A Slum Called “Hope”
BY IVAN IVANOV, BULGARIA
PHOTO: The author of the story Ivan and a young mother with her newborn.
A harbor of hopelessness
Sliven is a big city, and within it is a huge Roma neighborhood called Hope – a strange name for a slum where 77,000 people live in the midst of misery, illiteracy, hunger, hepatitis, and scabies. There are very few who have lived past the age of sixty.
We visited a church in Hope to give out Baby Boxes and to share the gospel.
We had to park our two vans on the outskirts of the slum because there was so much trash and discarded items on the streets that it was impassable by vehicle. We had to load our boxes on a horse-drawn wagon instead.
On our way to the church we saw the sad reality of the community with our own eyes.
It is heartbreaking to think that newborn children will be raised there.
Fathers are unemployed; there is no work. Some collect plastic from the trash and earn a negligible amount by taking it to the recycling center. Most have just given up and live on meager governmental handouts.
The church: An oasis in the slum
When we entered the church building it was as if we had entered another world! It was bright, clean, and warm inside.
Dozens of mothers and their children were already waiting for us.
Fifty mothers who had a baby or were expecting were invited! Young Pastor Semo and his wife had put a great deal of effort in to ensure that all mothers would be warmly welcomed and comfortable.
Using an story, I shared the good news about Jesus. Then I introduced the Baby Box and told the women how other mothers had lovingly prepared the boxes to be a blessing to others.
The ladies were very happy and gratefully accepted the prayers offered for their families.
PHOTO: Our team members praying for mothers and children in the church building of the slum neighborhood called Hope.
The Baby Box delivery accomplished a lot
The pastor called me afterwards and told me that following our visit, four mothers had accepted Jesus as their Savior!
And something else happened:
This celebration of newborn babies in the church had broken an old tradition in the Roma culture that believed women should not be present inside a church building for forty days after delivering a baby. They were considered unclean. Because of this attitude, many young mothers stopped coming regularly – or at all.
Through Baby Boxes
we can show love and care
to the people in the slums
and tell them there is hope!
PHOTO: Mothers at the BabyBox distribution event in Sliven.
HOW YOU CAN INFLUENCE AND HELP:
The clothes in the Baby Boxes are all donated items. The rest of the contents are purchased. The total cost for one Baby Box, including transportation, is about $60. You can participate by designating a gift to “Baby Box Project.”
Thank you for your help!
