With so much darkness around us today, it is easy to lose hope and faith. To be sure, those who wish us ill take pleasure from our pain. However, it is often when we are nearly broken that God lifts us up and provides us peace. This time of year is filled with those moments. Call them Christmas miracles or answered prayers, but they are real and worth remembering.
One such story that has always stuck with me is that of Fritz Vincken, who was twelve years old and living with his mother, Elisabeth, in a small hunting cabin in the Ardennes Forest during the worst fighting of the Battle of the Bulge. His father had hidden them in the secluded mountain hut across the Belgian border after the family’s bakery and home were destroyed during allied bombing in Aachen, Germany. While Fritz’s dad baked bread for German soldiers at the front line, Fritz and his mother had little food, except for what they could forage.
On a freezing Christmas Eve night, as they struggled to ignore distant gunfire and prepared a meager meal made from a scrawny rooster and some potatoes, there was a loud knock on the door. Fritz’s heart leapt, believing that it was his father finally returning. Instead, it was three Americans from the 121st Infantry, 8th Division — all suffering from frostbite and one seriously injured.
“My mother knew the penalty for harboring the enemy,” Fritz recalled, “but when she looked into the young Americans’ eyes and saw that one was badly hurt, she opened the door and let them in.” They added some potatoes to the stew for their tired, hungry guests and attended to the American’s gunshot wound the best they could, and because the soldiers spoke no German and the Vinckens spoke no English, they relied on hand signals and broken French for communication.
Then came more pounding from outside. When Elisabeth cautiously opened the hut’s door, she found four freezing Wehrmacht soldiers looking for shelter. “I was almost paralyzed with fear,” Fritz recounted, “for though I was a child, I knew that harsh law of war: Anyone giving aid and comfort to the enemy would be shot.” Had any other person opened the door on that frigid Christmas Eve night in 1944, the killing fields of the Ardennes would almost certainly have claimed more victims.
Instead, Elisabeth took control of the situation, wishing the young Germans a “Fröhliche Weihnachten” and inviting them in for food and rest upon two conditions: (1) that they leave their weapons outside and (2) respect her Christmas guests. “She reminded them that it was Christmas Eve and told them sternly there would be no shooting around here.” While Fritz “stood and stared in disbelief,” the Wehrmacht soldiers complied. She then ran back to the Americans; who had grown nervous, spoke gently in a language they could not understand; and grabbed their weapons, too.
At first the tiny cabin was uncomfortably tense. Then one of the Germans, who had been a medical student, offered to assist the wounded American, noticeably weak from blood loss. The Americans pulled out some coffee grounds and cigarettes from a tattered pack, and one of the other Germans offered some scraps of bread. Fritz added what few ingredients they had to the stew, and his “mother read from the Bible and declared that there would be at least one night of peace in this war.”
“Komm, Herr Jesus,” she prayed, “and be our guest.” “There were tears in her eyes,” Fritz remembered, “and as I looked around the table, I saw that the battle-weary soldiers were filled with emotion.” After dinner the seven soldiers, who had been bitter enemies just hours before, fell into a deep sleep, side by side. When they woke the next morning, they exchanged Christmas greetings and set to work building a makeshift stretcher from tree branches for the wounded American. The Germans advised the Americans to avoid a town that had been taken over by Nazi forces and gave them a map and compass that would get them back to their friends. Elisabeth returned their weapons and prayed, “May God bless and watch over you.” Then the soldiers shook hands and went their separate ways.
For Fritz, his mother had been nothing short of a hero. “The inner strength of a single woman, who, by her wits and intuition, prevented potential bloodshed, taught me the practical meaning of the words: ‘Good Will Toward Mankind.'”
Fritz and his parents survived the war, and because the young boy saw those Americans in his shack as “liberators,” he eventually immigrated to the United States, became an American citizen, and opened up a German bakery of his own in Honolulu, Hawaii. After telling his story to his new countrymen for years, he eventually submitted details of the miraculous Christmas Eve during the Battle of the Bulge to Readers Digest, and a much larger audience learned of the rare peace shared for a few hours amid the cold, bloody landscape of the Ardennes. In retelling Fritz’s experience during a trip to Germany in 1985, President Reagan urged others to do the same, “because none of us can ever hear too much about building peace and reconciliation.”
Amazingly, after Unsolved Mysteries produced an episode in the mid-’90s seeking more details about the little known tale, Fritz eventually reunited with two of the American soldiers before they all passed away. They, too, had always told others of their miraculous Christmas Eve in the middle of battle and wondered what had happened to the boy alone with his mother in the woods. Sergeant Ralph Blank told Fritz, “Your mother saved my life,” and with that comfort, the young boy turned old man said, “Now I can die in peace. My mother’s courage won’t be forgotten, and it shows what good will will do.”
His mother, Elisabeth, often said over the years until her own passing that “God was at our table” during that freezing night in the forest. And Fritz said that the event so altered his understanding of life that he never stopped thinking of “those seven young soldiers, who met as enemies and parted as friends, right in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge.”
Whenever I think of Fritz’s story, I am struck by a remarkable truth: it is always the smallest of acts that end up creating ripples large enough to produce meaningful change. At any point on that Christmas Eve in ’44 during some of the worst atrocities of the war, any one of those seven soldiers could have acted belligerently out of exhaustion, pain, or haste. A mother and her young son speaking unfamiliar words to foreign soldiers could have inadvertently provoked tragedy. A trio of Wehrmacht soldiers, irate at the sight of their enemies taking refuge far from home, could have chosen the same violence and bloodshed that soaked the earth beyond the cabin’s door.
Instead, an unarmed woman brought God into her house and invited those who might have done her harm to share the blessings of Jesus’s birth. Through her resolve and faith, she secured peace. That heroic act not only convinced combatant soldiers to lay down their weapons, but also inspired her son for the rest of his life. He then told of his mother’s courage to countless others who visited his bakery over the next half-century of his life, who, in turn, retold the story and its lesson to countless more. Even the president of the United States in the middle of the Cold War seized upon its importance and shared it with millions of strangers in a quest to transform former enemies into friends.
Faith and small acts of courage do change the world. That is what Christmas reminds us all.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
