An Amazing Story From Siberia

I just received this from a friend:

It is February in this remote Siberian town and the temperature is an unbelievable minus 47 degrees Centigrade. Even vodka will not pour at that temperature and most of the 350 people attending this event wish they had some, if only to numb the cold.

This event was the grand opening of the first Hubbard College in Siberia, and the first time the attendees had heard of L. Ron Hubbard... or so we thought.

Picture yourself being in one of these large Russian style lecture halls. One used by the local people for both political and social gatherings and where the temperature in the hall is only somewhat warmer than outside but does protect from the wind chill. Now look to your right and you will see ice covered windows where the weak sun tries to make its way through.

The Hubbard College in Moscow had trained a group of Russians to open and operate the Hubbard College of Siberia. This was the Grand Opening and all of the major opinion leaders were at this two day event. Nearing the end, those who had studied Mr. Hubbard’s works were invited to come to the microphone that had been set up in the front of the auditorium to share their wins and successes.

As they were coming to the front of the auditorium, we noticed an older woman that we did not recognized. Someone asked me, "Who is that?" I commented that I had never seen her before and immediately wondered who this person was and more importantly what was she about to say to this huge audience!

She introduced herself as a retired school teacher from a small town about 800 miles north in one of those small villages in the most remote part of Siberia. She went on to explain that 8 days ago she had received a newspaper in the mail containing an article about the pending opening of the Hubbard College and wondered could this possibly be the same Mr. Hubbard?

This story begins in the 1970’s when she was appointed to a delegation of teachers who were to attend a State sponsored educational symposium in Communist East Germany. While there she was able to get a pass into West Berlin so she could do some shopping. While looking into the display window of a woman’s cloth store, she was approached by someone selling books. Yes, it was a German translation of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. She purchased the book and began reading it immediately, spending most of the day on a park bench, engrossed in the book, rather than shopping as she had originally intended. It did not take her long to understand that she had in her hands an important work; one the authorities would probably object to. She made up her mind to smuggle it back to her small village where she was the senior teacher.

She said how she attentively read every line about ten times to make sure she fully understood it. More than that, she went on, she used the book to gain an understanding of people around her and to apply it first had. She described how after using Dianetics techniques on her husband for some hours, she had cured him of being a hopeless alcoholic and went on to cure factory workers, miners, farmers and their families of any number of ills. Quickly, her students were no longer taken ill during the winter months where 30% absenteeism is normal. Their grades soared way above the national average and as one might guess, she became the subject of an investigation. No one had achieved the academic and attendance records that she had and they wanted to know why?

When the authorities arrived, she went over all of her methods explaining what and how she achieved such stellar results. They asked where she learned to do these things and she promptly produced her worn-out Dianetics book. This created quite a stir and as she had anticipated the officials confiscated her Dianetics book and strongly reprimanded her for using unapproved propaganda in her school.

She looked on as they departed with just the right amount of visible anguish and as they disappeared into the Siberian night, this sly grin worked itself into the corners of her mouth as she returned to her small house where she had safely hidden her hand written translation of Dianetics. She had been using this translation to teach others in the village how to use Dianetics techniques!!! In fact she had made 5 copies, anticipating this moment, and had them hidden around the village in friends’ houses and farms.

She explained to the audience that once she saw Mr. Hubbard’s name in the newspaper, she somehow knew it was the same Mr. Hubbard and with the help of the people in her village, they came up with enough money for her to make this trip. She had traveled in the dead of a Siberian winter for days, riding first in a truck, then a cold rail car and then by bus so she could simply tell someone THANK YOU! from herself and the people of her village.

By this time, we could hardly speak.

We just stood there, chocked up and with huge tears running down our faces. We now had a new understanding of WHAT ONE BOOK CAN DO.