Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202127S
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00:01 Written Canada...
00:03 >> He said, "We may have to 00:04 amputate her leg because the 00:07 sores are so bad." 00:09 They came back and they shot 00:11 with their guns in the ceiling 00:13 and, of course, the girls 00:14 screamed. 00:15 Many times we would travel 00:17 30 kilometres a day. 00:19 Our heels would be full of 00:22 blisters and we just-- I asked 00:25 my mother at this time, I 00:26 said, "Mother, when is God 00:28 ever going to give us a home 00:30 again of our own?" 00:32 War cannot be explained, it 00:34 has to be experienced. 00:39 ♪♪ 01:20 >> Welcome to It Is Written 01:22 Canada. 01:23 Thank you for joining us. 01:24 Our special guest this week 01:26 again is Jacob Hiebert, a 01:28 successful businessman, 01:30 pastor, and administrator who 01:32 lived during World War II 01:34 under the rule of communism 01:35 when being a Christian 01:37 was illegal. 01:39 >> Though it was illegal to 01:40 practice Christianity, 01:42 that did not stop Jacob and 01:44 his family. 01:45 We are so excited for Jacob to 01:47 continue sharing his 01:50 miraculous story with us. 01:52 [MIKE] Jacob, it is so good to 01:54 have you back for our final 01:56 episode and thank you very 01:58 much for joining us again on 01:59 It Is Written Canada. 02:01 >> And I want to thank you for 02:02 having me on your program. 02:04 My sister decided one day, 02:06 she came from the field 02:08 at work and she said, 02:10 "Mother, today I'm gonna 02:12 write to Dad and Dad 02:14 is gonna write, too, we're 02:16 going to-- both letters will 02:18 arrive at the church 02:19 headquarters office in Berlin 02:21 and Dad will know where we are 02:22 and we're going to find 02:23 each other." 02:25 And my mother thought, 02:27 "Where did that enthusiasm 02:28 come from?" 02:30 So she did write the letter 02:32 and my father also wrote a 02:33 letter, both letters arrived, 02:36 one in the morning and the 02:37 other one in the afternoon at 02:39 our Berlin headquarters office. 02:42 And so now they decided, 02:45 "Well, these two must belong 02:47 to each other." 02:48 So they put my sister's letter 02:50 in my dad's letter and sent 02:51 that to him. 02:53 Now my dad knew where we were, 02:56 he knew about the town, that 02:58 was the good news. 02:59 The bad news was that my dad 03:01 found out later there were 03:02 several towns by that same 03:04 name in close proximity. 03:08 One county had the same name 03:10 as the other county. 03:12 So now he really didn't know 03:14 exactly where we were, he had 03:16 some idea, we were either at 03:17 this place or at the 03:18 other place. 03:20 At the same time, my dad was a 03:23 very strong man of faith and 03:25 of prayer and he made it a 03:27 matter of prayer that night 03:29 and he said, "Lord, I need to 03:31 find my family." 03:33 And so that night, as he went 03:35 to sleep, he had a dream and 03:39 he dreamt that he was among a 03:41 lot of people, they were 03:44 jostling back and forth and 03:47 the people were-- he was 03:48 asking, "Well, what's 03:50 happening?" 03:50 Where are we going?" 03:52 "We're going home!" 03:53 "Home?" 03:54 "Well," my father thought, 03:55 "that's where I want to go. 03:57 Where is home?" 03:58 So nothing more was said, 04:00 everybody went and they ended 04:02 up at the train station and 04:04 then everyone boarded the 04:06 train and they were all going 04:08 home, soldiers, all kinds of 04:10 soldiers, this was after the 04:11 war, they were there to find 04:13 their family. 04:15 And so in the dream, my father 04:17 also boarded the train, he 04:18 looked around, he saw what the 04:20 train cars were on one track 04:23 and on another and then the 04:27 train's whistle blew and off 04:29 they were. 04:30 After a while, the train 04:32 stopped briefly. 