Under His Wings

Oma's Stories, Introduction

Dear Readers,

I won 2nd place in a writing contest at Today’s Christian Living with a story about how God brought my mother a husband and gave her the faith and courage to immigrate to the United States. The story was published in their January/February 2026 edition.

So, I think the time is right to publish stories from my mother’s memoirs about growing up in Nazi Germany. Here is the introduction to the series. Dive in, and be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already!

Under His Wings

My life changed forever when the Russian hordes invaded eastern Germany at the end of World War II. I was only a sixteen-year-old then. Streams of refugees and soldiers passed through our village. We were constantly busy helping those in need.

Along the road lay dead cows, and sometimes refugees arrived with loved ones to bury. Mothers fled with their children in baby carriages. I kept thinking, “I hope I don’t have to flee.” For two years we lived under Russian/Polish occupation, and then the order came that all Germans must be “evacuated.” They did this in stages over a period of several weeks.

The day of the first evacuation, I climbed the hill behind my house and watched people leave with box carts and backpacks, women holding children by the hand, old men, my best friend . . . . Every now and then they stood still and sadly looked back. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Everyone I knew and loved was going away. Would I ever see them again?

When it was my turn, I boarded the cattle train wearing three dresses and a coat, carrying my bedding and a few mementos. I did not know I would not return for forty years.

I lost everything—my country, my community, my family, and my possessions—but I still had God. You see, everything can be taken from you, but if you have the Lord, you have peace and a secure refuge. Truly, I have lived in the shadow of his wings.