JOURNEYS Mennonite Stories of Faith and Survival in Stalins Russia, John B. Toews, 1998

d us with beds and blankets. We were completely exhausted and slept soundly. Following a refreshing night rain the next morning dawned beautiful and clear. Everything was green and in blossom. Brother Baerg invited us to view his vegetable garden. The prospect did not thrill me at the time — after all I had just lost everything and could hardly rejoice at the good fortune of another. Yet the brother and sister knew what they were doing. After they showed us all of their garden — and it was beautiful — the brother pointed to several MEMOIRS OF ARON WARKENTIN 169 rows of carrots, cucumbers and onions and declared that these were now ours. He said the same thing about several rows of potatoes: “As long as you are under my roof this is your property.” They were such kind people. I went to visit the head of the artel, a certain Johann Regier, who was just having breakfast. He invited me to join him. I asked him if he might be willing to get our cow from Lichtenau, which I brought there the previous day. Our family depended on it. I promised to supply the necessary papers. We agreed that brother Baerg would take the truck and pick up the cow. He also gave us two pud of flour which we desperately needed. I thanked him and left. Next day in the evening I came home to my family after a hard days work. Brother Baerg had already brought the cow home .... Now we, especially the children, were assured of food. After consulting with several men and the head of the artel we decided to stay in Kleefeld, at least for the time being. I was given two horses and a wagon and ordered to bring the unthreshed grain from the field to the threshing machine. I soon got used to my work, although the horses were not as good as the ones which were taken from me. One morning as I was unloading at the threshing machine I saw my wife in animated conversation with the [artel] chairman. I was naturally curious because it was not in her nature to be so aggressive. After I emptied the wagon I walked over to him to find out what was going on. Apparently a minister named Loewen had come from Gruenfeld with orders to take me back dead or alive. Our chairman tried to calm me down and said he would drive [to Gruenfeld] and straighten out the matter. I did not agree. I may have justice on my side but these were not normal times. I thanked the chairman for helping us in these difficult times — af¬ ter all he supplied us with bread and gave me work — but informed him that in this instance I would have to make my own decision. Brother Loewen and I discussed the situation and agreed that it was certainly to my detriment if I accompanied him, since they intended to arrest me and seize my cow. We parted. He returned to the sovkoz and I quickly packed some food and clothes and left for the Crimea. O. Huebert, from whom I had earlier borrowed money, had a good position on a soviet collective farm in the Cri¬ mea and thought he could rea