In March of 1942 7,000 American, British, and Dutch Japanese POWs on the island of Java were ordered into camps. Dolf Unger, a Corporal in the Dutch Royal Army was one of these soldiers. Newly married with an infant daughter Dolf was not to see his wife and daughter for over three years. This book is a compilation of articles, letters, and mementoes documenting his camp experiences. Dolf’s story is not just one of survival, but of spiritual transformation.

For Dolf this transformation began one cold fall day when he was forced to shovel scrap metal. In a moment of utter despair; as he cried out silently to God, he kicked a pile of scrap metal. God’s answer came in the form of a perfectly shaped four-inch iron cross, which landed on his boot. Dolf soon became involved in a Christian community in the camp called “The Church Under The Cross”. The spiritual growth and transformation of this community of sick, starving, and often beaten men offers a greater context to Dolf’s own spiritual Journey.

That Dolf’s witness and that of “The Church Under The Cross” speaks so unerringly to the church and culture of our own time hints that God’s providential hand is at work here. It witnesses to the many churches to mired in outdated tradition, and legalistic doctrine to the meet the challenges of a cynical materialistic culture. It also offers a powerful witness to the individual Christian that we can experience the saving, and liberating love of Christ even when our external circumstances seem hopeless.

How to Order:

E-Book Kindle Edition just released for $3.99 on amazon.com

Book Price is $16.95 and may be ordered by sending a check to the church – St. John’s United Church of Christ, 8065 William Penn Highway, Easton, PA 18045-2938. Shipping is included – no extra shipping charge.