Hilda Welker Gutwein Brief Testimony

Doug and Janet Belcher know Hilda and we thought her story would be inspiring to us all:

Welker Family background:

The members of my family were farmers originating from Stuttgart Germany. Our family was relocated during the 1700's under the reign of Queen Maria Teresea of the Austrian- Hungarian Dynasty. Even though we were German in heritage, we were relocated to what was during my childhood called Hungary. Land was given to our family to farm in exchange for a 10 percent "tithe" returned to the Austrian-Hungarian government.

Hilda's memory as a youth:

Ever since I can remember we lived in a "War Zone". The surrounding nations desired this land, which had developed into the Wheat Chamber of Europe. It had become vitally productive farmland. We alternated from being under the Yugoslavian Flag , to the Hungarian Flag. I was required to learn to speak the language of the reigning country, so I learned to speak Hungarian, Yugoslavian and of course our mother tongue of German.

Amidst this national instability, my parents had a solid faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, ALL children were required by law to receive catechism instruction in one of three of the accepted churches of state. Either Catholic, Lutheran or Reformed. Ten percent tithe was required to be paid to the church by each family whether or not you attended any church. My parents were Apostolic Christians, but since this was not one of the accepted churches, my siblings and I attended the Lutheran catechism. My parents lived and applied their Christian faith to our daily living.

So in this respect, I too, had a fertile Christian heritage.

Surrounded by this constant national instability, there were few sources for news information. There was no television, no radio, certainly no computers, no telephones, and not even a newspaper in our town of Cervenka Hungary/Yugoslavia and even fewer sources of truthful information. Most of what we did receive was propaganda designed to accomplish Hitler's agenda. We did not have freedom of speech, there was no free press and people were fearful to speak because those that did disappeared.

When the military started gathering up the Jewish neighbors and friends and requiring us to boycott their businesses, it was then that we realized how ignorant, mislead and brainwashed we as a people had been. And by this time all men between the ages of 16 (sixteen) and 60 (sixty) years of age had been drafted into the service and were no longer at home to protect their own families and property.

I had three brothers in the military, one had already been killed and the fighting was coming closer to our home. Our entire family needed to leave our home and since my twin sister had severe asthma, my parents chose to put us with the "Hitler Youth" that would travel by train instead of wagons and on foot. We had just turned 12 years old. My mother was allowed to pack one suitcase for the two of us. My parents did not know if they would ever see us again. And when my twin and I parted from our parents they told us to "remember what you were taught". We should "look to Jesus and that no one can take what is in your heart and in your mind."

Present:

Through a series of miracles my twin and I were eventually reunited with the remainder of our family. My brother Ed, had been captured and was in a Russian prisoner of war camp, Conrad was stationed in Austria and my eldest brother, Ludwig was killed in Finland. My parents, a brother, my two unwed sisters, an aunt and myself became refugees in Austria.

As refugees, the seven of us shared a small house with three other families. Each family had two rooms in which to eat and sleep. Food was rationed and other necessities were scarce. We worked wherever we could to be able to barter for items so my mom could create a meal for us or make clothes out of any available fabric.

It is hard to imagine what this felt like for my parents. We had been wealthy farmers and now we had nothing. But my father had served in WW I for seven years. Having seen war and what it can do to a person, he had determined early on, that all of his children would be trained to work and all trained for a profession. So we had learned to work and this served us well in our new struggle to survive.

I continued to attend school and after school, I would gather fire wood for heating and cooking. As refugees we were not given permits to cut trees as the nationals were given. But we did have a permit to gather limbs from the forest floor. I would work about 10-12 hours helping harvest hay and cleaning in the house for a farmer in exchange for 1 dozen eggs or or a kilogram of butter.

One of my responsibilities was to purchase and coordinate the ration coupons for my family of seven, the farmer's household of fifteen, and a few neighbors. While waiting in the ration lines (hours at a time) at the grocery store, I would coordinate all of my purchases, as well as assist other customers in finding the specific items on their ration coupons. We would often wait for hours for a specific item and then they would run out of it, with no replacement.

It just so happened that one of the owners' sons was a dentist in need of a dental apprentice. This owner recommeded me to her son and he chose me to be his dental apprentice. I was so thrilled because they offered to feed me too. So this meant my food could go to help feed the others in my family. I completed my dental training with Dr. Dittenberger and continued to work in his practice until our Visa's came through.

We waited six long years for our Visas to come to the United States of America. "One Nation Under God". We came with the clothes on our back, God's Word in our Heart, a strong work ethic and thankful hearts for being given a "second chance".

I now find myself witnessing many of the same attitudes and actions I saw as a child in Europe. Daily I struggle with the changes occurring in our Nation, a growing disrespect for God, His Word, His Son, His Spirit. We've become a people blind to the truth, kept too busy to seek Him.

I question if we are any longer "One Nation Under God ?". And I wonder how many of us here will be rounded up and taken away before we realize the truth.

 

We've been given so much,

We have a responsibility,

We must measure everything by God's Word,

And do what He says.

 

I would challenge each one of you to look at your daily schedules/agendas and block a specific time each day to seek His face and wait upon Him.