Interview with Jadwiga, mother of Linda’s House of Hope foundress Linda Watson
I am 92 years old and was born on 18 March 1918. I have six children
(one deceased), 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. I am a
survivor of World War II. Originally I came from Poland which was
invaded by the Nazis in 1939. Jesus Christ shielded my family until the
defeat of the German army in 1945. I am grateful to Him for bringing us
through the war.
All my prayers have always been answered by God. I pray The Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary daily. During the occupation I would pray throughout the night.
The German soldiers threw grenades into our homes.
My husband was taken away along with the other men.
A Polish soldier told me to leave with my three year old daughter, Jolanta.
I escaped with Jolanta by going through the sewage in the canals.
During our escape I found several kilos of sugar and carried what I could to my nearby home.
I knew that I could use that in exchange for food and other necessities for us and many others.
Later, my husband managed to find us. We were all taken to a concentration camp in Germany and I was ordered to take snow off the train rails daily. I traded some of the sugar for another prisoner’s coat as Jolanta was cold. It was too big for her and had to be altered. I found 14 pieces of gold hidden in the collar. It saved our lives as we were able to use the money for food. We ate watered down soup and bread.
Every day people around me died. The sight of their shallow graves made me sick. I prayed, “My Jesus, help me. Please take me back to my Polish land as this land is burning under my feet.”
After a year the French soldiers delivered us.
Then the American soldiers came bringing with them food and water. They gave us chocolate. We hugged and kissed them.
My family and I returned to Poland after the war. We moved to Australia in 1950. By then my first husband had left me and our four children. I remarried and my second husband was an alcoholic. I told God, “I can’t take it any more. You gave me my children. Help me to raise them and change my husband.”
Through my prayers my husband woke up to himself, changed his life for the better and became a Christian.
Of the two children I had with my second husband, one became a prostitute. She then became a Madam and sold girls to men for a living. I prayed for her for 20 years.
Now she has left prostitution and instead runs, “Linda’s House of Hope” [an assessment centre for the aid and shelter of prostitutes. The women are provided with emotional support and practical support like referrals to drug rehabilitation, temporary accommodation, finance and community outreach. Enquiries and or donations contact Linda Watson on 0439 401 009 or 9358 1719.] She became Catholic in 2000.
Prayers are powerful. In my childhood, the nuns and my grandmother had a big influence on what I believe.
As a child I learnt the catechism by heart and I can still say it.
I believe God can move mountains even if you have faith the size of a mustard seed. People often lose sight of that.
Throughout my life I have seen the living hand of God and He has saved me many times. Without Him I could never have survived what I have gone through.
Got an amazing faith story? Email Deb Warrier at
dwarrier75@gmail.com