"It's okay, you are with me"
“The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him…pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
“We’ll go to my Roma village to walk and pray for anyone who wants prayer.”
Pastor Sherif, a kind-eyed Serbian, continued, “Bring your cameras, film whatever you want – it’s okay. You are with me, and they know I love them. They trust me, so they will trust you.”
He flashed a big grin and added, “But first, we get the best barbecue in all of Serbia.”
YES PLEASE!
After our bellies were fully satiated with pork sandwiches and Cokes, we made the short drive to the Roma village. Cameras in hand, we rounded the corner and were immersed in a carnival-like atmosphere. Loud, Turkish-inspired music pumped out of homes at competing volumes. Vehicles squeezed down narrow streets, dodging kids, dogs, and potholes. Eclectic smells filled our nostrils from open cooking pots, mini food stands, and rotting trash. Rudimentary shacks and sturdier cinderblock-and-brick homes stacked precariously atop one another. School had recently gotten out, so the streets were overrun with Roma kids. Despite the obvious poverty surrounding them, the youth are strikingly beautiful and go to great lengths to be fashionable.
I hung back from the group, begging my brain to record each detail. I desperately wanted to remember what I was seeing, smelling, hearing and feeling and keep it safe in my heart. I was keenly aware a holy moment was happening.
One thing was clear: Pastor Sherif, Rama, and Bojan were welcome. They belonged. Pastor Rama is a commanding presence, both in stature and in his booming laugh. We hadn’t gone far before Pastor Sherif engaged with a woman sitting quietly on a crate. Within minutes, all three pastors were laying hands on her and praying in the authority of Jesus Christ for her healing. This set off a chain reaction that I can only liken to “the aroma of Christ,” as if an irresistible scent went forth from this prayer circle and began to seep into the village, drawing more and more people to this group of pastors.
Women started bringing their children over to have them prayed over. Adjacent to this scene, a woman was stirring a large cooking pot observing astutely. When the men finished with the children she nodded them over to her. After a brief chat, another chorus of prayers with a tone of authority and power began again. We walked slowly as this continued for the next 45 minutes.
I continued to observe, receive, and be transported and transformed by what was happening. I was experiencing the book of Acts before my very eyes.
This day felt like a privilege.
I was struck, once more, that the God of the universe pulled back the mysterious curtain of the Kingdom and beckoned us: “Come close. I want you to see this – how I am choosing to bring my Kingdom to earth through this people group. I want you to see this and tell others about this. Dignify the Roma’s story. Make MY name known.”
And so we shall. Over the next six to seven months, we will be piecing together this next short film. We covet your prayers for this arduous process.
It is not lost on us that we are a small nonprofit ministry in Virginia. He could have used anyone, but he chose The Good Story.
He chose you too. If you have ever prayed for or financially supported this ministry, you get to steward this story with us. We thank you for your faithful partnership to allow TGS to participate in traveling and creating these stories.
SOOOO CLOSE!
As we close out the year, we REJOICE at God’s provision. The doors of TGS have remained open another year, and we are just $7,000 away from hitting our annual budget!
Would you prayerfully consider helping The Good Story get to the finish line of 2019 and a healthy running start in 2020 with your tax-deductible end-of-year giving?
Make a one-time donation or become a monthly partner today!