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CHAPTER THREE THE FAITH OF MY PARENTS A Tribute to My Mother By Julius Ewald Karl The following article entitled “A Tribute to my Mother” was written in both German and English by Julius in 1988 with the note: “Happy ninety-first birthday, Mom! I love you and will be eternally grateful to God for you. From your only son, fulfilling the mission you prayed for, Julius E. Karl.” The German classical poet Goethe says, “No generation stands as a hero or villain by himself, but we stand as tall or as low as we do because we stand either on the shoulders of our previous generations or are chained to their vices.” How true. On this Mother's Day and on the occasion of my Mother’s 91st birthday, I write this tribute to her whose shoulders raised me to my present elevation and usefulness to my generation and in the Kingdom of God. My mother, Karoline Karl, was born in 1897 as the second of eight children to a family of German farmers. They belonged to the protestant state church and were baptized as such. In the early 1920s, missionaries from the Anderson, Indiana Church of God in America came to their village preaching, “You must be born again.” Most of the children in my mother’s family were in their late teens and early twenties. They listened, believed the Word of God, and got saved. Now the battle began. My grandparents were strongly opposed to the decision of their children. They beat them and used force to stop them from attending the meetings of these people preaching salvation. My mother relates how she slipped out the window in the evening to go to the meetings where she met other Christian young people. When my grandfather found out, he beat her severely, trying to force her to renounce her new faith, but she steadfastly held on to her confession of Jesus. Because these newly saved people believed the Bible, they took seriously the Biblical admonition, Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. Since there were only a few Christian young people around, my father married my mother and two of his brothers married two of her sisters; and one sister of the brothers married a brother of the sisters. All of this because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Commit- ment to Jesus meant more than any material inheritance they might otherwise get. My parents made a sincere effort to raise my three sisters and I in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I remember sitting on the front row in church with my mom and sisters listening to my dad A young Julian Karl, Julius’ Dad.

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Page 1: JEK-Part 03-Tribute to my Mother · The following article entitled “A Tribute to my Mother” was ... Most of the children in my mother’s family were in their late teens ... ,

CHAPTERTHREE

THEFAITHOFMYPARENTSATributetoMyMother

ByJuliusEwaldKarlThefollowingarticleentitled“ATributetomyMother”waswritteninbothGermanandEnglishbyJuliusin1988withthenote:“Happyninety-firstbirthday,Mom!IloveyouandwillbeeternallygratefultoGodforyou.Fromyouronlyson,fulfillingthemissionyouprayedfor,JuliusE.Karl.”

TheGermanclassicalpoetGoethesays,“Nogenerationstandsasaheroorvillainbyhimself,butwestandastalloraslowaswedobecausewestandeitherontheshouldersofourpreviousgenerationsorarechainedtotheirvices.”Howtrue.OnthisMother'sDayandontheoccasionofmyMother’s91stbirthday,IwritethistributetoherwhoseshouldersraisedmetomypresentelevationandusefulnesstomygenerationandintheKingdomofGod.

Mymother,KarolineKarl,wasbornin1897asthesecondofeightchildrentoafamilyofGermanfarmers.Theybelongedtotheprotestantstatechurchandwerebaptizedassuch.Intheearly1920s,missionariesfromtheAnderson,IndianaChurchofGodinAmericacametotheirvillagepreaching,“Youmustbebornagain.”Mostofthechildreninmymother’sfamilywereintheirlateteensandearlytwenties.Theylistened,believedtheWordofGod,andgotsaved.

Nowthebattlebegan.Mygrandparentswerestronglyopposedtothedecisionoftheirchildren.Theybeatthemandusedforcetostopthemfromattendingthemeetingsofthesepeoplepreachingsalvation.MymotherrelateshowsheslippedoutthewindowintheeveningtogotothemeetingswhereshemetotherChristianyoungpeople.Whenmygrandfatherfoundout,hebeatherseverely,tryingtoforcehertorenouncehernewfaith,butshesteadfastlyheldontoherconfessionofJesus.

BecausethesenewlysavedpeoplebelievedtheBible,theytookseriouslytheBiblicaladmonition,Benotunequallyyokedtogetherwithunbelievers.SincetherewereonlyafewChristianyoungpeoplearound,myfathermarriedmymotherandtwoofhisbrothersmarriedtwoofhersisters;andonesisterofthebrothersmarriedabrotherofthesisters.AllofthisbecauseoftheirfaithinJesusChrist.Commit-menttoJesusmeantmorethananymaterialinheritancetheymightotherwiseget.

MyparentsmadeasincereefforttoraisemythreesistersandIinthefearandadmonitionoftheLord.Iremembersittingonthefrontrowinchurchwithmymomandsisterslisteningtomydad AyoungJulianKarl,Julius’Dad.

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preach.ThepeoplegreatlyrespectedmyparentsfortheirunwaveringcommitmenttoJesus.In1942,myDadwasdraftedtotheGermanArmy,andtheresponsibilitytoraisethe

fourofusfellsolelyuponmymother.ShereadtheBibletous,prayedwithus,admonishedus,andchastiseduswiththerod.SincetheNazishadclosedourchurchandforbiddenustoassemblepublicly,mymothersecretlyledthelittlecongregationandtookustosecretprayermeetingsundertheguiseoffamilygatheringsandbirthdayparties.Weyoungchildrenweresentriesoutsidewatchingforanystranger.OneSundayafternoonIwasondutywhenIsawsomeoneapproaching,andIranintothehousetoalertthem.Theywereallontheirkneespraying,butquicklyjumpedupwipingtheirtearsfromtheirfacesandbegantointeractsocially.

