Sharing Bonhoeffer

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a German woman who was 6 years old and living in Berlin when Hitler took over. (that sentence right there, still amazes me)

She shared a few of her (heartbreaking) memories of that time with our high school girls' Bible class and then told us how she came to know the Lord while living in America when she was in her 20's. I wasn't able to attend the first time she spoke to our class, (in December) but that was literally the first time she ever spoke of those memories to anyone. Ever. This woman is such a treasure and I'm sure God will continue to use her story as she shares it. -One of the moms told me what a life changing impact this talk had on her daughter and that she talked about her for days afterwards. 

I just knew I would have to ask her if she's read Eric Metaxes book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy 

because I loved it so much and I was a little obsessed with it last summer.
Bonhoeffer lived in Berlin during that time too. I told my kids that their families could have known each other!!! They told me that kind of reasoning is like traveling to another country and having people ask me if I know Justin Bieber. LOL I didn't embarrass myself by asking if her family knew him, I just asked her if she'd read this book.

She was so sweet. She said that she had not read the book but that she knew of Bonhoeffer and "of his courage to stand against them." (Nazis) And then, this sweet elderly lady, who lived through SO much, told me "I didn't have the courage to stand against them. I tried to be invisible. There is a way to be invisible, you know. You keep your head down and you never make eye contact with anyone." 

Bless her heart! I'm not sure what a child could have done to 'stand against them' in the first place and I reminded her that she was so young. I asked her if she would like to read it because I would love to give her a copy. She said she would very much like to read it and her eyes twinkled.

 (and when I said I would love to give her I copy, it was an  UNDERSTATEMENT!) 

I'm hoping that his story blesses her and heals her and encourages her faith. 

~Becky