CEE Pray for Open Doors
Block party leads to Bible studies in Romany homes
What kind of doors can summer missionaries help open among a people group? Zdena (ZDAY-nuh) Tuleova and Ladislav (LA-dee-slav) Patocka can tell you.
During the summer of 2006 approximately 50 International World Changers volunteers from Texas, Tennessee and Florida hosted a block party between Zdena and Ladislav’s homes where the Gospel was presented through drama and interaction with locals.
“You came into our neighborhood, did things for our children and showed love to our families,” Zdena told International Mission Board missionary Boyd Hatchel. “It was very beautiful.”
As the strategy coordinator for the Romany people of the Central Europe Field, Boyd coordinated the block party with the goal of finding heads of households who would be willing to host Bible studies in their homes. Zdena, a Romany mother and assistant teacher in the Romany section of Brno, Czech Republic, responded.
“I am happy to have someone who will teach me and talk to me more about God,” she said. “I am glad to open my home to have others study the Bible, as well.”
Ladislav, a young salesman, has also opened his home to Boyd and other Roma interested in studying the Bible.
“I don’t know of another non-Roma—a Gadjo—who would come into our communities and talk to us about God,” Ladislav said. “Boyd wanted to … and we were open.”
In Zdena and Ladislav’s section of Brno most Roma live in apartment blocks with their front doors facing large, central courtyards where children play hopscotch and soccer and adults gather to talk. In one such area the summer volunteer group painted faces and performed puppet skits and “The Redeemer” drama, a wordless depiction of the world’s creation, man’s fall into sin and God’s restoration. During breaks the volunteers played Romany music while seeking opportunities to talk with Roma about Christ and studying His Word.
Ladislav said reading his Bible and hosting the studies in his home has altered the way he lives.
“The way I view other people has changed,” he said. “I am a lot calmer and less stressed or nervous about things. I believe as I continue to read and study the Bible it will continue to change my life.”
Ladislav is currently learning what it means to share his faith with other Roma and feels “everyone needs to experience” what can happen when an individual begins to align his life with the Word of God.
Zdena said she is excited about the activities Boyd and the summer missionaries hosted and hopes to see the events happen again.
“The more we have activities here in this neighborhood, the more people will be open and willing to talk about God and be closer to Him,” she said. “We anticipate you coming more and more.”
With multiplying house churches as the ultimate goal of these studies, Boyd said each group “has to have a Romany leader” for a church-planting movement to occur.
“That’s really what we pray for—that there will be a Roma within the group that would take responsibility for it.”