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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!