LIFE STORY/A PRIVILEGED SHARE IN POSTWAR EXPANSION

Applying Instructions to Branches

When I arrived in Wiesbaden, Germany, in July 1949, many German cities were still in ruins. Those taking the lead in the preaching work were men who had been persecuted from the time Hitler took power in 1933.  Some had been in prisons and concentration camps for eight to ten years or more!  I worked with such servants for three and a half years.  Their unique example reminds me of a comment by the German historian Gabriele Yonan, who wrote:  "Without the example of this steadfast Christian group under the National Socialist dictatorship, we would-after Auschwitz and the Holocaust-have no doubt whether it was possible at all to fulfill the Christian teachings off Jesus." 

My job in the branch was the same as it had been in Denmark: to introduce a new, uniform way of handling organizational matters. As soon as the German brothers understood that the adjustments were in no way a criticism of their work-but that the time had come for closer cooperation between the various  branches and headquarters-they were enthused and filled a fine spirit  of cooperation.  

In 1952, a letter arrived from Brother Knorr's office, directing me to move to the branch in Bern, Switzerland. I was assigned to serve as branch  overseer there, beginning January 1, 1953. 

Next time: LIFE STORY/A PRIVILEGED SHARE IN POSTWAR EXPANSION - New Joys in Switzerland

From the Watchtower magazine, 2002