Remember the fallen
John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Every day should be a time of remembrance and gratitude for the sacrifice Christ made for us. He ransomed his own life so we might live. This weekend we recognize another kind of sacrifice. One that is hard for many to comprehend: the sacrifice of soldiers' lives for the sake of our freedom. Memorial Day was created as an occasion to honor those who have paid the ultimate price to ensure that freedom.
We are blessed to live in a country where our freedom is a way of life. Many people around the world can't imagine the concept and desperately yearn for it. Unfortunately, it can also be taken for granted.
I have not lost someone in battle, and I have not served to protect our freedom, but I have experienced in a small way what it’s like not to have that blessing. Of course, my experience can’t compare to the price our soldiers have paid.
When I was in high school, I was an ambassador for People-to-People International. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created the foundation to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural, and humanitarian activities. Each summer, groups from across the United States are sent to different parts of the world to advance the vision of President Eisenhower.
I traveled through Europe for six weeks during the Cold War experiencing home life with families from eight different countries. One of the homestays was in Berlin, Germany. They were so loving and excited to share all the positives their beautiful city and country had to offer. That week, we were able to travel all over the city without a care. Then it was time for our prearranged day trip to East Berlin, and that freedom was gone. We weren't allowed to leave the bus, and even while on the bus, we were required to be silent and look forward the entire time. It was a surreal experience witnessing how good and evil were divided by a wall.
My mind and heart went back to East Berlin when we visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. with our high school seniors during our trip to the International Justice Mission’s Prayer Gathering. When I saw the piles and piles of shoes, especially those of the children collected from the gas chambers, it broke my heart. All I could think about was if the little girls from my Germany homestay were born a few years earlier, it could have been them.
For one of the six weeks, we were issued a special visa for travel to Russia. We weren’t allowed homestays, so hotel accommodations were made in Leningrad and Moscow. As Communism began to collapse, Leningrad changed its name back to St. Petersburg to abandon the legacy of the Russian revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin. One of our tours included a visit to Red Square in Moscow to observe Lenin’s body which has been on public display since 1924.
Moscow was a beautiful city, but men stood armed and ready for whatever appeared out of the ordinary wherever we went. We happened to be in Moscow on July 4, and being teenagers, we wanted to celebrate the freedom we knew in the United States. Singing “God Bless America” and waving our flag to celebrate our country’s birth was shut down immediately. Needless to say, our actions did not advance President Eisenhower's vision for relations between the United States and Russia. We were asked to leave the next day. The demand to depart Russia so abruptly was an invaluable lesson for our group in understanding how fortunate we are to live in America.
Thankfully, the Berlin Wall has been torn down, and Communism no longer exists in East Berlin and Russia, but way too many lives were lost during the time their freedom was only a dream. Returning home and landing in the United States was an emotion I won't forget. Understanding the sacrifices made for our freedom should never be taken for granted. We are a very blessed nation.
This Memorial Day, make time for barbecues, camping, and opening the pool but don’t forget the true meaning for the weekend. The ability to live freely is only possible because of the men and women who sacrificed their lives and paid the ultimate price for each one of us. It makes me sad that we are divided as a country, and I acknowledge that the United States has its struggles but let’s not forgot we are still the land of the free, home of the brave.
Blessings.
Peggy Zumhofe
Executive Pastor
