00:00:07 This was the first school
00:00:09 in the Romany language in Bulgaria.
00:00:17 In recent years,
00:00:19 we have seen remarkable growth
00:00:21 in the Romany field.
00:00:24 There are many Roma people living all over Bulgaria,
00:00:27 generally in their own neighborhoods.
00:00:30 The Roma came to Europe from India with their own languages and culture.
00:00:35 Roma people are happy to talk to Jehovah’s Witnesses,
00:00:38 sensing no discrimination or prejudice.
00:00:42 As a result,
00:00:44 Romany congregations and groups have been formed.
00:00:48 At the first Memorial held in the Romany language,
00:00:51 a congregation with 26 publishers
00:00:54 had 703 in attendance.
00:00:59 In this rapidly growing field,
00:01:03 half of the publishers serve as pioneers.
00:01:07 Seeing the progress in this field,
00:01:10 the branch wanted the pioneers to be trained in their mother tongue
00:01:13 so that they could apply the information according to the needs of the territory.
00:01:18 This is a wonderful gift from Jehovah,
00:01:22 because when we receive it in our own language,
00:01:24 it is embedded directly into our hearts.
00:01:28 I feel very happy that the school
00:01:30 is in the Romany language
00:01:32 because I can see not only Jehovah’s love
00:01:35 but also how he spoils us.
00:01:41 This has been a wonderful achievement,
00:01:44 considering that we didn’t have any material
00:01:46 translated for the school in the Romany language.
00:01:49 This meant that the instructors and the students
00:01:51 prepared in a different language,
00:01:54 but everything was presented in Romany.
00:02:00 I have to get up at 4:30 a.m.
00:02:02 to go to and finish my secular work
00:02:04 before the school, which starts at 8:30 a.m.
00:02:07 It is a little difficult for me,
00:02:10 but hearing about Jehovah and understanding more about him
00:02:14 gives me renewed energy.
00:02:18 I heard an example about Jesus
00:02:20 and how he showed empathy for the young children who went to see him,
00:02:24 but his apostles tried to stop them.
00:02:29 However, Jesus put himself in the place of those children.
00:02:34 This really helps me to see the people in our territory
00:02:37 and to put myself in their place,
00:02:40 because I too once lived like them and know how they feel.
00:02:51 When we speak about spiritual things
00:02:54 —things about God—
00:02:56 we want to speak in our mother tongue
00:02:59 because it touches our heart.
00:03:04 I personally saw how the hearts of the pioneers
00:03:08 were deeply touched by having the school in their language.
00:03:15 As a Roma,
00:03:17 I often feel rejected by others,
00:03:19 but at the school,
00:03:20 it was completely the opposite.
00:03:21 I was really happy that the school
00:03:23 was held in our Roma neighborhood
00:03:25 and that I could speak in my language.
00:03:35 Who would have imagined ten years ago,
00:03:37 when the preaching work
00:03:39 started in the Roma neighborhood,
00:03:41 that we would have a pioneer school?
00:03:45 Interestingly,
00:03:47 some of those who started to study the Bible back then
00:03:51 attended the school together with their Bible teachers.
00:03:57 If someone had said that this would happen,
00:04:00 we would have thought, ‘He has a vivid imagination.’
00:04:04 Jehovah made this possible!