[I wrote this blog post the night before my birthday. Bear with me on the strange timing. I didn't wanna alter the entire thing, so I'm just going with it]
If you've never been to one, I highly recommend that be something you pursue in the future. It's a really tough experience, but I think necessary.
While we were walking through the grounds, I was focused on the contrasts we saw. Upon approaching Mauthausen, you see a prison like structure with chimneys, barbed wire, and lots of stone. If you were to do a 180 turn, you would be staring at the gorgeous Austrian countryside.
It was amazing to me that on the grounds where most of the deaths occurred, there are now multitudes of stunning wildflowers growing freely.
On the right hand side there were scars left in the grass from the 'death camps' where the sick prisoners were sent to die. On the left is the remnants of a soccer field that the SS soldiers used for recreation.
It blew my mind that the soldiers had such perks there at the concentration camp. The soccer field was only the beginning. They also had a swimming pool, indoor heating, massive barracks, and the ability to come and go as they please.
The guide that was giving the tour also had a bit of insight to share about the area during the time that the Holocaust was going on. I always pictured concentration camps being completely out of reach from normal life, secret, hidden. That was not the case, in Mauthausen at least.
The community was very much aware of what was happening. They watched soccer games outside of the walls of the camp, they stood by as the prisoners were paraded off the train and up the hill to the prison. For some of them, it was completely normal to watch prisoners be murdered.
I can't even wrap my mind around that concept. How strange and awful to be so used to seeing life being brutally ripped from innocent human beings that you can stand by and watch without batting an eye.
So, with all of that...
If I had to choose a single word to sum up my train of thought for the day, it would be redemption.
Redemption. That's what absolutely amazes me. Here, where one of the biggest gashes on the history of the world is still clearly visible is also where we find hope.
Hope that our generation can stand above this tragedy. That through so diligently remembering the mistakes and horrors of our ancestors we may be able to prevent them from becoming our stories as well.
Our God is one of redemption and I do believe He is capable of bringing grace and peace out of the ugliest of scenarios. I believe that He can take what happened so many years ago and use it to teach. To teach His children that mass genocide is something that is never acceptable, ever. To teach us that life is precious and should never, ever be taken from anyone. To teach us to use the past as a tool and learn from the mistakes of others.
Today was a day that will stand in my heart and mind for a very long time. It was challenging, heart breaking, horrifying. But it was also life altering, inspiring, and thought-provoking.
Grace can be found amidst the horrors in the world. God can redeem the worst of situations. Lessons can be learned from the tragedy's of the past.
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