Poland_Aushwitz and Birkenau

Have you ever just stopped and wondered what it must have been like when people were sent the the concentration camps?? Well, me either...not until we took a day trip to Poland. I read about it in school but never really stopped and soaked it all in.

The first concentration camp I visited was Aushwtiz, later on to Birkenau. After I entered the gate (pictured below) I tried over and over to put myself in the place of these people, I could not even come close. My heart began to cry out to the prisoners of this camp.

The sign below reads "Work Gives Freedom"






These train tracks are in Birkenau, the 2nd of 3 concentration camps in Aushwitz. The tracks lead people directly back to the gas chambers and crematoriums. The Germans would then tell people they were going to take them to large shower facilities to rinse them off to prevent disease. They even went as far as to install fake shower faucets in the gas chambers.






When I walked through the camp I became completely humbled...it started to rain on my friend Matt and I and we had no jackets or umbrellas, we looked at each other and said we have NOTHING to complain about and continued on our journey wet and all. I can't even begin to explain the feelings I had as I walked on the same grounds as these innocent people did.

I was talking to some friends afterwards and came to the conclusion that we are just as capable of these crimes as the men who did it. It just does not seem possible. When I stop to think about it, it is easy for me to forgive someone for lying or stealing and pray that they would know God but someone who commited such a huge genocide...no way. Why is that?

.....am I any less worthy then they are??