Aushchwitz

I feel weird saying that it has been a childhood dream of mine to go to Aushchwitz.  Who in their right mind wants to go to a concentration camp where millions of people were killed?  I guess just weird me. 

I have wanted to go to Aushchwitz since I was in 6th grade.  My 6th grade teachers name was Miss Yoho.  I loved her and she taught me many life lessons that have always stayed with me.  One of the books we read that year was about a little girl who was sent to Aushchwitz and survived.  I remember finishing that book and thinking to myself that some day I would go to Aushchwitz and see it for myself.  

I haven't wanted to go here because it's a happy place or because it would give me a thrill.  I wanted to go because it's an important part of our history and I wanted to be able to pay my respects to all of the many people who came through this camp.  The ones who died and the ones who were fortunate enough to survive.

Never in a million years did I think this dream to go here would ever come true but I was able to go last Friday.  It was a day that I will remember forever but I would never choose to relive again.  

Just a little history on Aushchwitz.  There were three parts to this camp Auschwitz 1, Auschwitz 2-Birkenau, and Aushwitz 3.  Aushwitz 3 was destroyed.  Auschwitz 1 was more of an experimental camp and Aushwitz 2-Birkenau was more of a labor and extermination camp.

On our drive to Aushchwitz we decided to make a list of everything we were thankful for.  It was a lot of fun and our list ended up being really random.  I'll post our list at the end of this post.  Everyone says it but we really do have so much to be thankful for.  Especially in this world we live in today and the blessing many of us have to have the gospel in our lives.

After our hour drive we arrived at Aushchwitz.  It was just as solemn and reverent as I imagined it would be.  The gates to Aushchwitz read, "Work will set you free."  

These are some, only some, of the many cans of gas they used in the gas chambers.

This is what was inside of the cans.

When the people arrived at Aushchwitz they were striped of everything they owned.  Many of the women lost their hair.  They had a room full of their hair.  It was a very depressing sight.  This is many of the glasses that were taken from them.

Children's shoes.

This is the execution wall.  Many people were shot here.  Many times for no reason at all.

Block 11 was the worst block at Aushchwitz.  In the basement of this building they had torture rooms, starvation rooms, and rooms where people stood until they died.

This is a little plaque that is on one of the buildings.  Every morning and night the Nazi's would do a roll call to make sure everyone was there.  One evening they were doing roll call and one of the prisoners had escaped.  As punishment to the rest of the prisoners 10 people were chosen at random to die in block 11 to pay for his sin.  One of the men that was chosen pleaded with the guards to let him live.  He had a family he needed to take care of.  When the guards did nothing a Priest volunteered to take his place.  Giving up his life to save another mans.  The Priest died and the man who was saved lived and was rescued from Aushchwitz.  This plaque has the Preist's identification number on it and other things about him to represent what he did for this man.

This was the most awful place I went into at Aushchwitz.  This is the entrance to one of the gas chambers.  It was all I could do to walk inside.  I can't even imagine being in this place and dying here. Even more so I couldn't imagine being in here with my children.  The people who died here are heroes in my eyes.

After we finished Aushchwitz 1 we went to Auschwitz 2-Birkenau.  This place was enormous.  It was crazy to look out at the land at the many barracks that were there and to think of the many people who lived and died there.  But what was even more crazy to think about is the amounts of people that were sent to Aushchwitz and were immediately killed in the gas chambers.   

The entrance into Birkenau.

This is one of the train carts that people were sent to Aushchwitz in.

This is a memorial that is now at Birkenau.

This is one of the gas chambers that the Nazi's tried to destroy before liberation.

One of the barracks. 

 Before going to Aushchwitz I actually became really nervous and scared to go.  Since I have been in Europe everyone talks about how awful this place is.  Don't get me wrong it is just as awful as everyone was telling me.  As I heard this from everyone and as I became more nervous to go I rememberd my good friend Sarah's blog post about her experince at Aushchwitz.  I decided to re-read it to see how she felt.  This is her post if you want to read it go here.  In it she talked about how she prayed to feel peace when she left Aushchwitz.  So I did just that.  I prayed for peace.  When I left Aushchwitz I felt peace.  I don't know how to explain it other then to just say I felt peace.  In this life we all go through different things and different challenges.  I don't know why but this really was just part of the plan.  The atonement is real.  The atonement covered every persons suffering in Aushchwitz.  Our Heavenly Father loves all of his children and that is why he sent his son to help each and everyone of us.  In life we really can find hope and peace in any situations if we look for it.  Even in situations like Aushchwitz.

