“Peter Bargen was just seven-years-old when he and his family narrowly escaped the Russian Gulag and almost certain death. Those relatives who remained in the USSR were not so fortunate. During Joseph Stalin’s reign (1929-1953), between 45 and 60-million people, among them thousands of Mennonites, perished through enforced exile, execution, famine and disease. Now, in a story that crossed continents and binds together generations, the discovery of a cache of rare and long-forgotten letters reveals the terrifying details of the Bargen family’s fate.”
Through the Desert Goes Our Journey:(2008) (57 min.)
An epic journey from the steppes of Uzbekistan to the American Midwest. Failed prophecies and deadly adventures left a thorny legacy for descendants of the 19th century Mennonite trek to Central Asia. But new revelations heal the wounds of the past. The writer of this documentary follows a modern pilgrimage from Kansas to the Silk Road kingdom of Khiva. The journey reveals lost chronicles of Muslim-Christian friendship and bravery in the face of Soviet
oppression. This film features vintage motion pictures never seen outside the Soviet Union and offers dramatic stories of survival that have remained locked away for more than a century. An Agile Arts production/Mennonite Historical Committee Presentation.