"From the mouth of babes..."

"I've just started school here in Luton.  Don't speak a word of English.  Born thousands of miles away.  Grew up speaking Romani with my own people, and Portuguese with everyone else.  It was really tough in my first days at school.  One girl pulled my earings really hard so it hurt.  I thought she was going to nick them, so I fought back.  Actually she'd probably never seen a child like me wear earings before.  Best keep them off when I go to school, or else.  Even though lots of the kids in my class have parents from other countries, I still felt I stood out.  It was the first time I'd ever been to school in my life. Everything is weird.  I realise to fit in I'm going have to become a bit like the others.  My mum has let me colour my hair so it's more like the others.  The pastor came along later and asked me why I'd done it.  He said he liked black hair, that God had made it that way.  He doesn't understand.  He's bald.  Later in the day when we were coming home in the bus, I told the pastor I didn't like the gadjo people.  I prefer my own people.  He asked me why.  I said I just don't.  "You don't like me then?"  he asked.  He looked sad.  "No, you're alright."  "Why?" he asked.  "You're Roma!" I answered.  He looked surprised.   "Really?" He said.  "You speak our gypsy language. You're Roma."  "Ok" he said.  "Funny man," I thought.

Nothing lower than the cross

In England people say there is nothing lower than Luton.

In Luton people say there is nothing lower than the Roma.

Amongst the Roma, people say there is nothing lower than the Romanian Roma.

Is there any hope for the Luton Roma?

Yes, Jesus went to the bottom of the pit for them too.