Olga Kováræová Campora

This is one of those rare books that kept bringing tears to my eyes as I read it. There were many parts that I wanted to remember. Rather than use a highlighter, I copied them here.

“Indeed, I was born in a time when no news in a Czeck newspapers could produce any real excitement for life. Life was filled with twisted lies from the top to the bottom, as was the news in any newspaper.” Page 2

“… the Communists and the secret police - were always somehow unsure when they saw someone happy, dancing and singing. The Communists claimed that their political system should bring people “happiness,” and they didn't understand how someone could have fun or behave so happily when his or her joy didn't originate from the Communist source of thoughts and doctrines. Whatever the reasons, [they] thought it intolerable to express joy publicly and openly.” Page 4

“I struggled myself with the Communist slogan that “the school rears the young child instead of the family.” the family was always recognized as occupying the second place, which troubled me.” Page 13

“Our country's Communist government know very well why they didn't allow Czeck citizens to travel from Czechoslovakia to the west: the experience would certainly open your eyes, ... Perhaps what they really saw was simply a clearer picture of the things they were going to try to snuff out of us - happiness, initiative, freedom, and the right to stand on the street corner and say, ‘I believe in God.’ ” Page 14-15

“.. my all-time simple favorite - fresh bread with a little bit of butter and slices of fresh tomato on top.... It is heavy, with a great crust on the top and caraway seeds inside, and it has a chewy texture and an unbelievably wonderful sour taste. You can eat it without anything else and still be totally satisfied.” Page 17-18

“The political atmosphere in my country in the 70s was opposed to religion with such hostility that if the school found out you attended any church and that you have desires to study at the university level, your application would simply be rejected. You would pass all the hard exams and then the university would write you a letter ... ‘You were not admitted.’ ” Page 22 23

“I always felt a great amount of joy as I participated in sports events. Although it might sound strange, I do believe that that was one of the many gentle ways Heavenly Father taught me to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, as I reach a finish line or gave the last direct hit in fencing after long minutes of tactics and strategy. It was a kind of joy, which didn't focus only on the excitement of winning but also on my happiness at overcoming the old person inside me and at consciously participating in becoming someone new. In those moments as the heart was pumping vigorously, I always felt more capable of accomplishing many other goals which didn't have any direct link to sports ...” Page 31

“... although I had not thought about my beliefs or labeled myself, I was a long time atheist - a victim and product of the Communist school system I had grown up with. I realized that whatever my faith was, it was somehow affected by all the thoughts that came to me from school. “Ten thousand times repeated, a lie becomes true” was my life's reality. It was hard to admit it, but it was bitterly true. I found that I was against anything that smelled of Communist ideology but I also suddenly saw that my own life was focused only on fighting against the wall of the current ideology I lived in, and I had not found my own proactive direction. I realized I had forgotten about my private, personal well-being while fighting. I hadn’t made any time and effort except to fight against the dragon. Later I realized that one of Satan's powerful tools is to surround a person with something so obviously negative that the person spends all his or her energy only on nonsensical fighting, instead of turning their backs to it and trying to find their own pace and direction.” Page 56

“The book (that she had borrowed) suggested that it is necessary to exercise yoga postures everyday, because they helped to establish the correct positive attitude toward one's body and mind.” Page 61

“I wished I could know a little bit more about Joseph Smith’s personality and his life, but there was no literature available to me. In the Communist encyclopedia I read that he was a madman who was mentally ill and suffered hallucinations. Well, that didn't sound too encouraging, but actually, I came to a good conclusion about that “information.” I told myself, that's great! If the Communists say something like that, they must be afraid of something very important about that man. This approach usually worked with any kind of searching I did in the Encyclopedia; if there were too many negative points from the Communists point of view, there had to be something really good and important to look for. It was like a hidden sign to me.” Page 80-81

Page 91 She began teaching yoga classes.
Page 92 It was easy to spot the secret police that came to the yoga class.

Chapter 8 describes how yoga classes strove to bring more joy into the people's lives to introduce them to the idea that there can be greater happiness in their own lives.

Chapter 12: “I was questioned by the police on a few other occasions. They were always curious as to why my yoga activities were meeting with such success, but they never found out the real answer.” Page 147

Chapter 13: “After my exhausting and frightening experience with the police, I gain new strength and testimony in one area of my life. I stopped being fearful of Communist for good.” Page 149

“More than 90% of bumper sticker messages I have seen would translate into an immediate prison stay for a Czeck person under Communism,” I shared with a friend of mine and he laughed and couldn't understand that something so silly would bother Communists.” Page 186

“But also I realized that I couldn't ever be the same person I was before I left my country for the United States. Living in America had taught me to appreciate and see things from a different perspective. When I looked back at my life, I realized I couldn't ever be pure Czeck again, nor could I become a pure American. The two cultures had blended in my soul and spirit and created a new person.” Page 224

“We need to balance our thinking and our quest for gospel knowledge with an equally large amount of service to the Lord.” Page 225

“Whenever I serve in a new church calling, I always ask these questions in the beginning: What needs to be achieved in this work? How can I be a good instrument in the Lords hands as I work towards these goals? What existing talents do I need to use in my new calling? What new talents do I need to learn, in order to fulfill the calling?” Page 227

“The president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, eloquently described Communism’s destructive influence in a speech that I heard him give at George Washington University … as he accepted an honorary degree. He said, “Communism was far from being simply the dictatorship of one group of people over another. It was a genuinely totalitarian system; that is, it permeated every aspect of life and deformed everything it touched, including all the natural ways people had evolved of living together. It profoundly affected all forms of human behavior.” Page 230-231

“I gained a stronger testimony every time I taught gospel principles during a yoga lecture or camp and every time I wrote an article promoting solid Christian values, even if the article appeared in the form of a Communist newsletter sent to Brno educators.” Page 232-233

“During my early years of church membership in Communist Czechoslovakia, I generally felt that I would be protected and that my life would be well in the end. I didn't know, however, and could not even imagine that just seven years after my baptism, the incredible forceful Communist government would fall early one morning, just like the sun burst forth unexpectedly in the middle of a rainy day in Florida, and a new opportunity for a meaningful life would suddenly rise up for all Czeck citizens.” Page 233

… (mehr)