Thursday, November 02, 2006

Example of the faith: Corrie Ten Boom

Corrie Ten Boom was about 50 years old when WWII hit Holland. With her father and sister, she began to secretly hide Jews in their house to help them escape extermination by the Nazis.
They were reported by a 'friend' and carted off to jail. Corrie and her sister Betsie were transferred 3 times to different concentration camps, and finally to the notorious women's extermination camp, Ravensbruck. 96,000 women died at this camp during the war, one of which was Corrie's sister Betsie.
Corrie and Betsie went through living hell at the concentration camp, working long hours of hard labour, living in filth and lice with little food. But despite the awful conditions, their spirits rose above their physical circumstances and they constantly looked for opportunities to share God's love from their mini Bible that they had smuggled in. God used these two powerfully to bring light into one of the darkest places in history. She tells the story of these times in her book "The Hiding Place".
Corrie was released by 'fluke' only a week before all the other women in her unit were murdered. She then opened several homes and camps for survivors of the war to go and find healing and peace. God then called her to travel and tell the story of the power of love and forgiveness for our enemies. This part of her story is in "Tramp for the Lord".

Corrie Ten Boom was a normal human being who lived in a very difficult time. She was not perfect, and had many struggles, but God used her powerfully to bring healing to many. Her message of forgiveness, which she lived in forgiving her Nazi captors, was a powerful one that brought freedom to many people who were bound by unforgiveness. We can learn much from her experiences. Her books are very inspiring and I highly recommend them! :)