They were little previews of heaven, these evenings beneath the light bulb.”Ĩ. And then we would hear the life-giving words passed back along the aisles in French, Polish, Russian, Czech, and back into Dutch. Because only the Hollanders could understand the Dutch text, we would translate aloud in German. With each moment, the crowd around us would swell… At last either Betsie or I would open the Bible. But as night after night went by and no guard ever came near us, we grew bolder… A single meeting might include a recital of the Magnifacat in Latin by a group on Roman Catholics, a whispered hymn by some Lutherans, and a sotto-voce chant by Eastern Orthodox women. Corrie writes in her book The Hiding Place, “At first Betsie and I called these meetings with great timidity. During their time in the concentration camp after long, hard days of work, Corrie and her sister Betsie held worship services in their barracks with the other women, using a Bible they had managed to sneak into the camp. They will listen to us Corrie, because we have been here.” Twelve days later, Corrie was miraculously released from prison due to a “clerical error.” A week after her release, all of the female prisoners from her age group were killed.Ĭorrie Led Worship in Concentration Campsħ. Just days before her death, Betsie said these words to Corrie, which many people still quote to this day, “There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. The sisters were able to stay together throughout their imprisonment, until her sister Betsie died on December 16, 1944. When her 84-year-old father was told he could be condemned to death for saving Jews, he responded, “It would be an honor to give my life for God’s chosen people.” He died soon afterwards in the Scheveningen prison, and Corrie and her sister were deported to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp. All of Corrie’s family were arrested and imprisoned. Miraculously Saved from Concentration CampĦ. Although the Secret Police suspected there were more persons actually hiding in the house, even after careful search, the 4 Jews and 2 resistance fighters were kept hidden until they were rescued by other members of Corrie’s network several days later. Gestapo agents kept the watchmaker’s shop under surveillance throughout the day, then arrested every person who attempted to enter the house, and the entire ten Boom family also, 30 in all. He had entered the shop saying he was Jewish and seeking help for his wife who had been arrested. On February 28, 1944, Corrie and her family were betrayed by a man who was an informant. There in this small space, they would have to remain very still and quiet, until an all-clear was given.ĥ. There was a buzzer in the house which signaled danger as security sweeps came through the neighborhood, giving the refugees just over a minute to safely hide. This small space was the size of a small wardrobe closet and could hold up to six people at a time. The secret room built into Corrie’s bedroom behind a false wall became the hiding place and refuge for both Jews and those who were members of the resistance movement, sought out by the Gestapo and Dutch authorities. I think the rest of the world would agree.Ĭorrie Ten Boom Hid Jews behind Her BedroomĤ. According to Jewish custom, celebrating the same day for both birth and death is the unique sign of a very special individual. She moved to Placentia, California in 1977, and on her birthday in 1983, at the age of 91, she passed into Heaven’s gates. Corrie ten Boom was born in Haarlem, Netherlands on April 15, 1892, the youngest of 4 children. Her words and stories continue to have great relevance and impact in our world today.ġ0 Inspiring Facts and Stories You May Not Know about Corrie Ten Boom:ġ. God brought incredible beauty and healing through her difficult experiences. They began providing "hiding places" for Jewish people and Dutch resistance fighters in their home, helping many to escape the Nazi Holocaust. But when World War II broke out, this Dutch Christian family knew they had to offer help to those being persecuted. Evidence that God still uses all we walk through in this world for greater purposes and good, more than we could possibly ever imagine.Ĭorrie spent the first 50 years of her life living peacefully with her father and sister above their watch shop in Haarlem, Holland. Her deep wisdom came with the cost of journeying through tremendous pain in this life, yet even today, she has left us with amazing nuggets of truth from her experiences. Corrie ten Boom was one of the most godly, inspiring individuals that many of us have ever read words from.
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