Boe - Out of the Holocaust

O UT OF THE

H OLOCAUST

O UT OF THE

H OLOCAUST

Peter Volodja Boe

2018 Peter Volodja Boe

Out of the Holocaust

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018953407

ISBN 978-1-595559005 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-595559043 (Hardbound)

ISBN 978-1-595559104 (eBook)

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World War II Refugee

For in Him we live and move and have our being.

(A CTS 17:28, NKJV)

D EDICATION

T o my wife, Betty

To our four children and their spousesNathan and Ruth, Sarah, Justin and Michelle, and Steven and Dana

To our twelve grandchildrenEthan, Annabelle, David, Claire, Peter, Jeremiah, Gabriella, Brayden, Isabella, Leighann, Landon, and Lawson

To the family members of my late brother, Tomhis wife, Roxanna, and their childrenLisa and Tom Bensen (and their children: Andrew, Joshua, and Katelin); Chris and Mia Boe (and their children: Nicholas and Maria); Daniel and Brenda Boe (and their children: Tommy, twins Charlie and Max, and Brisbin); Benjamin; and Valerie and Jerad Huepenbecker (and their children: Kade, William, and Eli)

To my adoptive parents, Victor and Hilda Boe

To the caregivers at the Baldone Childrens Home in the southeastern part of Latvia

To Rose Briede Austrums, who came to the States in the 1950s and married our teacher, Bernards Austrums; Rose was the primary spokesperson on our behalf, and she kept in touch with some of the children through the years.

To the four other women who heroically accompanied us from Latvia to Germany and saw to it that we were fed, clothed, properly sheltered against the elements, and protected from disease, harm, and danger. They always found a way for us, even though there were no guaranteed sources of food, water, or medicine. These four women were Janna Kurmtis, Alma Meaks, Smaida Aenieks, and Alma Rva.

To Jnis Meaks, one of our teachers in Germany, and a longtime resident of Canada who now lives in Latvia

To my fellow brethrenmissionaries from Denmark and the USAamong whom I served in Nigeria and West Africa, including my former students (19651971)

To Lloyd Hildebrand, editorial consultant; his literary, editorial, and publication skills have been an invaluable asset in the compilation and publication of this book.

To so many others who played crucial roles in my development after I was severed from my biological parents in southeastern Latvia, bordering on Belarus

To Kathleen Yeats, a young British woman who paid several visits to our Rohlsdorf home as a Sunday school teacher; she was the first person who introduced Jesus to us through pictures, songs, and her godly example.

C ONTENTS

T hroughout the eighty years of my life God has been truly good to me. He has blessed me beyond measure, and I thank Him for everything He has done for me, within me, and through me. Without Him, I can do nothing, but through Him I can do all things. (See John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13.)

This book represents a portion of what Ive learned during my eight decades of life, which likely began in Belarus or nearby Latvia. My brother, Thomas Christopher (aka Tolja Sinegins), and I (aka Volodja Sinegins) were considered to be orphans. My mother, who was dying, had surrendered us because she could no longer take care of us.

We were first placed in the Baldone Childrens Home, which was located about twenty-one miles southeast of the capital city of Latvia, Rga. Later in 1944, we were taken to Germany and I remember very vividly the fears we experienced as we heard bombs exploding and saw troops marching nearby. The horrors of the war were very real to us.

Faithful people took care of us and protected us as we traveled from Latvia to Germany. It was a very frightening time for usa time when we knew very little about the world around us and the terrible things that were happening in Europe and elsewhere.

The severance from my biological ties opened the door for me to be assimilated into the larger, extended family of humankind, and it prompted me to search for my true identity. I believe we are all searching for our origins, and that is especially true when we no longer have a record of our biological roots, which was the case with me and my brother. The name and location of our birthplace, as well as the why, how, and when concerning the same, are all unknown due to the loss or destruction of those records during World War II.

Hence, my search for my personal identity began, and it culminated many years later in Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. (See John 14:6.) No one can come to the Father except by Him.

Thanks to the help of Rose Austrums and four other service workers, Tom and I, along with 128 other children, were well cared for while we remained in Germany (throughout the Holocaust) until 1950, when my brother and I were adopted by an American couple, Pastor Victor C. Boe and his wife, Hilda Groberg Boe.

Now you know a little bit about me and my identity. In all likelihood, I have a Belarussian Jewish background. (This is based on a study of my DNA that was done in 2007.) I am a Lutheran pastor, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a writer, and a teacher. For some years (19651971) I served as a missionary in Nigeria, West Africamostly in the Numan community. But the most important part of my identity is the knowledge that I am a Christian who is rooted and grounded in Christ and His way.

God has created us in His image. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. He is in the process of conforming us into the very image of Christ. This is our destiny as Christians, and what an exciting destiny it is.

Christ within us is the hope of glory, and He enables us to know who we are in Him. There is such a vast difference between believing in Him and actually knowing Him, as the following Scripture reveals:

and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection.

(P HILIPPIANS 3:910, NKJV)