TheinevitablecollapseoftheThirdReichcameinspringof1945.BeforetheJewsweretakenawayin1942-43,theyhadtowear—sewnontheircoatinfrontandback—asixinchbrightyellowstarofDavid.Irememberhowoften,atgreatrisk,mymomtookfoodtothehungryJews.Also,inJanuary1945whentheRussianArmyoccupiedPolandandallGermanswerecivilianprisoners,alltheGermanshadtowearonfrontandback–sewnontheirgarmentsawhitesix-inchswastika.

IsawmydearMotherwiththebigswastikaonherfrontandback—despised,hated,andabused.Theinnocentsufferedwiththeguilty.

OnebittercolddayinJanuary1945,Ihadtoshovelsnowunderarmedguard.IpushedtheshovelunderwhatIthoughtwasafootofsnow,andwhenIliftedit,Iliftedthefrozenlegofadeadman.Terrified,IcriedandraninsidethepoliceprisonwheremymotherwascryingbecauseIwasfreezing.Mybarefingerswerestickingoutthroughthegloves.Mymotherhadaneedlewithapieceofthreadstuckbehindthelapeloftheman'sjacketshewaswearing.Shepulleditoutandtriedtomendmygloves.Whensheranoutofthreadbeforeshecouldmendalltheholesinmygloves,shestartedcryingwithabreakingheart.Ifeltlikewipingthetearsfromherface—hercryinghurtmemorethanmyfreezingfingers.

ProbablythefirstincidentwhenIrecallthattheHolySpiritspoketomewaswhenmymotherandIwerecleaningapolicestationafterhours.Tired,physicallysuffering,sheaskedmetocleansomearea,uponwhichIgotmadatherandshoweditonmyfaceasmuchasIcould.Shelookedatme,andcryingaskedme,“WhatwronghaveIdonetoyouthatyoudisplaysuchanger?"Iwasonlythirteen,buthercryingandquestionconvictedmeinsideandfocuseduponmysinful,selfishbehavior.

Ilookbackandseethepowerandinfluenceofthetearsandthebreakingheartofagodlymotheruponherchildren;butIalsosawthen,andseeitnowwithmoreperfectclarity,thesacrificialloveshehadforus. AfterthewarwasoverwewerenotallowedtoleavePoland.WewereprisonersuntilJune1947whenwewereabletoescapetoWestGermany.

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MomreadtheBibletous,encouragedustoreadit,andprayedwithusteenagechildrendaily.Inaddition,shespentalotoftimetalkingtousaboutbeingbornagainandservingGod.ShedevotedherselftoprivateBiblereadinganddevotions.Shetaughtusbothbypreceptandexampletoforgiveandtoaskforgiveness.Sheoftenaskedustoforgiveherwithtearsflowingdownherweatheredcheeks.Iamsurethatmostofthetimeshehadnotdoneuswrongbutwassimplyoverwhelmedbytheenormoustaskofraisingfourteenagersbyherself.Asaresultofherprayersandexample,allfourofusmadecommitmentstoChristasteenagers.Shetrainedusupinthewayweshouldgo.

MomoftentoldmehowshehaddedicatedmetotheLordwhenIwasbornandconstantlyprayedfortheLordtocallmetopreach.Sheneverwaveredinthatdeterminationanddesire.WhenIreachedmyearlytwenties,shewasmygreatestcheerleader.

ThisforegoingArticleentitled“ATributetomyMother”waswritteninbothGermanandEnglishbyJuliusin1988withthenote:“Happyninety-firstbirthday,Mom!IloveyouandwillbeeternallygratefultoGodforyou.Fromyouronlyson,fulfillingthemissionyouprayedfor,JuliusE.Karl.”

Left–Karoline’s90thbirthdaywithhersisters-LtoR–Klara,Hulda,andLidia.TheirbrotherGustavdiedin1946.Karolinesurvivedherothersiblings.Thesesistersmetmuchgriefintheirlife.Emma,theoldestwasmarriedtoFerdinandHoffman.Theyhadtwochildren,ErwinandGertrud(Henning).KlarawasmarriedtoAdamKarl.Theyhadfourchildren:Erika(Bohl),Horst,Irma,andHeidi(Flatt).ShediedinGermanywhenshewentforavisit.AdamdiedinCanadafromcancer.Huldadidnotmarryandasaresultofsomechildhoodillnesswasdeaf.

OlgawasmarriedtoRudolfKarl.Theyhadthreechildren:Olga(Schroeder),Ewald,andHeidi(Holz).Rudolphleftthefamilyandremarried.OlgaimmigratedtoCanadawithherchildren.TheWernersistershadtwobrothers:GustafWerner,marriedtoMartaKarl:theyhadfourchildren:Gustaf,Marta(Heimlich),Hildegard(Wagner),andFrieda(Stetner)JuliusWerner’sfirstwifewaskilledduringthewar.HeremarriedandremainedinEastGermany.EmmaandJuliusweretheonlytwosiblingswhodidnotimmigratetoCanada.


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