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W. Herbert Klopfer (2)

Fellowship with the Saints through the Tune of a Hymn

In the years of World War II, my father served simultaneously as president of the East German Mission and a mandatory tour of duty in the German army. He directed the affairs of the mission from the battlefield through his capable counselors. Our family saw him for the last time in November 1943 while he was on furlough. The mission home in Berlin had been completely destroyed at that time, and our family was evacuated to central Germany. My father was sent to Denmark. What happened to him there and subsequent other locations is a matter of record in personal journals of others since we did not see our father again before his starvation death in March 1945 in Russia.

My father was stationed in or near Esbjerg in Denmark in December 1943. He was very lonely and wanted to go to sacrament meeting on one of the two Sundays preceding Christmas. He did not know whether or not there was a branch of the Church in Esbjerg but he assumed that there was one somewhere in the city. He was in enemy country dressed in full military uniform and did not speak the language. He recognized that music would be understood anywhere, so he hummed the tune of a favorite hymn as he walked on a city street in hopes of attracting someone's attention who would recognize the tune and would lead him to the place of worship.

A little girl skipped along the sidewalk on her way to Church. As she passed my father, she recognized the tune and asked him in Danish: "Mormon?" He nodded his head. She took him by the hand and led him to the branch meetingplace.

His arrival at the backdoor created a tense moment for the assembled Saints. Who was this man in enemy uniform? Was he there to do harm? The branch president was concerned as he stood at the pulpit ready to begin sacrament meeting. He stopped and walked to the backdoor to find out who my father was. After my father had identified himself and added that he was anxious to worship the Lord with the Saints, the branch president invited him to come with him to the podium and deliver the gospel message this day. He did so in beautiful English, since German was not very appreciated by the Danes.