Summary: Hans and Maria Penner were Russian Mennonites, a small, despised, German-speaking religious minority, living in the heart of the Soviet Union. Facing harsh oppression from Soviet authorities, they welcomed the invading German army as liberators. So, when the Germans retreated west, the Penners, like many Mennonites, fled with them. Now that the war is over, the Penners must survive in Soviet-occupied Germany, keeping out of the way of the authorities that want to exile them to Siberia, with all that that entails. There is only one hope for the Penners, and that is to flee west, out of the grip of the Soviets. While in East Germany, their youngest daughter is ill and Hans takes her to the hospital where she dies. While he is away, the Soviets come to arrest their Mennonite neighbour but Maria, with Hansie and Rosie, are able to escape. Hans returns to their home to be told that his family had been taken away. Distraught, Hans starts to travel west, believing his family had been taken East to Siberia, never to be seen again. Meanwhile, Maria also returns home and is told by the neightbour that Hans has left, possibly for Siberia. Hoping against hope, Maria, with the two children, start their perilous journey to West Germany, dreaming that one day they will meet up with Hans. Through God's faithfulness, the family are able to cross the border and are placed in a Mennonite Refugee Camp where Maria's health is restored and the children are cared for.
Hans, who unlike his wife, had lost his faith in God while travelling from the Ukraine but God arrests his heart and turns him back. Through amazing 'conicidences' the family is finally reunited.
Other: The author worked in the Mennonite Refugee Camps in the late 1940s and heard many stories of answers to prayer and saw how God worked through many hardships. Although the book is fiction, it is based on many real-life tales told by refugees.
Reading level: 16 years to Adult
Paperback.
Pages: 266
Size: 133 x 210mm
Christian Light Publications. 1983
Bible Version: KJV
Also available as an audiobook:
5 CD
6 hours long
No comments:
Post a Comment