Editor’s note: Due to global security concerns, names and locations of some of CBF’s field personnel will not be publicized.

Roma people have been given refugee status in some Middle Eastern countries. CBF photo

ATLANTA – Outside the city limits, past the garbage dump, past the cemetery and down into the valley sits a cluster of shipping containers. These 16 metal containers are part of government-sponsored housing for Roma refugees, an ethnic minority in the Middle East.

Often referred to as gypsies, the Roma have historically faced discrimination on the island and are frequently forced to live on the outskirts of cities and towns – away from employment and educational opportunities. The 20-foot by 8-foot containers, which usually house a family of six or seven people, are located far away from the city, while other refugee groups are offered government-sponsored apartments in town.

Across Europe and the Middle East, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel are ministering to the Roma, Dom and Banjara people. They have formed a network of individuals, churches and partner organizations seeking to alleviate the poverty and discrimination gypsies face. Mary Helen, one of CBF’s field personnel, has worked together with local partners to reach out to the Roma community.

"The Roma are a unique people," Mary Helen said. "In spite of persecution, the Holocaust and everything else, they manage to survive. You can’t help but to admire people who are under such adverse circumstances. You would think it would make them harsh and cynical, and probably in many respects it did. They’re not really trusting because of the treatment. But in spite of that, they still receive you warmly, they still are willing to sit down and talk about the Bible, talk about Christ, explain their beliefs."

A local, retired couple has facilitated a ministry through their church among the Roma people, trying to meet some of the basic needs. Mary Helen helped the couple distribute food, clothing and even furniture. But Mary Helen says the social acceptance and interaction may be the most important thing they give to the Roma community.

Shipping containers serve as homes for some Roma families. CBF photo

"The children are so open and they’re so willing to trust in spite of everything," Mary Helen said. "It breaks my heart to know that when they go to school the other children don’t want to have anything to do with them. And to know that people will look down on them, and they will not have the educational opportunities other children do. Through no action of their own, they are going to have to repeat the cycle their parents did. And at the same time, I know that if we can get the message of Christ to them and they accept it, that’s going to give them hope and it gives me hope."

The Roma people in the Middle East, who have been given refugee status, emigrated from Turkey and still speak Turkish. This creates a barrier to interacting with the majority of the population who speak Greek, including local churches. Mary Helen worked with a local partner to distribute CDs and DVDs with sermons in Turkish to local churches.

Mary Helen, who spent two years serving in the Middle East, will move this fall to a different area in the region . She’ll transition from her two-year appointment to serve as a CBF affiliate.

"All my life I wanted to be a missionary, but for many reasons I did not become one until after I retired," said Mary Helen. "I finally got to the point in my life where I had the money and time to do short-term mission trips, and that made me realize beyond a shadow of a doubt that is what I wanted to do on a much longer term. And it seemed like every time I would look for a place to go and serve that I got nudged over towards Europe and closer and closer towards the gypsies."

To learn more about global missions partnership opportunities or service, call (800) 352-8741. To financial support the ministry to the Roma people, give to the CBF Offering for Global Missions. To give, go to www.thefellowship.info/give.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.