the long way round to Candler..

Many years ago a French Jew moved to a small village in Germany and married Swiss Christian.  They had baby and hired English nanny.  Soon the little French German Gerta was speaking English better then either of her parents.


In 1939 a Cousin in Buenos Aires asked them to come help with his business.  It meant relocating overseas, but a consulate friend pulled strings to make it possible.  Soon the little German family found themselves in big South American city at a confectionery learning to make pies and cakes and pastries.  Many of the families that came in were Italitan so Gerta learned enough Italian to do business.    After a year her mother had had enough of South America and applied to leave.  The consulate friend denied the request saying "You can't leave with a war brewing." Gerta's mother had no idea.  Between working two jobs and raising a child she hadn't had time to read the newspaper.


I asked Gerta what would have happened to their family if they had stayed in Germany, or returned after that first year away.  "We would have died in a concentration camp." She replied matter of factly.


So Father took a second job and worked his way up to doing sales for the finest dressmaking shop in Buenos Aires.  It wasn't long before his connections landed Gerta a part time work in the couture dept.  And in the fashion industry Gerta met a young argentian student.  Luckily she spoke fluent Spanish at that point and they fell in love.  After graduation Paulo took a prestigious job as a scientist in Norway.  Gerta got a job in a furniture store and limped along with her French and English until she learned Norwegian.  After five years Paulo had made a name for himself and was hired by the United Nations.  They moved to New York City and lived there for 30 years.  


I asked Gerta if she missed the world travel.  "I've seen enough." She told me.  "The UN was just our base.  We traveled to Japan and Austria and Italy and Russia.... and other places I can't remember right now."


Twenty years ago Gerta and Paulo were returning home from vacation when the weather got bad.  All the hotels were booked in Knoxville.  A man at a gas station told them to head for Asheville before they got stuck on the road.  They were stuck here for 3 days.  Long enough to fall in love with it.  The next year they came back and soon had purchased a retirement home in Candler.


Which is where I met them.  Candler.  And I enjoyed every minute of the four visits I had with them before Paulo died and Gerta headed out again.  This time to a sister in Florida.


I have a plan for the whole earth, a hand stretched out over all nations.  Isaiah 14:26