Darkness on the Edge of Town

During the reign of a certain regime a number of government "pro-natal" programs were implemented in an effort to increase the population of a certain country. From the mid-1960's through the 1980's, women in this nation, regardless of their economic situation, were expected to have at least 5 children. These laws resulted in the birth of hundreds of thousands of children which the parents could not afford to feed. With no other choice, many parents were forced to abandon their children. So over the decades the governmental orphanages swelled to overcapacity.

What was once an ill-conceived government plan is now a living nightmare. At age 18 these children are now considered to be adults, and no longer responsibility of the government. With no life experience but that gained within the walls of a government-run orphanage, many of these now young men and women, are homeless, addicted to drugs, and living in empty derelict buildings and in underground sewers. Abandoned by their families, turned out onto the streets by their government, shunned by society, they are almost non-persons.

Yes, the story of this lost generation a tragic tale. But it is only one of so many, many stories. We could talk about a group of people, who are considered to be a scourge on society and so shunned, their true numbers are unknown. We could talk of the ethnic tension between between more than just neighbouring nations, but between neighbouring cities, and the neighbours next door. We could talk about the atrocities of ethnic cleansing and ancient hatreds. We could talk about not just decades of repression, more than just centuries replete with bloodshed, but millennia of tumultuous history, and yet just scratch the surface of what this area and its people are all about.

All these stories are from Southeastern Europe, or what is also called the Balkans. The lost generation belongs to Romania. The "scourge" is the Roma people, or gypsies, who could number from 4-14 million. The ethnic tension is between your choice of Albanians, Croats, Serbs, Romanians, Muslims, Eastern Orthodox, Western Orthodox, new order, old order, take your pick. As to the history of the region, you could blame today's problems on the Communists, The Ottoman Turks, The Hapsburgs, The Romans, The Slavs, or any other invader and/or occupier of this part of the world. You could point the finger for the regions political instability at the numerous treaties made and broken during any of the Balkan Wars, or the World Wars.

This would be a perfect place to quote some statistics, or cut and paste some poignant personal testimonies, all in an attempt to pluck your heart strings. But my intent isn't to create an emotional response, complete with some temporary guilt. I don't even want to use the desperation of this situation to subtlety ask for any kind of support. My only goal today was to open your eyes. To show you part of the world in where I now work. To do more than just identify the problems, but to share the potential for a mighty move of God.

There might be a shadow hanging over the Balkans, a darkness on the edge of town, but if this area was important enough for visits from Paul the Apostle, then God has something wonderful in mind. You now have a front row seat.

"That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for sure that God had called us to preach the good news to the Europeans." Acts 16:9 (The Message)

The journey continues.
Paul and Mary
Stay in touch via email: mary@going4the1.com paul@going4the1.com.
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Paul and Mary Triller 202 Hospital Lane Bedworth UK CV120JY