. Anyone, not just Christians, can see how extremely significant this next generation will be in deciding the world's next steps. TWR is there, telling them about Jesus in a peer-to-peer ministry.

Just to name a few other areas covered by the films:

• A nomad from North Africa begging for more oral programming, as his people are miles and miles from the nearest church and are unable to read a Bible.
  
• On a radio meant to be used for communist propaganda, a Ukranian pastor and producer first heard about Jesus through TWR's programs reaching past the Iron Curtain.
• A woman in Albania uses her shop to promote TWR's Project Hannah program for women to encourage her sisters that are so often oppressed and hopeless.

We'll be traveling to Greece to answer a question we get so often: Why Radio? Greece's FM radio programs are also aired on the internet, and TWR's hour of programming is the most-listened to, by far. (It's true. I've seen the statistical print-out!) In a recent survey of developed countries, it was revealed that radio is one of the most trusted and used sources of information. (Politicians were at the bottom of the last--some things are truly global!) Greece is simply an excellent example of how truly relevent and powerful radio is today, even in a 'developed' country.

We are also filming an Epic Story about the plight of the Roma people in Eastern Europe, a group of people that make up the largest minority group in Europe. Formerly (and incorrectly) referred to as 'gypsies,' this oral society of people is very segregated, thought to be liars and thieves, and refused education and employment. TWR is creating programs for them in their unique native tongue, which varies country-to-country. They are also handing out solar radios so they can hear our programs.