Sharing Christmas Joy

Oswald Golter was an agricultural minister in China and when the Communists began taking over in 1938, he was put under house arrest. Finally he was freed in the mid 1940s following World War II; he was given a check by his mission board and sent to India from which he was supposed to leave to return to the States.

In the 1940s there were boatloads of Jews who had no place and no one would allow them to land. But, at one coastal town in India the boat was allowed to dock and the Jews were allowed to be in barn lofts and back buildings for a brief period of time before they were placed back on the boat.

Oswald Golter saw what was happening and went to them and said, "Merry Christmas." They said, "We're Jews." Golter said, "I know! Merry Christmas. What would you like for Christmas?" They again replied, "We're Jews." And again Golter said, "I know, but what would you like for Christmas?" To get rid of him the Jewish council said, "Oh, how we'd love some German pastry." Oswald cashed his check and went throughout that town in India and found a bakery and he bought racks and racks of German pastry and took it back giving it to those Jewish people who had no place.

Years later, a seminary student asked, "Mr. Golter, why would you do that? They're not even Christians!" To which Oswald Golter responded, "Yes, I know. But, I am."