In The Secret Place by Peter Van Woerden

Author:Peter Van Woerden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Borodino Books
Published: 2017-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

NINE

When our home address began to appear before the German authorities too frequently, it became necessary for me to seek refuge in other homes. During the war years, we referred to this act as “diving under.” A widespread organization took care of the transportation and the designation of places for the “divers.” Several members of my family were very active in this work. It was Uncle Herman, an innocent looking, cross-eyed gentleman whose abnormal stoutness gave him the nickname of “Samuel Pickwick,” who headed and supervised a great deal of this organization’s activities. Uncle Herman was a fine Christian man who waited in joyful anticipation for the second coming of Christ.

After several months of diving, I received an invitation from Pastor Vetter offering me a new place to stay. It was his desire that I come and share his apartment above the little church. In this way, I could remain close to my home and my family, as the church was in Haarlem. I gladly accepted. In this locale, I would be able to enjoy the fellowship of my many friends in the congregation once more, attend the meetings, and sit under the able teaching of my friend. In case of a “razzia,” I could hide in the spacious baptistry beneath the platform of the church.

Some of the most valuable moments and precious memories I have are connected with my stay during the following weeks and months in the little attic-room of Pastor Vetter’s apartment. This small space to which I was confined for months at a time became a blessed meeting place between me and the Most High.

Not too far from Pastor Vetter’s apartment lived my elderly grandfather. His home was behind and above his business establishment, a watchshop in the center of Haarlem. When I felt that I could no longer stand being cooped up, I would sneak out, cross a few small streets, and arrive at the back door of the shop. From time to time, when the night was dark enough to permit a safe venture into the streets, I would make my way home to the house for a short visit with my grandfather and my two aunts who lived with him. These were the only excursions I dared make from my hideout, and they certainly were unforgettable evenings.

There was always a joyful Christian atmosphere there. My grandfather was a fine gentleman whose first and foremost thought in his old age was to serve the Lord he loved so much. Exceptionally keen for his eighty-four years, he studied Hebrew and other languages, taking a vivid interest in world affairs, then compared the political developments with the prophecies found in the Bible. His was a fervent longing for the second coming of the Lord, especially as he watched the fulfillment of so many of the signs that we are told to look for in the Scriptures. One of those signs was the bitter persecution of the Jewish people, which later would result in their rapid migration to their own country Israel once again.

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