04:34 The train would frequently 04:36 stop to deliver mail and 04:38 packages and at that time 04:40 since there was no regular 04:43 mail delivery, the way that 04:46 mail was delivered was at the 04:47 train station, the post 04:52 master would get on a big 04:53 wagon that had the packages on 04:56 and he would shout out, 04:58 "Johnson, Franklin," all the 05:01 names like that and if the 05:03 people were there, they would 05:04 claim, "Yes, here," and they 05:06 would claim their mail. 05:08 So this is the way the mail 05:11 system worked at that time, 05:13 but of course my father didn't 05:15 see that part and he woke up. 05:17 And he thought, "Well, that's 05:18 an interesting dream." 05:20 And he was awake about five 05:22 minutes and he was tired, it 05:24 was quite late, and he fell 05:26 asleep again and he dreamt the 05:29 same dream exactly the 05:30 same way. 05:32 And then as he woke up, he 05:34 thought to himself, "What do 05:37 we find in the Bible of 05:38 someone dreaming a dream 05:40 twice, what does that mean?" 05:42 And he was so impressed, he 05:44 said, "If that dream is true, 05:46 I need to find my family and I 05:48 think I will be successful." 05:50 So in the morning, he 05:52 contacted his employer and he 05:54 said, "Look, I know you need 05:56 me for work here, but I need 05:58 to go and find my family." 06:00 And he made him promise that 06:02 if he went, he must bring his 06:03 family back and stay there. 06:06 Well, of course, my father had 06:07 other plans, he wanted to 06:09 cross the border. 06:10 So the next day my father 06:12 was off. 06:13 Where would he go? 06:15 Well, he was going toward the 06:17 train station, but as he 06:19 proceeded, there were a lot of 06:21 other people going to the 06:23 train station and he said, 06:24 "Where are you going?" 06:25 "Oh, we're all going home." 06:26 "Really," and my father 06:28 thought, "Where did I hear 06:29 that before?" 06:30 It was in his dream. 06:32 So he thought, "Well, if 06:34 that's part of the dream, 06:36 the rest will follow." 06:38 So when he went to the train 06:39 station, he recognized the 06:40 train station, the cars that 06:42 were there, in his dream and 06:45 so in short time he boarded 06:48 the train, the whistle blew, 06:49 and off they went. 06:52 And the train was very crowded 06:55 and it was not comfortable for 06:56 people, they could not sit, 06:58 they were just uncomfortable, 07:00 but everyone was happy to be 07:02 going home. 07:04 Presently, the train stopped 07:06 at a station and as my 07:09 father-- they said that they 07:11 would be there for a number of 07:14 minutes, I think close to half 07:15 an hour, and so they were told 07:18 that anyone that wants to get 07:20 off the train can stretch 07:21 their legs and have a 07:23 little rest. 07:24 So my father did the same. 07:26 He went out and then he 07:28 noticed on the second track 07:30 there was a train that had a 07:32 red car and he knew that he 07:35 had seen that in his dream 07:37 and he thought, "Well, isn't 07:39 that something, then I will 07:41 find my family." 07:42 But that's where the dream 07:44 stopped and he thought, 07:46 "Well, what do I do now? 07:48 Where do I go?" 07:50 Well, it just so happened that 07:51 that was one of the towns that 07:53 was in his dream. 07:55 And so as he wondered what he 07:57 should do next, he looked and 08:00 saw the mailman delivering 08:02 mail and the mailman would 08:04 lift his hand and have a 08:06 letter and say, "Johnson, 08:08 Johnson, Johnson," and the 08:10 response would be, "Here we 08:12 are, that's for us." 08:14 And then another one and 08:16 another one and then all of a 08:17 sudden, he couldn't believe 08:19 his ears, "Hiebert, Hiebert, 08:21 Hiebert!" 08:22 And he went forward and he 08:24 said to the mailman, 08:25 "That's me!" 08:27 The mailman looked at him, he 08:28 didn't know him, he knew us, 08:31 and so he said, "Oh, no, no, 08:32 that's not for you, that's for 08:34 a widow with three children." 08:36 And my dad said, "That's the 08:37 widow that I'm looking for, 08:39 too!" [chuckles] 08:41 So the news spread very 08:43 quickly. 08:44 That particular day my family 08:47 was quite discouraged because 08:50 there was no news from the 08:52 letters. 