Sergei

There have been many interesting people that have been connected with the Paraguayan “Bruderhof”, but perhaps the man with the most fascinating story, at least of the people that I was acquainted with, was a Russian man named Sergei. In 1914, Sergei was a personal guard to the Czar. Of course, 1914 was the year of the communist revolution and overthrow of the Russian government. The coup was bloody, and atrocities occurred to both sides. Sergei’s experience, though, went beyond any semblance of wartime cruelty.

Sergei was tied to a tree, and forced to witness the execution of his entire family. I cannot possibly imagine the grief and pain that Sergei had endured due to the abhorrent acts that had been perpetrated. Sergei, in the end, was able to escape from the communists, and eventually made his way to South America.

I am not sure of the time-line involved in Sergei’s trek from Russia, nor do I know what routes he traversed, nor the hardships he endured to arrive, as he did, in Paraguay. There was a Russian doctor that practiced medicine in a Mennonite hospital some miles away from where Sergei’s house was located. I know that they were friends, but I do not know, at this point, if they helped each other escape Russia or if they became acquainted after they both arrived in Paraguay. In any case, Sergei had a small house very near the “Bruderhof” and the community hired him to help in clearing the jungle.

Although Sergei lived by himself and was quiet in nature, he was well liked by the members of the “Bruderhof”. Papa, especially, had a good relationship with him. I, also, liked Sergei, as did all the other children, because he would purchase candy at the Mennonite village and pass it out to all of us. However, because of the language problems the children were not able to talk with Sergei, but in spite of the difficulty in verbal communication, there was an obvious affection between Sergei and us kids. Papa and Sergei, though, were able to communicate quite well with each other. Somehow they were able to mix their German and Russia and come up with a viable way to get their ideas across to each other.

Sergei liked to fish in the Tapiraquay River, and was always able to land a lot of fish. I was especially impressed with the real nylon lines and genuine hooks that he had. We had to rely on cotton string with make-shift hooks. Sergei’s other passion, apart from fishing, was a butterfly collection that he had amassed. Probably, more than anything else, that collection was his most prized possession.

Then, in the early 1950s, a meteor struck Ibate, right next to Sergei’s house. I think that I was about eleven or twelve at the time. The meteor crash caused a tremendous boom. It was louder than any thunderstorm. I had never heard such a loud noise. I have heard sonic-booms from jet planes that, perhaps, would come close, but that thunderous boom was frightening! The pandemonium that ensued was also frightening.

There were cowboys, some miles away that watched as the meteor descended and crashed into the ground, and they hurriedly rode their horses toward the impact sight. Simultaneously, all the light bulbs in the village burst. I really mean that every bulb popped! A lady, who was the night-watch-person, was making her rounds and was checking on the sleeping children. She had just put her hand on a light switch to turn lights on when the meteor hit. She was zapped! Though the surge knocked her out, she did survive, and although outwardly shaken up, was alright.

At the same time, Sergei’s house caught on fire. Papa was close by and heard Sergei screaming. Running to Sergei’s house, Papa helped Sergei save what he could. Sergei was hysterical, one of his guns went off, and saltpeter that was being stored in the attic caught fire. In spite of Sergei’s hysteria, Papa and Sergei hastily gathered guns and furniture along with any pertinent articles they could save. Sadly, though, Sergei’s beloved butterfly collection, along with many of the glass covered boxes, were mostly destroyed by the growing inferno.

After the fire subsided, Papa heard Sergei crying and lamenting that God had to be mad at him otherwise all the things that occurred in his life would not have happened. Regardless of the many hardships that Sergei endured during his lifetime, the love and support of those families closest to him, surely was a source of great strength to him even after the comet came crashing down.