Team assignment: Fountain of Tears, Birkenau

Review

I’m back from Poland after two weeks of intensive work on the volunteer housing at Fountain of Tears. Together with Rick, I was able to complete the drywall installation, including the insulation and the drywall panels. We also built a staircase and two beds, and installed a window and a door. André Unger from Sosa, a drywall professional, made some touch-ups and then smoothed all the walls with spackle. Klaus Döhler from Sosa polished the “Four Winds” sculpture group. Together with Mark and Cathy, and a group led by Martin and Ines Fritzsch, we enjoyed powerful times of worship and fellowship. Dafna blessed us with her culinary skills. Cody also joined us from the USA to cast his own sculptures in bronze. This time, on Sundays, I was able to explore the surroundings of Oswiecim—characterized by many lakes and meadows—by bicycle. How could our ancestors have desecrated this beautiful landscape along with Auschwitz!? All in all, it was a blessed time that more than fulfilled my expectations.

Manfred Hoffmann