Elisabeth Saunders

I was born in Kiel, Germany in 1941 in the middle of WWII. My mother had one sheep to feed

me. Kiel is on the Baltic Sea and was bombed so that no houses were standing. At 7 years old, I

cleaned mortar from bricks to help build our new house, a farmhouse. It took four years.

My father owned and Elevator factory where he employed 60 people, even during the war. In my

family, we were expected to know the rules without being taught; good grades were required; my

father was very strict. We were allowed fun and we were able to go into the forest and to lakes

on our bikes.

I was enrolled in dance school ( Tanzschule) at 14 years old and at 17 I attended Engineering

School where I studied Technical Physics. At age 20, I attended “Household School” to learn

how to properly keep a house and home.

When I was 22 years old, I left for the USA without telling my parents to be a nanny for the

Swift family in Chicago. A year after, I moved to California where I met my husband, Dick

Saunders. In time, we moved to Leavenworth, WA. With him, I was introduced to Jesus by

missionary family members and at 30, on a trip to Denmark, I opened my heart to Jesus.

My real test came when at 45, my husband divorced me. This was a very sad time in my life and

for our five children, but I glued myself to Jesus and dedicated myself to work. Soon, I started

Haus Lorelei which my children and I ran together for years. I started a new life 20 years after

running the bed and breakfast. Haus Lorelei was one of the best experiences in my life.

Now, I feel I am a learner, no different from anyone else.