Walking with God: Romani faith and everyday miracles

When you don't light candles and your church is inside your heart.

Picture by Martina Petkova

Days before our daughter was due to be born, Martina woke up with a paralyzing headache. Her blood pressure was rocket high and kept climbing. Pepi called doctors and emergency lines and was told we must go to the emergency room.

Martina ended up staying 10 days in the hospital for observation and to make sure her blood pressure was stable, waiting for the baby to pick her moment to arrive. Thankfully, our daughter was born healthy and without complications.

But in that moment, on our way to the emergency room, when we quickly gathered documents and essentials, threw jackets on, and rushed out, in that scary limbo when Martina was stepping out into the unknown, in pain, and worried sick about her baby, Pepi said six magical words as he was pressing the handle to open the door.

“God before us, we after him.”

Martina had heard Pepi say “God before me, I after him” countless times. He says this almost every time he ventures out. The stakes can be tiny or life-chang…