Real RECONCILIATION is possible

Have you ever wondered why there is so much tension, animosity, even hatred in our society today? Could it be that we are somehow unable to exist with others who are unlike us in some way, either a different race, religion or nationality? Is it because we are unable to move past deep hurts and old wounds? In this life we are not called to merely tolerate or put up with others as a way of existing peacefully. Rather, our purpose should be to build real relationships with those around us, regardless of our differences, and practice the kind of forgiveness that can change our lives.

Someone who had demonstrated this practice of forgiveness and reconciliation is Mr. Walter Absil, one of the survivors of the holocaust. Mr. Absil, originally of Vienna, Austria, is Jewish and left Austria with his family at the beginning of WWII. He lived in Belgium (in hiding) during the war, during which time his parents were captured by the Gestapo and sent to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, where they were gassed immediately upon arrival. At the end of the war, he met his wife, Erika, and they have been married for the past 68 years. They emigrated to Canada in 1951 building successful and fulfilling lives. Mr. Absil is one of the founders of the Montreal Holocaust Museum and lectures regularly on his experiences as a youth, as well as his journey of reconciliation.

New Providence Community Church in Nassau, Bahamas invites you to join us on Wednesday 15 February at 7pm at the Blake Road campus to sit down with Mr. Absil – to listen to his story, to ask our questions, to share our stories and ultimately deepen our own understanding of what reconciliation really means.

For more information on Mr. Absil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Holocaust_Memorial_Centrehttp://www.mhmc.ca/en/index.html