Barriers Come Down - November 9, 1989

November 9, 2019 makes the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.   Many German people including Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said that they never thought it would happen in their lifetime.

Photo courtesy of dv.com 

 The wall was built to close off access to West Germany.  This was because so many people were crossing the border from the East to West Germany daily (an average of 2,000).  The loss was devastating to the East German economy.  To stop the exodus, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev recommended that East Germany close off the access to West Germany.   On Sunday, August 13, 1961, 30 miles of barbed wire was laid through the heart of Berlin.  Stores and business are closed on Sundays in Germany.  It is a day for everyone to spend the day with their families. East Berliners were forbidden to pass into West Berlin.  On August 15th the border of barbed wire to West Berlin was replaced by a wall of concrete slabs and hollow blocks.  It was built by East Berlin construction workers under close supervision of the border guards.  Those people whose homes were along the border were evicted, ground floor windows and front entrances were bricked up.  The barriers were modified and expanded over the years.  The wall divided friends, families and loved ones, making people lose their jobs and more if they were trapped on the wrong side.   The wall stretched 28 miles through Berlin.  About 5,000 East Germans were able to escape across the wall to the West, but over 191 were killed.  There have been many movies and stories about the escape of some of those people.  There is a museum in Berlin today telling these stories.  It is amazing what one will do to have freedom.

On the evening of November 9, 1989, East Germany announced an easing of travel restrictions to the West.  Thousands insisted on passage through the Berlin Wall.  The border guards opened the borders - Berliners climbed on top of the Berlin Wall, cheered and painted graffiti on it.  The next day East German troops began to dismantle the wall.  On November 3, 1990, East and West Germany were united again.  In Germany it is called Unity Day.  It is a holiday, just like the 4th of July is in America.

Photo courtesy of Telegraph, UK

We grew up during the time of the Berlin Wall.  We were in junior high and high school when it was built.  We remember the morning we heard on NPR (National Public Radio) the fall of the Wall.

We had the opportunity to visit Berlin in August of this year.  Below are some of those pictures.  We have often wondered if our children or our grandchildren even know what the Berlin Wall was and why it was built.  Therefore we have shared this post for them as we have been counselled to share these memories and stories.   

"We had similar dreams, aspirations, and hopes for our lives.  Of course we had our differences too, but our intrinsic values and goals were similar.  We found ways to focus on the similarities we had rather than the differences.  Over time, the miracle of unity happened for Germany."  Elder F. Uchtdorf

Berlin

With permission and encouragement from our mission supervisors, we (Winters and Davis) boarded a train on August 15th and went to Berlin.  We spent 4 days there visiting many of the places we had heard about in our youth.  No sooner did we arrive in Berlin than Gary and Elder Davis purchased tickets for the "Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus and Boat" tours.  With that task accomplished, we walked from the train station to our hotel.

After checking into our hotel we decided to explore our surroundings to get our bearings.  After a 15 minute walk, we were at Brandenburg Gate.  From that point it was only a short distance to the Reichstag where we inquired about tickets to tour the building.  We were told to come early in the morning two days before the time we wanted to visit.  We walked another short distance and came across the "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" - the holocaust memorial - very impressive.  After that we went in search of a place for dinner.

On Friday morning we were joined by another couple, the Wilsons, Public Affairs Missionaries from Minnesota.  We all rode the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus and learned about the city and the history of Berlin.  After the bus tour we went to lunch and then began the "Rick Steves Berlin Walking Tour".

We saw more things than we can describe, but we will share a few pictures so you can see some of the things that we were able to see and experience.  Berlin is a great experience.

After the lunch we went again to the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe and went downstairs under the cement caskets.  The underground museum was a fascinating and sobering memorial and testimonial.

Each night at dusk they show a parliamentary history from the Reichstag to the Bundestag. You can sit on the river bank and watch this presentation. 

We were able to go to church on Sunday. We left our hotel and rode a train and then a bus to the church.   It was windy and raining as we boarded the bus.  We looked at each other and hoped that we had gotten on the right bus and were headed in the right direction.  Just then I looked across the bus and noticed a gentlemen with a white shirt and tie on and he smiled at me - I said to him "Are we on the right bus?"  He nodded in a positive way.  When we got to church we talked with him and discovered that he was from Indonesia.  Upon further inquiry, we learned that he knew Elder Subandriyo, our friend from our days living in Jakarta.   This kind Indonesian brother was in Germany working with a film crew.  We also discovered that he was good friends with Ari Winato.  Ari was our driver when we lived in Indonesia after the Tsunami in 2005. It truly is a small world.

We had purchased museum passes on Saturday, so Sunday afternoon we visited the museums - we thoroughly enjoyed them.  Our favourite exhibits was the Gates of Babylon and Nefretti.  

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On Monday, with the tickets we picked up on Saturday we were able to go through the Reichstag.  We loved the Reichstag tour.  Berlin was a great experience, but all good experience have to end and when we concluded our Reichstag tour we boarded our train and went back to Frankfurt and back to work. We were very grateful for the opportunity we had to visit Berlin.  

“The word of God, as found in the scriptures, in the words of living prophets, and in personal revelation, has the power to fortify the Saints and arm them with the Spirit so they can resist evil, hold fast to the good, and find joy in this life.”    Ezra Taft Benson