From Wealth to Faith
Ukraine in the reign of Stalin
Even while Stalin was starving millions of Ukrainians in the Holodomor, God was at work in the hearts of the people.
Hans Reimer was born in the early 1900s in Ukraine into a well-to-do German-Russian Mennonite farm family. Generations earlier, Mennonites had fled persecution in Germany and had found freedom in Ukraine. Through their industry and careful investments, they became wealthy farmers, owning huge tracts of land and employing many peasants. When Hans was 12-years old during the Russian Revolution, his father was arrested for “crimes” against the Soviet state, his mother died, and the Communist government confiscated all their property. In From Wealth to Faith by Mollie Zook, Reimer’s true story is retold: how he survived scarcity and near-starvation, how as an ethnic German he was forced to be constantly on the move and fearful of arrest, and how he spent years in prisons and labor camps. It also tells of his wife Netta and their daughter Lenchen who endure constant hunger and hard labor. Through their long journey of suffering and separation, they seek to know the God that the Soviets have forbidden, and in finding Him, they find inexplicable joy and peace. This account of the Holodomor and the fearful Stalin years in the Soviet Union will inform readers of Communism’s atrocities while encouraging them by God’s faithfulness and care for those who are seeking Him.
Another book by Mollie Zook, Dilek, relates the same story for younger readers and is written from the perspective of Hans’ and Netta’s daugher, who for some reason, in this book is called Dilek, not Lenchen (though the Spanish version of this book is called Lenchen). Dilek starts when Hans is already in prison and his daughter is 7-years old. Many of the incidents related in this book are different from the ones in From Wealth to Faith. Dilek is out of print and is a difficult book to find, but would be enjoyed by a good reader as young as second or third grade. Both Dilek and From Wealth to Faith would make good family read-aloud books; however, be prepared to shed a few tears! From Wealth to Faith is recommended reading for junior high and high school students, as well as adults.