08:53 Now, the interesting thing was 08:55 that my father sent a letter 08:58 to my mother and that letter 09:03 was on the same train that he 09:05 was on. 09:06 And so when the mailman now 09:09 called out his name and he 09:12 finally realized that this was 09:14 part of the same family, he 09:17 gave it to my father and my 09:19 father ended up delivering his 09:21 own letter to us. 09:25 The news spread quite quickly 09:28 and we were living at that 09:30 time in a mansion. 09:32 Now, that sounds great during 09:34 the war, but it was a forsaken 09:37 mansion and we were there with 09:40 about 40 people so everyone 09:42 just had one room and so it 09:44 wasn't as glorious as it 09:46 sounds. 09:47 And so when the people heard 09:48 this, they quickly ran to 09:51 where we were and they said, 09:52 "Come quickly, there's a tall 09:54 man, he's looking for a widow 09:56 with three children." 09:58 And immediately my sister was 10:02 the first one to-- she just 10:04 ran to meet him and my mother 10:07 and the rest of us followed 10:10 and as my mother saw him, she 10:13 had always, you know how we 10:15 fantasize sometimes, she 10:18 fantasized that some day if 10:20 she would meet him again, she 10:22 would meet him in an ally were 10:24 there were trees and where he 10:26 would be coming and she would 10:29 recognize him and they'd be 10:30 reunited and she saw him and 10:33 she said, "That's my David." 10:36 What a reunion that was. 10:38 It's hard for me to tell it 10:40 because it's quite stirring. 10:43 My father having come from 10:45 this factory, he knew that we 10:47 would be poor and have nothing 10:50 and he brought with him dried 10:52 raisins, figs, apricots, dried 10:56 apples, he had a big backpack 10:58 on his back and we didn't know 11:02 what happened to us, he also 11:04 brought a few chocolates and 11:08 it was from famine to feast. 11:11 And so he stayed there with us 11:15 for a couple days and then he 11:17 took us back to the factory 11:19 where he was working and we 11:23 were getting then ready for 11:25 our final escape. 11:28 >> So, Jacob, what was it like 11:29 for your father, being a 11:30 photographer for the 11:32 Communist Party? 11:35 >> One Friday afternoon, a 11:37 Communist Party chief for that 11:39 office there came to our door 11:42 and he inquired, "Are you 11:44 Mr. Hiebert?" 11:45 My father said, "Yes." 11:47 And he said, "I understand 11:48 that you are a photographer." 11:50 "Yes, sir." 11:53 "I understand also that you 11:54 are one of the best 11:55 photographers here." 11:57 "I try to do my best," my 11:59 father responded. 12:00 "Well, and your best you shall 12:02 do because tomorrow morning," 12:04 which was Saturday, he 12:06 expected my father to work, he 12:08 said, "Tomorrow morning you 12:10 are to show up at the 12:11 Communist Party office. 12:13 Is that understood?" 12:15 My father wondered what he 12:17 should say and I believe God 12:20 gave him the right words, he 12:22 said, "You know, this is such 12:23 an important work, for such an 12:25 important work I usually 12:27 require a day of preparation" 12:30 >> So, Jacob, your dad is a 12:32 Seventh-day Adventist 12:33 Christian and so he wanted to 12:35 keep the Sabbath and it was 12:36 Friday afternoon when the 12:39 Communist Party leader came to 12:40 your dad and asked him to do 12:42 these photographs. 12:43 [JACOB] Yes. 12:45 The days of the week went on, 12:46 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 12:48 Thursday, and another Friday 12:50 and Sabbath was the next day 12:52 and we were wondering just 12:54 what would happen now? 12:56 My father couldn't use the 12:57 excuse of a preparation day 12:59 again so my father decided 13:02 that there was no way that he 13:05 was going to work, but how did 13:08 the Lord-- would the Lord help 13:10 us or hear us? 13:12 We did not know. 13:14 So he came home, kept the 13:16 Sabbath, and Sunday morning he 13:18 went to work. 13:20 As he came to work on Sunday 13:22 morning, the party chief also 13:26 came a little bit later and 13:28 usually my dad had to come 13:30 early hours and the party 13:31 chief had more or less banking 13:33 hours, but before that, he had 13:37 told my dad, gave him an 13:39 orientation, he said, "I want 13:41 you to work in this room." 13:44 Now, it was a room off the 13:45 hallway, three sides of that 13:48 room were windows. 