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Albert grew up in a Christian home. His father was a preacher who was taken from his home during the Russian revolution. Albert was born on December 16th, 1926 in a small Ukrainian village called Fischau. He was small as a child but later grew into a tall man with broad shoulders like his father. He lived in a house connected to the barn and tended the geese with his brother Gerhard at the age of seven.
At the age of seventeen he fled with his mother, younger sister and brother from the Ukraine to Germany. This was during World War II. He was then conscripted into the German army but because he had polio enroute to Germany he did not have to go to the front lines where many of his friends were killed. At the end of the war he became a prisoner of war for one year. He then lived with his aunts in Germany and managed to locate his brother. His mother and sister had been sent back to Russia and many years later he heard from them. They were living in Siberia.
Albert had made a commitment to Christ during his time in prison and soon was asked to preach. He and Gerhard left Germany and went to Paraquay. Canada would not take them because they had a German tattoo on their arm. In Paraquay he got more training in Bible and preaching. After being alone for twelve years he made connections with Anna Eckert through letters. Anna had emigrated to Canada. After three years of writing letters she agreed to fly to Paraquay and get married to him though she had not seen him for many years. They got married on April 11th, 1956.
They raised five children while Albert worked as an evangelist in Paraquay and did much travelling on speaking engagements. His work was very successful. Later he and Anna also served in Columbia but their home remained in Paraquay. His story is well written by Dorothy Siebert in "Whatever It Takes" and is published by Christian Press.
- by Anna Kroeker
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