SCHWERIN, Germany — There was no branch of the Church in Schwerin, Germany, before 1945. But members of the Church in Germany who had become refugees during World War II began to gather here and, by early 1946, a branch was organized. Among the early members was the Hans and Ellie Polzin family.

Schwerin branch members remodeled an old horse barn into a meetinghouse.

Over the years, this family of four has grown into a force of 16, and during the decades of communist rule, the Polzins were a strength to this fledging branch in eastern Germany. Through years of trial, they remained firm in their testimony and were leaders in the branch.

"They are pure and good and lovely people," said President Richard O. Clark of the Germany Berlin Mission, speaking of the contributions made by the Polzins over the years. "The spirit in the branch is wonderful. It should take on significant growth in the near future."

Now 89 years old, Brother Hans Polzin is a high priest who serves as a home teacher. He is the second of five generations of Polzins to hold the priesthood in Schwerin. His son, Klaus, serves as first counselor in the branch presidency, and his grandson, Michael, serves on the district council.

Brother Polzin was born the same year his father, Alexander, joined the Church in Stettin, Germany, in 1911. Brother Polzin grew up in Stettin and later married his wife, Elli, on July 27, 1936. By the time he was inducted into the German military in 1940, they had two children — Ingrid and Klaus.

Life for Sister Polzin and the children was lonely and hard during World War II. She lost contact with Hans when he was taken prisoner and placed in a Russian camp in Romania in 1944. For three years, Elli didn't know if Hans lived or had died until a dream one night assured her that he lived.

Avoid invasion

Sister Polzin and the children avoided the invasion of the Russian army toward the end of World War II by fleeing from their home in Stettin in February 1945 to an island in the northern portion of the mission. They returned to their home five months later to live under Russian — then Polish — rule. At one point, Sister Polzin and the children were so hungry that Sister Polzin's mother left her home in Witstock on the Dossel River to bring food.

A few months later, Sister Polzin and the children fled again to Liepe near Ludwigslust where they wrote to the Berlin mission office seeking guidance. Two missionaries soon appeared at her door encouraging the family to move to Schwerin where a branch had been organized.

"I found work there as a secretary in the city hall," said Sister Polzin who was quoted in a book titled, Behind the Iron Curtain, written by Garold and Norma Davis and published by BYU Studies.

Hans and Elli Polzin, center, are surrounded by family. Six members of family have served full-time missions.

"After much difficulty, I was able to move my family to Schwerin. For years we lived in a single room until we received an apartment. My husband, Hans, returned from prison camp one day before Christmas Eve 1949.

"We were happy to find a branch of the Church. Our first meeting place was a rented room on the square called Pig Market or Schweinemarkt," she said. The branch was comprised of the Polzins and five other members. During the next years, the branch moved from location to location, including a place on Bornhoewitz Street where Brother Polzin served as branch president. The branch also met in a old restaurant that members remodeled to accommodate their needs.

Obliged to give rooms

"After two years, this restaurant was taken over by the government, and we were obliged to give up our rooms again. This time we were without any meeting place for more than a year and had to hold our meetings at the home of Brother and Sister Schueller, who made their living room available to us," Sister Polzin said.

Following the guidance of the district president, Walter Krause, "we tried to buy a piece of property for the Church. After many attempts, we succeeded in 1956 in buying a piece of property from a private owner on the Schlossgarten Allee, number 18a," Sister Polzin continued.

Since the Church was not allowed to own property in former East Germany, the land was purchased in the name of Brother Polzin, which, over the course of time, was the cause of many difficulties. The purchase included the land and two structures — a business establishment with an attached apartment and an old barn. Original plans called for the construction of a meetinghouse after demolishing the structures.

But the application to destroy the business building was denied because the apartment was occupied.

Demolish barracks

About this time, in latter 1956, the branch acquired an old barracks that members carefully dismantled, preserving the material to be used in the construction of the meetinghouse. Work began during the summer of 1957 in a pouring rain storm. Brethren of the branch set out on their bicycles for the barracks, about 8 kilometers outside Schwerin.

All branch members assisted in the demolition of the barracks, working 12-15 hours a day. The district president slept in a tent on the site. Sisters in the branch prepared meals for workers and delivered them by bicycle.

Fourteen days after beginning, on June 15, 1957, the barracks had been dismantled and the material hauled in 23 truck loads to the new meetinghouse site in Schwerin.

But still unresolved was the problem of what to do with the two structures on the Schwerin property. Several proposals, including a proposal to exchange apartments with the family living on the property, were denied by authorities.

Members then offered to remodel the horse barn. After a time of fasting by branch members, local government officials granted them permission.

"The old horse barn was falling apart," Sister Polzin said. "We laid blocks for new walls and a chimney and built door and window frames. Drain pipes and water connections had to be installed. We paneled walls and ceilings, and laid a new floor. Most of the material came from the salvaged material of the barracks.

"[But] it was not easy to get the necessary building supplies such as cement, drain pipe, window frames, etc., since all these things were controlled by the state building authorities. But it was all done with the help of the Lord, and things that often seemed impossible were made possible, which greatly strengthened our testimonies."

Using a wheelbarrow as a delivery truck and the manual labor of all the members, the Schwerin branch remodeled the old barn into a meetinghouse. It was completed "toward the end of 1957," and contained a large, 32-square-meter room, with adjoining rooms for the youth and Relief Society.

Members figure that 3,800 hours of voluntary labor were spent dismantling the barracks and building the meetinghouse. Members also contributed 2,800 German Marks, which was a considerable sum for 30 active members in post-World War II Germany.

On Jan. 5, 1958, the meetinghouse was dedicated.

Meetinghouse built by Schwerin members in 1956-57.

In 1973, efforts began to enlarge the chapel area to 50 square meters. Building stones for the project were obtained through a member of the Evangelical Church who respected The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Using the name of the Evangelical Church, this man was able to arrange for 4,000 building stones from the city building authorities.

To gather all the needed cement, lime, gravel and lumber necessary for construction, the wife of the branch president, Sister Elfriede Pawlowski, stood in line each day and hauled the material one wheelbarrow load at a time.

"Always, everyday, the material was there when it was needed," continued Sister Polzin.

On one occasion in 1961, when the Berlin Wall was under construction, the Polzin family was in Hamburg on a private trip. They were encouraged to remain in Hamburg and avoid the oppressive rule of communism. But Brother Polzin said he could not abandon the members in Schwerin. He felt he had a responsibility for the property of the Church.

"What terrible harm would have been [done] to the Church," if he had left, he said.

"Not only would the property have been lost, but it would have greatly harmed the Church's reputation," added Sister Polzin.

"We risked many things in order to help the Church make progress, but the Lord was with us. We had no serious difficulties. In all of our problems there was always a good spirit of cooperation and love," Brother Polzin said.

Upon his retirement, Brother and Sister Polzin were granted permission to leave the country and be sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in 1975. — Shaun D. Stahle

Hans and Elli Polzin were among the early members following World War II who sacrificed significantly to build a meetinghouse and sustain the Church during communist rule of eastern Germany.

When they could have fled to the West, they remained devoted to the branch in Schwerin and returned to live behind the Iron Curtain.

Today, their family is firm in the faith and continues to contribute to the building of the Kingdom in Germany, including six members of the family who have served full-time missions.

email: shaun@desnews.com