Eight weeks in jail. One book: The Bible.
René Schrader knew something about this book. He had been baptized as a child, went to church at Christmas, and even sang in a children’s choir. In 7th grade, a teacher told him how Jesus was crucified, and how the temple curtain tore from top to bottom the moment of his death. “That story gave me goosebumps! But I didn’t believe it.”
Now René sat in a cell with nothing to do and plenty of time. He picked up the Bible and read. Two weeks later he finished. “I understood the Bible was a good book. The stories were interesting. They had lots of details that didn’t sound made-up.” René wondered if the stories could be true, but he didn’t investigate further.
Thirteen years passed. Much happened. Then one day René woke up from surgery and felt empty. Nothing helped—not friends, games, or drugs. He realized his emptiness was spiritual. It was time to dig into the Bible.
René watched videos and found helpful online commentaries. He started to understand basic Christian teaching. Sin, grace, Christ, redemption. He listened to Christian apologists defend the doctrine of the Trinity. Father and Son were familiar, but who is the Holy Spirit?
René picked up his Bible and searched. This was not easy! He read how Jesus taught his disciples the night before he died. Jesus made a promise, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. The Spirit of truth will testify about me. He will guide you into all truth.” (See John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13).
“The more I looked up passages about the Holy Spirit, the more I figured out about Jesus.” One day René finally understood. It’s true! Jesus is God in the flesh. He died for the sins of the world. “He died for me.” He rose from the dead. “I felt the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. I didn’t have to carry it anymore because Jesus already carried it for me.” René wept, overwhelmed with relief.
Today René is a seminary student in Leipzig, Germany. “I still don’t know how I got here!” he says with a laugh. “When I told my mom that I was studying for ministry, she said, ‘Finally you are doing something good with your life!’”
René now shares the Savior with many people – including his mother. “You know, mom, Jesus loves you. He died for you. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3:16). What do you think about that?”
“That’s beautiful,” she murmurs …
From Luke Wolfgramm, WELS Europe Team Leader
Pictured: René (right) with fellow seminary student Benjamin Hugk (left)
