Page 4 - March 2023 - Truth & Tidings

iegfried Jurgen Krauss was born in 1958, Fred came upon a small group of
a small mountain resort in Lower people preaching from the Bible. In about
SSilesia, Germany, on January 28, half an hour, the message of the crucified,
1936, to Rudolph and Melanie Krauss. buried and risen Saviour that came to seek
Fred was the second son of three boys. and to save that which was lost did what
His early days were happy and carefree, the doctrines of Nazism and communism
unaffected by the war that would soon could not do: it captivated his soul. He was
erupt in Europe. He learned the first invited to attend special gospel meetings
three commandments in the local village where he heard more of God’s way of sal-
Lutheran church; that was the extent of vation. On a Lord’s day night in October,
his religious instruction. In the spring of Fred stayed to talk to someone willing to
1945 the mountains and valleys suddenly explain salvation. In the reading of John
echoed with the frightful sound of heavy 6:37, “Him that cometh to Me, I will in
artillery day and night. The Krauss family no wise cast out,” were an invitation and
had to flee and leave everything behind. a promise that brought hope to Fred for
The next few years were unsettling, and the first time in his life. Soon, through the
the emotional trauma from the war left reading of John 5:24, Fred saw that Jesus
Fred’s heart empty, heavy and searching died for him and that God had laid on
for meaning even at this tender age. Christ, upon the cruel cross at Calvary, all
of his sins. He believed those words and
After the war, Fred wondered if there was saved that very night.
was a God. He had a burning desire to
Fred began attending Pape Avenue Gos-
know the purpose of life. Where was pel Hall, fellowshipping with the believers
justice? What is man’s purpose? Why am there, learning the Scriptures and enjoying
I here? Where was real happiness and the peace for which he had been searching.
peace to be found? He sought the answer In due time he was baptized and received
to these questions through religion, arts into fellowship. It wasn’t long before Fred
and philosophy, but all left him empty. began to hear God’s voice calling him into
He was restless and seeking. He recalled full-time work to tell others the marvelous
“having no rest or peace,” until he was on gospel. Over the course of six years, Fred
his way to Canada. After being robbed on continued to seek God’s will and partici-
the ship, he arrived in Toronto with just a pated in several gospel campaigns. One
couple of dollars and an address of where of these outreaches took place on a boat
he could lodge. in Newfoundland and Labrador during
Walking thoughtfully through a To- the summer months in the early 1960s
ronto park on a warm summer’s night in with fellow workers Burt Joyce, George

68 TRUTH kTidings March 2023