Things we're grateful for.
Ice trays
Standing showers
Being able yo flush toilet paper
Free water
Free pee
Drinking fountains
One atop shopping
Car
Big Trash cans
Boxed and canned food
Microwaves
Brooms with tall handles
Clorox
Walking around barefoot
Dryers
Fast washing machines
Gallon milk
Technological phones
Reliable wifi
Multiple plugs
American TV
Crosswalks
Straightener
Shower curtains
Getting places quickly
Being able to use my computer whenever I want
Free grocery bags
Grocery bagger
Craft stores
DI
People that smile on the street.
Understanding the language
Not spending money
Understanding monetary value
Mexican food
Moms food
Frozen Yogurt
Movies in English
Redbox
Hulu
Walmart
Pandora
Medicine that we understand
Reese's peanut butter cups
Doctors that speak English
Other people that speak English
Waffles
Peanut Butter
My pillow
Traffic signs I understand
Fast speed limits
Security
Clean air
Temples
Smooth roads
Even stairs
Not scary elevators
Houses
Spacious rooms
Dish washer
American music in Europe
Ke$ha
American Candy
Netflix
European Candy
Host Families
Coordinators
Healthy
Ukrainian juices
Ukrainian fruits and vegetables
Crackers
Roshen
The Kids
Friends
The Church
Family
The International Branch
Senior Couples
Attractive Men
Ariel
Priesthood
Metro
Trolleybus 26
Public transportation passes
Walking
Anti-smoking in US
Education
Freedom
No border control at the states
Postal System
Music
Piano
Temperature control
My own bed
Country dancing
Skype and FaceTime
Facebook
ILP
Directors
Holy Ghost
No loogies
General Conference
Babushkas
Different Cultures
Vacations
Patience
Life lessons
Tender mercies
Cars that stop at crosswalks
Carpet
Fewer smokers
Comfortable furniture
Thanksgiving
Medical advancement
Christmas music
We'll be home fir Christmas
Job
Flying home
Wearing sweats outside
Snow
Sunshine
No snow
Fall
Buses and being able yo see the countryside
Attractive man on the first tour that we could make up stories about.
Makeup
Pantene
Shower every day
Borsch
Hot water
Water softeners
Electrical
Cell phones
Traveling together
Tania and Igor
Sense of humor
Karen
Trials
Knowing how to have fun
Cameras
iPod
Bubbletea
Starbucks
Nice toilet paper
Random camel in Poland
Being Alive
Coat
Scarves
Hats
Gloves
Boots
Tour Guides
Bernard
Tootsie Rolls
Jello
Learning new recipes
Free trip to Poland
Long Thanksgiving
Buying for our families
Change in the missionary age
Family will be together
Bathrooms and drinking water at the schools
Friends that are getting home from missions
Friends that still talk to me
Atonement
Flavorful food
Salt
Where and when we were born
Elf
Flowers in Europe
Parents
Traditions
Starting new traditions
Being able to learn
Understanding
Can come back
Scriptures
Reading
Opportunities
Religious Freedom
Freedom as women
Vote
Recorded History
American Embassy
Hope
Plug adapters
Repentance
Grateful for similar religious beliefs
Support system
Word of wisdom
Different personalities
Jessica stayed
Sisters
Constitution
Ice cream
Garages
Fireplaces
Hot chocolate
Ukrainian tea pots

We can learn from the past
Never known suffering or cruelty
Never had to see those I love suffer
Hope
Forgiveness
Didn't live during that time
Remembering
Knowledge
War is over
Knowledge of eternity
Selflessness, charity
Sacrifice
Writing things down.
Personal stories, records of events