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

she was in the classroom. They had two cows as well as chickens. Marta could eat and sleep there. We agreed to this arrangement. Marta came on Sunday, but she had such home¬ sickness for a mother she had missed for so long. I felt so sorry for the child. On the long winter evenings Martas cousins visited us and I told them stories or sang with them, yet Marta had to re¬ main among the Russians. She always cried when she came home Sunday and in the evening returned to her position with a heavy heart. Yet as the neighbor children later informed us she left a good legacy among the Russians. Marta had told them about Jesus as well as all the Bible stories which I had once told them. Marta could speak Russian very well. The people were good to her, including the two children, but of course, everything was dif¬ ferent than at home. There were no morning or evening devo¬ tions. There were many German young people Martas age and older . . . some 20 in all. The girls were milkmaids in the collec¬ tive, while the boys had to work in the cow and horse barns. Since everyday was a workday, there were no Sundays. Their only free time was in the evening when they often came to our chicken farm. We had a few clay bricks over which we placed a plank and so our bench was ready. There were also some manure bricks so that all could sit down. We did a good deal of singing and many stories were told. I told them of the necessity of conversion and the new birth. Erna Willms repeatedly asked what she had to do to be converted. I simply said that we had to acknowledge our¬ selves as sinners and God would extend his grace. I also told them my own conversion. We had such a good time with the young people that we often forgot we were in exile in Kazakhstan. It was usually quite late before we got home. Sometimes amid tears we 86 JOURNEYS sang a Heimatlied. Such a song of longing for our heavenly home seemed appropriate for none of these children knew if their fa¬ thers were alive. We parted after a closing prayer. Everyone began work early in the morning .... At Christmas we practiced the old carols in order to get in the Christmas mood. There was no thought of gifts since we had no money, nor was there anything to buy. We only thought of food. We didn’t even have a piece of bread not to mention a Christmas tree. Heini got a branch which he broke off a tree and placed in a corner. With what should we decorate it? Marta had a hair ribbon from home. Heini hung a small matchbox and pulled a bit of padding from his coat which he placed on the branch. He was so proud. We sang Christmas carols and related how we used to set up plates on Christmas Eve and receive gifts. They had a lovely surprise however. On Christmas day we went to Aunt Tina, Netas sister. She was somewhat better off then we because she sewed for the Russians. She got flour from them to bake bread, so the chil¬ dren each got a slice of bread. It was somet