Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Early arrivals to breakfast were able to watch JD, the stork, unabashedly preen itself on the rooftop of our lodging. After breakfast we headed to the Stutthof concentration camp. Though smaller than some other camps, Stutthof is significant for being the longest operating concentration camp in Poland. It opened the day after World War II began and continued until the spring of 1945. About half who entered this camp died from starvation, disease, physical exhaustion, or murder. The gate to the camp was infamously called the “death gate.” It was said that the only way to leave the camp after passing this gate was through the chimney of the crematorium.
The site of the camp is now peaceful. It is hard to imagine the cruelty and suffering that happened in the buildings and on the ground where we were walking less than 70 years ago. Yet being in that place did help me imagine the sights, sounds, and smells which must have accompanied that awful place. Many innocent people must have prayed, “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me home, help me stand.”
Our guide did a great job of highlighting important points without getting bogged down in details. As a result, we left the camp an hour early than planned. We decided to use the time to drive to the nearby Baltic Sea and get our feet wet. After drying and cleaning our feet of sand, we headed back to our lodging. We made a planned stop at a 200 year old refurbished house which was similar in style to those Mennonite lived in during the 1800’s. The stop included a snack and a chance to watch firemen exterminate a bee’s nest in a tree.
Our evening program was held in a cultural center near our lodging. The lighting in the center was a problem. Only 20% of the bulbs in the room worked. The stage was lit with blinding spotlights. Prep time was used trying to decide where to stand and how bright to make the spotlights so we could read our music but not be blinded. The situation was not ideal. Nevertheless, the program went exceptionally well! Though we could not see them well, the audience seemed very engaged. The audience included some folks we got to know such as our hosts from the farmstead where we lodged and our guide at the concentration camp. Seconds after singing “Shalom,” the audience broke into synchronized applause. We ended by singing both of our prepared encores.
We ended the day with pickle pizza back at the farmstead.
-Nolan Martin