Elder Schuetze

Elder Schuetze

From left: Elder Kleijweg and wife (temple pres), Pres Poznanski and wife(mission pres)

Elder Schuetze and Tom and I.

. He was fabulous. A real treat to host him for the week-end. He is 70 years old and has the energy of a 50 year old. He grew up in Eastern Germany, just he and his mother. When he was 4 years old the Russians came through and kicked them out and said they were going to make (Germany) part of Poland. The Russians threw all their belongings in the river and told them to get out. So they walked to his grandparents house which took them 3 days. There they met the church. So many Germans had lost family members during the war that they were very receptive to the plan of salvation. When they heard the plan they all joined. Their previous minister had taught that there was no hope of seeing family members again, so the plan of salvation truly was their plan of happiness.

The grandfather in order to feed the family became a baker so there would always be bread in the house and they wouldn't starve.

Growing up he spent 40 years in communist East Germany as a member of the church, which meant you couldn't get a job, it was the end of your career. Really hard to find a job.

He met his wife at university. Her father had graduated from college and he couldn't find a job. The German secret police got him a job. They took such good care of him that he lost perspective and joined the dreaded gestapo because he was so loyal to them for finding him a job. The family was embarrassed and were actually relieved when he died in the bombing of Berlin.

Bro Schuetze and his wife, when they were single adults both got into West Berlin for a church activity. He said they realized they were 'free'. They thought about just staying but his wife(girlfriend at the time) said, 'don't you have a church calling?' 'yes' So they went back to Leipzig for the church calling!

Sad story: He was married to his wife for 34 years. He came home from a church assignment and she and their son picked him up from the airport. They spotted a traveler on the road needing assistance. They stopped to help. His wife, rather than staying with the car, got out and was hit by another car and killed.