"Listen! Listen to stories! … stories convey the mystery and the miracle—the adventure—of being alive … .[stories] speak to the limits of our endeavor … suggest hope and, ultimately, the promise of our shared journey." - Ernest and Katherine Ketcham
Thomas "Toivi" Blatt, a Polish survivor of the WWII extermination camp Sobibor, recounted his experience to the auditorium filled with high school students -students the same age he was when he was imprisoned. With his heavy Polish accent, he relived the horror of facing death at a young age and the supernatural will to live that enabled him to fight against his captors during the most successful revolt and escape from any Nazi camp during WWII. The students sat in rapt attention, trying to absorb the fullness of Blatt's story. Two generations, cultures apart, engaged at the level of a deep human need—the need to be validated. There wasn't one teenager present that had been imprisoned in an extermination camp, but there were many held captive by drugs or alcohol, unhealthy relationships, abusive home situations, and/or loneliness. Blatt's story reached across the generations and spread a message of hope.
To encourage in each person the importance of remembering and the renewal of hope of a future with Christ, include the following question in every lesson:
In what ways has the lesson we discussed today impacted your life past or present?
Making this question a part of every lesson will provide an opportunity for each person to consistently share parts of their journey toward Christ and the challenges of walking with Him daily. The telling of stories, regardless of age or experience, invites validation and inspires hope.
