Celebrating My Father Horst Krüger

We knew it for years that my father had a heart failure, obviously since his birth, however when my sister called me at the beginning of February, that he had to be taken to hospital, things started to become real for us.

His health deteriorated quickly and we had to be prepared for the worse. I immediately rushed to Germany to meet and see him. After about 10 days he was released from hospital, but the next days were very stressful for all our family. Nevertheless, just two days later, we were able to celebrate his 84th birthday.

My father was a strong man. He went through very difficult times already very early in his life. He was just 5 years old when he and his mother with his younger brother fled from his home in what is today Poland, to find refuge from the Russian invasion.

The years after the war in Germany were not easy and the whole family had to build up a new life, in a new environment, often with just the most essential to survive. His parents worked hard, my father worked hard during his teenage times during the hot summers, laying tracks and sleepers on the cargo railyard in Aachen-West. He oftentimes told me about that and was amazed to see how easy tracklaying is today.

In spring 1963 he married my mother Hildegard and already in autumn 1965 they decided to dedicate all his life for the work of G’d on the mission field far away in Southern Brazil, in Rio Grande do Sul. These years may have been even more difficult than some of the years after the war. There was no car, there was no electricity, there was no paved road, there was just jungle and very deep sub-tropical forest under a very harsh climate with temperatures ranging from about 0 to 45 °C.

Here they pioneered among German immigrants and brought the Word of God to thousands of desperate people, bringing hope and a changing life to many parts of the Northwestern part of the State and the State of Paraná. In the beginning there were just 9 small congregations. Today this work extends to many dozens of cities and had a great impact on many aspects of the society. Alcoholism and crime, fights and misery in many parts of this remote region, which became the cradle of soy beans in Brazil by another missionary a few years before went down and even mayors of cities became amazed about the miracles G'd was doing.

Radio work, Bible school, Sunday school, Church planting, Church building, Youth camps, and and and… the list would be too long to count all the works… Bringing the love of G’d to the next was his message. Loving the next as much as we love ourselves was the ultimate guideline in his life.

He met the late Brazilian President Jo?o Batista de Oliveira Figueiredo at the FENASOJA in Santa Rosa. He met many distinguished parliamentarians, politicians, sportsmen and others. But he knew all are as mortal as we all are.

He taught us so much in live. Working with wood, metal, bricks, singing. We had wonderful times with the family to Patagonia, to Chile. We saw things at ages many did not see during a whole lifetime. It was his constant quest for knowledge which is one of the biggest things he left to us.

In spring 1986 he returned with the family, now with 5 children, to Germany to take over the Mission Work Glaube Hoffnung Liebe in Aachen. What followed were years of restless work. We as family did see him rarely. He was at home mostly only on Mondays and Tuesdays. The rest of the week he was visiting Churches in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Romania, Poland, the United States and Canada and made the message of love of Christ available to many and made the Mission Work a stronghold for many missionaries in the following years in Brazil. Year after year he drove up to 100.000 km and more. Hundreds of flights followed. He supported ministries in Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, India, Sri Lanka, Mozambique and wherever it was necessary. Lending a helping hand was all he had in mind.

For almost 20 years he partnered with the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research and published the unique findings of this work into German language. I myself supported him during this time and learned to understand the Bible from the point-of-view of Jesus, a Jew. I am endlessly grateful for this time. His private library is a testimony of his interest in what is unique in the German speaking area.

In 2011, at the age of 71, after many efforts and a deep interest in learning more and achieving something that was denied to him after the difficult and humble years of war, he received his doctorate from the New Covenant International University. He was proud to be able to reach this milestone. The book that was subsequently published is unfortunately now out of print.

He wrote many books about different subjects pertaining to theological issues. Many are still available at bookstores. Others already out of print. His last book, about the father of our faith, Abraham, he started to write only at the end of last year. We are working on it to publish it in the near future.

He issued several LPs in the 60s and 70s. Later on some CDs in the 90s and just a few years ago, singing his favourite songs, not least the Biblical Songs of Anton Dvorak.

He visited Eretz Israel about 50 times, brought thousands of Christians to visit the land and understand the Jewish roots of our faith. He contributed to plant thousands of trees and make the country green. He met small and big ones. Meetings with the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and with the Nazi-Hunter Rafael “Rafi” Eitan are a few of the stations on this journey.

Above all, father always remained humble.

But since February, my father was not the same anymore. We saw he was weakened. And it was sad to see him like this. Never before in my life I have seen my father in bed, because now his strength was fading, or he had fever and the like. My father was a fighter during his whole life. He went out to work. He had fever while erecting brick walls, he continued to work on the last cross and altar for a new church, after a cut finger was quickly fixed in a hinterland hospital in Brazil. He was there for everyone always.

The last week was difficult for him. He wanted to see his Creator, the One he believed all his life. He could not wait for it anymore. His last words were: “Jesus wants that we help those who are in poverty and need! Jesus was a man who helped people in need. And we ought to do the same!"

He wanted to go on Shabbat. G’d heard his prayer. Father went on Shabbat. And is now celebrating the eternal Shabbat with his Lord.

We as family are saddened for the immense loss, but we know there will be an encounter again and we are forever grateful for having had him for such a long time!

A celebration for his life will take place on September 3rd 2024, at 9:30 CET in Aachen with the following burial.

May his memory be of eternal blessings!

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PS: If there is anyone who would like to contribute to his funeral, please contact me through private message.