By Melody J. Wachsmuth
One Tuesday of the IAMS conference, the day was devoted to what was called "Exposure Trips". I participated in the one entitled "Christianity under an Ideology", which essentially wanted to help us understand the Church’s experience during decades of a Totalitarian regime. It was both an intellectually stimulating and spiritually impacting day. First, we went to see the House of Terror: both the Nazis and Communists used this house as a detention center and torture place for "enemies of the state". Next, we went to hear the testimony and reflections from four church leaders, representing various Christian streams in Hungary: Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and Baptist. I was most moved by the Benedictine man who served 10 years in the Gulag, and I feel compelled to share the highlights of his story.
Father Oloffson's words stirred me deeply, not just because of his story, but also from the quiet power that emanates from words forged during a crucible of suffering. I scribbled furiously as he spoke, trying to capture the words themselves, but being conscious that I could not capture his fiery spirit that exploded from his body in animated gestures and through his loud, passionately expressive voice. In fact, although he was 92 years old, the best word to describe his demeanor is LIFE: he radiated a full and joyous life.
Shortly before Father Oloffson was sentenced to the Gulag, God gave him a special experience by which He revealed his assignment in the Gulag: to encourage his fellow prisoners. "We were not heroes", he claims, "but we wanted to survive the hell, because it was hell.” To do this, he and some others came up with four rules that enabled their survival over the next 10 years of grueling manual labor in the harsh Siberian climate.
First, he insisted that they should not dramatize suffering, because it only makes one weaker. Instead, anyone who began complaining would have to start recounting his former occupation to his fellow prisoners.
Next, he claimed that they should not go looking for suffering, as it would come regardless, but rather they should be searching for the little joyous moments of life. In fact, they went so far in this as to have the "pieces of joy Olympics". At the end of a day, they would compare who had found the most moments of joy and the two highest would compete the next day. The final winner would have his favorite song sung to him by the others.
Thirdly, he stated that at the right moments, one should boost one’s self esteem by proving oneself better than one’s captors and oppressors.
Finally, he attested that if one who has someone to hold onto, the easier it is to survive suffering. He profoundly said: “We believers cling to the Lord, and we discover that He wants our survival.”
Although not all the group of 26 Hungarians were believers before this experience, they all survived and are all now believers. From stories like this, I always ask myself what sort of Christian I would be when confronted with impossible circumstances. Would I be able to follow the suffering Christ down such a narrow road? Would I have been able, through God’s grace, to take a special assignment in the Gulag and carry it out faithfully during 10 years of hell? It is difficult for a white American such as myself to really understand such a regime and its terrible consequences, so I welcomed this opportunity to learn from such people who are so rich in wisdom and humility. I close with a last quote from Father Oloffson:
"Why am I so happy? Because I am a child of the gospel. And that was my task, to bring this happiness into that situation.”
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