the brothers, clearly indicating Jehovah’s protection and angelic help.

Sister Kornelius from Marktredwitz tells an experience: “One day another policeman appeared to make a search. We had several publications in the house, including several mimeographed Watchtowers. At the moment, I saw no other possibility than to stick them all into an empty coffee pot, which just happened to be standing on the table. After their looking through everything, it was only a matter of time before this hiding place would be found. Just at that moment my fleshly sister unexpectedly dropped into the apartment. Without any preliminaries I said to her, ‘Here, take your coffee along with you.’ She looked a little startled at first, understood what I meant, however, and left at once, taking the coffee pot along. The literature was out of danger and the officials had not noticed that they had been outwitted.”

Amusing is the story that Brother and Sister Kornelius tell about their five-year-old son Siegfried, who at the time had no difficulties with the “German greeting” and similar things because he was not yet of school age. But since his parents were raising him in the truth, he knew that his parents’ literature, which they always hid after reading, was very important and that the Gestapo was not to be allowed to find it. One day when he saw two officials coming through the yard to his parents’ place, he immediately realized they would be looking for hidden literature and at once knew what he should do to prevent them from finding anything. Although not yet of school age, he grabbed his older brother’s schoolbag, emptied everything out and stuffed all the literature into it. He hung the bag on his back and went out onto the street with it. There he waited until the officials left, after making an unsuccessful search. Afterward he returned to the house and rehid the literature where he had found it.

Part 2​—Germany

“SHEEP” ARE FOUND IN PRISON

The brothers contacted persons of all kinds while in prison and naturally, as far as possible, told them about their hope. How great their joy when one of their fellow prisoners accepted the truth! Willi Lehmbecker tells us of such an experience. He was incarcerated with a number of other prisoners in a room where smoking was allowed:

“My bunk was above, but the prisoner who slept below me smoked so much I could scarcely breathe. While all the others were asleep I was able to witness to him from the Bible about God’s purpose for mankind. I found him to be an attentive listener. This young man was active in politics and had been taken into custody for distributing illegal magazines. We promised each other that, once we were free again, if still alive, we would try to visit each other. But it turned out differently. In 1948 I met him again at one of our circuit assemblies. He recognized me at once, greeted me joyfully and then told me his story. After serving his time and being released, he had been drafted into the military and served at the front in Russia. Here he had an opportunity to think over all the things I had told him. . . . Finally he said to me: ‘Today I became your brother.’ Can you imagine how moved I was and how I rejoiced?”

Hermann Schlömer had a similar experience. It was likewise at a circuit assembly where a brother approached him and asked: “Do you recognize me?” Brother Schlömer answered: “Your face is familiar, but I don’t know who you are.” The brother then introduced himself as having been the prison guard in charge of Brother Schlömer in the Frankfurt-Preungesheim prison during his five-year prison term there. Brother Schlömer had told the guard a great many things about the truth. He had also asked him for a Bible, which the prison clergyman had refused to get for him. The prison guard was humane and obtained a Bible for Brother Schlömer. So that he would have something to do in solitary confinement he also brought him the family stockings for mending. Yes, Brother Schlömer really had cause for rejoicing, realizing that in this case Jehovah’s word had fallen on fertile soil.

SPIRITUAL FOOD BECOMES SCARCE

The spiritual menu in Germany continued to shrink. How dangerous it was for individuals, as well as groups, when they lost contact with the organization and no longer had an opportunity to obtain spiritual food, is reported on by Heinrich Vieker:

“When the Nazis seized power, we were between thirty and forty publishers in our congregation. The challenging position taken by this system soon caused many brothers to ‘move over into the shade,’ thus becoming inactive, about half of the publishers no longer making an appearance. This meant we had to be very careful in dealing with those who had drawn away, greeting them when we would meet, but not supplying them with magazines when available. During a discussion, we once discovered that all the brothers, with the exception of about fourteen, had voted in an election held.”

Naturally there was the danger that some brothers would be deprived of spiritual food simply because of