This is the final story in the “Investing for Good” series of stories from Prince of Peace members, sharing their experiences of multiplying the talents they received last spring. Today we hear from Rainer Jaeschke.
I was inspired to select both Arrive Ministries for Refugee Resettlement and Lutheran Social Services due to the latter actingin part also in direct support. The starting talent of $10 quickly grew into an investment of $200.
My family was a direct beneficiary of the larger umbrella organization, Lutheran World Federation in October 1957 when the entire church community of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, PA adopted our 5-member family from Germany. With extraordinary generosity these folks rented a townhouse, furnished and decorated it, and helped my father with his job search efforts. Collectively this congregation succeeded in creating a very warm, welcoming home for us.
Our journey to Philadelphia started from the Russian Occupied Zone of Germany, which in 1949 became the German Democratic Republic. Essentially, at the time it was a communist dictatorship and in December 1953, my parents “chose to vote with their feet” and escape as a family to West Berlin, Germany. We were relocated to West Germany where my father found a banking position in Dusseldorf on the Rhine. Thoughts of emigrating became a reality and in 1957 we moved to the USA, Philadelphia, PA.