Moving south…
Hello South Branch!
We have continued south for the past two days, traveling from Versailles/Paris to Potiers yesterday and now Limoges. For those of you who follow cycling, you will recognize Limoges as one of the stops of the Tour de France.
I was deeply saddened by a place called Oradur sur Glane. It was there, on June 8, 1944, that a fringe SS detachment entered a small village, rounded up every man, woman and child, and systematically executed the entire town. 644 people died that day at the hands of a Nazi squad overcome by hatred. To remind French people of the tyranny of external oppression, the French have left Oradur as it was the day it was destroyed. We walked past bakeries, butchers, schools, and a multitude of homes. All destroyed.
Our tour ended at the church in Oradur were the majority of the executions took place. The interior was riddled with bullet holes. This was an emotional place, because I was reminded that even the walls of a church building could not protect the innocents from the hatred of the enemy.
I am still processing what I saw. In the meantime, I trust my eternity with Jesus.
Blessings and peace,
Tom
