Monday, January 26, 2009

Update for Trinity Students

Hello!
I had quite a day today. We started out at 7:30 for Sagan, Poland. The bus driver we were supposed to have wasn't able to drive our bus, so we got a new driver. The BIG problem is --he doesn't speak English. His primary language is Polish. They assured us that he spoke German though, but it is still a big effort to communicate. My sister speaks some German so with that and lots of pointing, we got to Sagan.

WOW, what an experience! First we went to see a film about the camp, with footage taken when our father was there. Then we toured the museum. There we saw lots of things that had been excavated from the camp. We saw a water pitcher like the one Mr. Bender told us about, plus checkers, chess pieces, cards, tools, barbed wire, etc. Then we went to a building that was recently built by the RAF, just like the ones the prisoners lived in, except not as many rooms. We saw the types of beds they had, the tables they made into sleds, the little stoves they had to keep them warm, and some things they took on the march. In addition to rebuilding a barracks, they built a section of tunnel like the one in "The Great Escape. " We could crawl down in it and see how they excavated it. There was also a "goon tower" (guard tower) we could climb. Then we loaded the bus again and headed a short distance to where the actual camp had been. There are only foundations of buildings left, but the guide was able to show each of us exactly where our dads' barracks had been. It was very moving to stand there and know that he had spent many months right at that location. My sister and I each picked up a memento to remember it. It was very touching to see the others' reaction to their dad's barracks. Of the 16 people on the march, there are only 2 others besides Miriam and myself whose fathers are still alive. Everyone has stories they have been told over the years and we have been sharing them constantly. At the location of the North Compound, we saw where Tunnel Harry was actually located and where the men came up, just a bit too short of the woods. Our final stop for the day was at the memorial for the 50 men from the Great Escape who were ordered to be killed by Hitler because they had escaped.

I am so blessed that my dad survived the parachute drop, survived the camp and the march and came home. God was certainly watching out for him! Please say a prayer for us about 4 pm your time tomorrow (11 pm our time) because that will be the time that we begin our walk.
As I am writing this, Flat Stanley is sleeping. He had an exhausting day--wait until you see the pictures! Keep up with him at the following link: Flat Stanley's Travels

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

How are you doing? Just so you know ice is falling here and we will probably be out of school tomorrow. I will keep you in my PRAYERS!!
Love, Zoie Roth

Anonymous said...

Hi Diane,
Roxanne told me about your trip with your sister, history I always wanted to know about. Hope you have an exciting experience, will be reading.
Joanie

Anonymous said...

Hi Diane
Roxanne told me about your trip with your sister. Will be reading, always wanted to know about this history.
Joanie

Anonymous said...

It is just about 4:00 our time and you are in my thoughts and prayers!

Roxanne