The following story is about Corrie ten Boom, as told in her book A Prisoner and Yet. It is similar to the story in Acts 12 when Peter was in prison and an angel helped him walk past guards and escape…the guards didn’t see him.
"Corrie” ten Boom died in 1983 at the age of 91. She was a devout Dutch Christian, and along with her family held a deep respect during World War II for the Jewish community in Amsterdam, considering them "God's ancient people.” She worked with her father who was a watchmaker; in 1922 she became the first woman watchmaker licensed in Holland.
Corrie, her father Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family members helped many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. They risked their lives by harboring those hunted by the Gestapo in their home behind the facade of the watch shop. The family hid the Jews in a secret room in their home, and are said to have saved nearly 800 lives.
On February 28, 1944, a Dutch informant told the Nazis of the ten Booms' activities, and the Gestapo raided their home. All of the family members were incarcerated; Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were sent to the notorious Ravensbrück concentration camp for female prisoners located near Berlin. All new prisoners were carefully searched for any type of contraband. Corrie had a Bible she wanted to keep, so she hid it under her dress.
She says, “It did bulge out obviously through my dress; but I prayed, ‘Lord, cause now Thine angels to surround me; and let them not be transparent today, for the guards must not see me.’ I felt perfectly at ease. Calmly I passed the guards. Everyone was checked, from the front, the sides, and the back. Not a bulge escaped the eyes of the guard. The woman just in front of me had hidden a woolen vest under her dress; it was taken from her. They let me pass, for they did not see me. Betsie, right behind me, was searched.”
A second group of guards searched them, but again Corrie was not seen. She wrote, “I knew they would not see me, for the angels were still surrounding me. I was not even surprised when they passed me by; but within me rose the jubilant cry, ‘O Lord, if Thou dost so answer prayer, I can face even Ravensbruck unafraid.’”
Living conditions were brutal, with meager rations and harsh discipline. Even so, Betsie and Corrie conducted secret prayer services in their barracks, using the smuggled Dutch Bible. The women voiced prayers and hymns in whispers to avoid the attention of the guards.
On December 16, 1944, Betsie died at Ravensbruck of starvation and lack of medical care. Corrie later recounted the following lines as Betsie's last words: "… (we) must tell them what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here.”
Two weeks after Betsie's death, Corrie ten Boom was released from the camp for reasons not completely known. Corrie often called this occurrence a miracle, as shortly after her release, all of the other women in her age group at Ravensbruck were executed.
Corrie ten Boom returned to the Netherlands after the war and set up a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors. In 1946, she began a worldwide ministry that took her to more than 60 countries. She received many tributes, including being knighted by the queen of the Netherlands. In 1971, she wrote a best-selling book of her experiences during World War II, entitled The Hiding Place.
The recent edition of “The Texas Gideon” tells another story about Corrie ten Boom.
“One Sunday in Copenhagen Corrie ten Boom, at eighty years of age, spoke on Romans 12:1. She urged her audience to present their bodies to Christ as living sacrifices. After church, two nurses invited her to their apartment for coffee, and Corrie went with them—only to discover that they lived on the tenth floor of a building with no elevator. The task of climbing those stairs was almost more than she could stand, and she wondered if she might die en route. ‘Perhaps I am leaving earth to go to heaven,’ she complained to herself.
“Finally arriving in the apartment, Corrie found the parents of one of the girls waiting there, wanting to be saved…both gloriously received Christ as their Savior.”
The Gideon President then stated: “This story is particularly relevant and important to us. Just how far are we willing to go to serve Christ? As men who witness to others and who share the Word, are we willing to go out of our way for the sake of the Gospel? We are living in tough times with this COVID-19 virus, which limits our activity. I am most concerned that we do what can be done safely for the Lord. Please join me in doing ministry activities that can be done safely and effectively.”
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And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15. NLT
…you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. 1 Peter 3:15-16 NLT
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Romans 12:1 NLT
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If you liked this story and would like a copy of either of my books,
they are available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format:
If you have a story or testimony that you think might bless others,
I invite you to send it by email to me (Kenneth Kersey) at godsotherways@me.com.
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