13:51 It was-- my father had to do 13:53 black and white photography 13:56 and he had to touch up a lot 13:58 of the pictures with oil 14:01 pencil crayons because that 14:03 was a time before the coloured 14:06 photos and it was also a work 14:10 that needed a lot of light. 14:11 That's why he was given that 14:13 room with the windows and it 14:15 was before the fluorescent 14:17 lights were invented and so it 14:20 was very important that he 14:22 would have sufficient light. 14:24 The party chief also told him, 14:27 "Now, look, we have given you 14:30 quite a bit of equipment to 14:31 work with, paper and glass and 14:34 pencil crayons and cameras, 14:38 tripods, all of that, everyday 14:41 when you go home, we want you 14:43 to put all of that away. 14:44 Everything has a place and 14:46 everything in its place. 14:47 Is that understood?" 14:48 "Yes, sir." 14:50 "And I want you to know that 14:51 only you and I have keys to 14:54 that room so when you leave at 14:57 any time, during the day or in 14:59 the evening to go home, you 15:01 need to lock the door. 15:02 Is that understood?" 15:03 "Yes, sir," said my father. 15:05 So having those instructions 15:07 and now having kept one 15:10 Sabbath, we were wondering 15:12 what would happen for Sabbath 15:14 number two. 15:15 Of course they ventured no 15:18 help and on Sunday morning my 15:21 father went to work not 15:22 knowing what to expect. 15:25 And his motto was, "Never 15:27 answer a question that you're 15:28 not asked." 15:30 And that certainly saved him 15:32 from any embarrassing 15:33 situations and trying times. 15:36 And so as he came to work this 15:39 day, he went down his hallway 15:42 to his office door, unlocked 15:44 the door, opened everything, 15:48 put the equipment in the room 15:50 ready for him to work. 15:53 And he proceeded in that way 15:54 until the Communist Party 15:56 chief came by, he was a little 15:58 bit late and he came by in a 15:59 hurry down the hall and 16:02 retraced his step and said, 16:03 "Mr. Hiebert, yesterday you 16:05 were not there. 16:06 It was probably too dark for 16:08 you to work." 16:10 And my father said, "Yes, sir." 16:12 But he thought, "What is he 16:13 talking about, 'too dark to 16:14 work?'" 16:16 And all of a sudden he 16:18 realized that that particular 16:20 Sabbath it was raining, heavy 16:24 rains and dark clouds and, not 16:27 seeing my father at work, the 16:29 officer thought to himself, 16:31 "Oh, I told him that he had to 16:33 do excellent work and it was 16:35 too dark so he was not here." 16:37 And so it was Sabbath number 16:41 two was the dark day. 16:44 Now, of course, we were 16:46 wondering, "OK, could we 16:47 escape that week?" 16:50 But the battle was in such a 16:52 way that the heaviest fighting 16:55 was exactly in the corridor 16:57 where we had to escape and so 16:59 we knew that that was sure 17:01 suicide. 17:02 So one day to the next and 17:05 another Friday came along and 17:07 my father said, "Lord, I need 17:09 another miracle." 17:11 And so that day he was 17:15 wondering what he should do, 17:17 but he obeyed and put 17:18 everything away, everything in 17:20 its place, he locked the door 17:24 and was ready to come home and 17:27 that night the party chief was 17:29 there a little bit later and 17:31 he said, "Oh, Mr. Hiebert, 17:32 tomorrow is a very special day." 17:36 And my father agreed, tomorrow 17:37 was the Sabbath, but that's 17:39 not what the Communist Party 17:40 chief had in mind. 17:42 He said, "Tomorrow is a very 17:44 special day, it's a secret 17:45 Communist Party meeting in 17:47 this building and we want no 17:48 one here, including you. 17:50 Is that understood?" 17:51 "Yes, sir," said my father and 17:54 with that he was so excited. 