Last night we met with some friends and one of the couples had just returned from spending two years in Romania working for a mission.
I asked them - Leland & Alma - the question you asked here and their answer to "why his people are so hated?" is because they are so dirty. Another person spoke up and reminded us of their reputation of stealing and therefore could not be trusted.
Lelands also told how they have been in gypsy churches, that they are good people, and that there are different social levels among them. If I recall Alma from a prior conversation, she says the gypsies from the different social levels have little to do with each other. (Lelands enjoyed their interactions with the gypsies.)
You can google 'gypsy revival' and get some interesting info. Also check out "Gypsy Smith". He was a revivalist who was born in a gypsy tent, never went to school but was very effective in ministering the gospel when he lived. He died in 1947.
This is what I learned. You might could tell your friend that gypsies are not the only people disliked by another group of people, although having to live above the stigma of coming from stock where thievery was a way of life would be hard to live down. So the challenge to him is to be Christ-like in his dealings with others. All of us have to earn our own reputation, whether it be good or bad and some come with added baggage that takes longer to live down. This is life....
This may not help but this is what I have found.
ginnyrose