17:56 Sabbath number three was the 17:58 Communist Party meeting. 18:02 So again, this time we had the 18:04 blessing of the communist 18:05 chief to keep the Sabbath 18:08 while he just didn't know it. 18:09 >> What if he asked the 18:11 Communist Party chief, "Can I 18:13 keep the Sabbath?" 18:14 >> He would have been 18:16 immediately either sent to 18:17 Siberia or shot on the spot. 18:20 >> What if they found out that 18:22 he was keeping the Sabbath? 18:23 >> Same thing. 18:24 [MIKE] Same thing? 18:26 >> Yes. 18:26 So there was no possibility of 18:29 even requesting it. 18:30 We knew what the answer 18:32 would be. 18:33 [MIKE] Your story reminds me of 18:36 a song that was written by one 18:37 of our students, his name is 18:39 Ben, and it was about the 18:41 apostle Paul's words where he 18:42 said, "I have fought a good 18:44 fight, I have finished the 18:46 race, I have kept the faith." 18:48 ♪♪ 18:56 ♪Suddenly it dawned upon me 18:59 ♪that this road I travel on 19:02 ♪Is a pathway un-returning 19:05 ♪that my life will soon 19:08 ♪be gone 19:09 ♪Yet even now 19:11 ♪as I'm held captive 19:13 ♪Christ's name I only praise 19:16 ♪These trials I'm facing 19:19 ♪last but a few days 19:23 ♪For I know 19:25 ♪I fought a good fight 19:27 ♪And I know that 19:29 ♪I've kept the faith 19:31 ♪Even though 19:32 ♪my destruction is at hand 19:37 ♪I can sing because I see 19:41 ♪the truth has set me free 19:44 ♪And I know I will 19:47 ♪live with Him one day 19:51 ♪eternally 19:56 ♪♪ 20:03 ♪Even though it all 20:05 ♪seems hopeless 20:06 ♪Even though I'm 20:08 ♪tightly bound 20:10 ♪I am strengthened 20:11 ♪my mind is free 20:13 ♪I know I am heaven bound 20:17 ♪For I know 20:19 ♪I fought a good fight 20:20 ♪And I know 20:22 ♪I've kept the faith 20:24 ♪Even though 20:26 ♪my destruction is at hand 20:30 ♪I can sing because I see 20:34 ♪the truth has set me free 20:37 ♪And I know I will 20:40 ♪live with Him one day 20:44 ♪eternally 20:51 ♪When Jesus comes again 20:54 ♪One bright and shining day 20:57 ♪He'll take me by the hand 21:01 ♪and I know I'll 21:02 ♪hear Him say 21:05 ♪♪ 21:09 ♪Welcome home 21:11 ♪my precious child 21:13 ♪Welcome home 21:14 ♪my beloved friend 21:16 ♪Even though the darkness 21:19 ♪often seems too great 21:23 ♪I rejoice because 21:25 ♪you've proved 21:27 ♪that you are strong and true 21:30 ♪So come, enter in 21:33 ♪and live with Me 21:41 ♪eternally 21:56 >> Ben was walking along the 21:57 Appian Way which, of course, 21:59 is the road where the apostle 22:02 Paul was walking along as he 22:05 was on his way to Rome 22:08 and to prison. 22:10 And although he was a 22:11 prisoner, he was free. 22:15 Very much like Jacob Hiebert 22:17 and his family. 22:19 They were free even though 22:21 they were refugees and 22:23 prisoners within a 22:28 war situation. 22:30 And so what a miraculous story 22:32 listening to you, Jacob, and 22:35 continuing with your story. 22:37 Thank you for sharing so much 22:39 with us. 22:40 >> Jacob, can you tell us how 22:42 your life experiences affected 22:44 your relationship with God? 22:48 >> It-- I was-- I feel I have 22:50 never been the same 22:51 since then. 22:53 We saw God's leading so many 22:54 times, we trusted Him fully 22:57 and He never let us down. 22:59 It doesn't mean that 23:01 everything went smoothly in 23:03 our life, but God was there to 23:05 watch over us and to 23:07 protect us. 23:09 And the one time, I remember, 23:11 my father wanted to know, what 23:13 was the situation in the 23:14 world, where do we stand as 23:17 far as the war is concerned 23:19 and at that time he decided he 23:21 would go to the marketplace. 23:23 At that time, the marketplace 23:24 was basically where everything 23:27 happened. 23:28 And so as he went to the 23:30 marketplace and milled around 23:32 a little bit, his eyes fell on 23:35 a news paper and it had big 23:37 letters, the heading was, 23:39 "Russia Has Religious Freedom." 23:41 And he thought, "Well, that is 23:43 tremendous!" 23:44 And so he bought the paper, 23:47 put it in his pocket, and came 23:49 home and he said, "Now we're 23:50 going to keep the Sabbath with 23:53 the communist's blessing." 23:56 Well, as we kept the Sabbath, 23:58 of course, we enjoyed the 24:00 Sabbath, but the next day 24:02 there was a knock on our door 24:04 and an officer was there from 24:06 the Communist Party and he 24:08 said, "Am I correct in saying 24:10 that there was a worship 24:12 service being held here 24:13 yesterday?" 24:15 "Yes, sir," said my father. 24:17 "What? You're not afraid to 24:18 say that?" 24:20 "No," my father said and 24:21 handed him the paper. 24:24 He took the paper and he said, 24:26 "This we have written for 24:28 them, the rest of the world, 24:30 but you should have known 24:32 better." 24:33 Now we realized that all that 24:35 was propaganda and we did not 24:37 have religious freedom after 24:38 all, but God still took care 24:40 of us. 24:42 [MIKE] And all of this was 24:44 happening for you because you 24:45 trusted God's word, you 24:47 trusted the Bible. 24:48 [JACOB] Yes. 24:49 >> Is there a favourite Bible 24:51 verse for you particularly. 24:53 >> Yes, there certainly is. 24:54 Joshua 1, verse 9. 25:08 >> And why is that your 25:09 favourite Bible verse? 25:11 [JACOB] Because we experienced 25:12 that very thing. 25:14 God was with us wherever we 25:16 went, we did not have pie and 25:19 ice cream everyday, but we 25:22 were sustained and we thank 25:23 the Lord for it. 25:25 Because of these experiences, 25:27 I have learned to appreciate 25:29 the simpler things of life 25:30 today. 25:32 So many times we take a lot of 25:33 blessings that we have for 25:35 granted, but we need to 25:37 realize that God is there 25:39 with us all the time. 25:41 He is more concerned about us 25:43 than parents are for their 25:45 children. 25:46 >> God really does love us and 25:48 I thank you for sharing your 25:50 journey with us on It Is 25:52 Written Canada and I wonder, 25:53 Jacob, if you could finish 25:55 with a word of prayer for us. 25:58 >> Yes, I would be happy to. 26:00 Our dear gracious heavenly 26:02 Father, we do thank Thee so 26:03 much that we are serving such 26:05 a powerful God who cares more 26:07 for His children than we as 26:09 earthly parents can know. 26:11 We thank Thee for watching 26:13 over us and, Lord, half the 26:15 time we may not know when Thou 26:18 hast protected us and where 26:20 Thou has kept us from all harm 26:22 and danger. 26:23 And I pray, Lord, that as 26:25 these experiences are viewed 26:28 and as people listen to my 26:30 story, that they may be drawn 26:33 closer to You, not to me the 26:35 story-teller, but, Lord, for 26:37 You, the Great Miracle Worker. 26:39 Be with It Is Written Canada 26:42 and, Lord, as the ministry 26:45 goes on, we long for the day 26:47 when Jesus will come and say, 26:49 "Well done thou good and 26:50 faithful servant." 26:52 We pray all these blessings in 26:53 Jesus' name, amen. 26:55 >> Amen. 26:58 >> Jacob, thank you so much 27:00 for joining us on It Is 27:01 Written Canada and for sharing 27:03 your life experience, a story 27:07 filled with miracles, and we 27:10 are so honoured to have you on 27:12 our program. 27:13 >> It's been my privilege. 27:17 >> Friends, our free offer 27:19 today was written by Pastor 27:21 Jacob Hiebert. 27:22 It is his story entitled, 27:24 Freedom's Journey. 27:26 This book details the full 27:28 story of how Jacob and his 27:31 family were determined to 27:33 follow God no matter what. 27:35 >> Their heart-stopping 27:37 journey displays the signs of 27:38 God's hand leading His 27:41 children in such a 27:42 faith-building story. 27:46 Freedom's Journey reveals how 27:48 we serve a great God who is 27:50 able to lead you, too, when 27:52 you put your trust in Him. 27:56 >> We want you to experience 27:58 the truth that is found in the 28:00 words of Jesus when He said, 28:02 "It is written, 'Man shall not 28:04 live by bread alone, but by 28:06 every word that proceeds out 28:08 of the mouth of God.'" 28:10 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-04-07