Why is corrie ten boom important

One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin.

Betsie, how thin you were! Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. However, the Nazis failed to find the six people hiding in the secret room. They were rescued two days later by the Dutch resistance movement. He died ten days later.

Sister Nollie was also released. Over the next ten months, Corrie and her sister Betsie were shuttled from Scheveningen to Vugt concentration camp in the Netherlands, finally ending in Ravensbruck concentration camp near Berlin, the largest camp for women in German-controlled territories.

The prisoners were used for forced labor in farm projects and armament factories. Thousands of women were executed there. Living conditions were brutal, with meager rations and harsh discipline. Even so, Betsie and Corrie conducted secret prayer services in their barracks, using a smuggled Dutch Bible.

The women voiced prayers and hymns in whispers to avoid the attention of the guards. On December 16, , Betsie died at Ravensbruck of starvation and lack of medical care. Corrie later recounted the following lines as Betsie's last words:. Two weeks after Betsie's death, ten Boom was released from the camp due to claims of a "clerical error. Shortly after ten Boom's release, all of the other women in her age group at Ravensbruck were executed. Corrie traveled back to Groningen in the Netherlands, where she recuperated in a convalescent home.

In May , she rented a house in Bloemendaal, which she converted into a home for concentration camp survivors, fellow wartime resistance collaborators, and the disabled. She also set up a nonprofit organization in the Netherlands to support the home and her ministry.

In , ten Boom boarded a freighter for the United States. Once there, she began speaking at Bible classes, churches, and Christian conferences. Throughout , she spoke extensively in Europe and became affiliated with Youth for Christ. Trauma often leaves us wounded, feeling as if we are grasping onto fragments, yet Corrie understood that this does not define those who have been through trauma.

People are still able to make beautiful music in the face of trauma. As time passes, through healing, we will survive to create again. I firmly believe The Hiding Place will speak to generations to come. It tells the story of a fierce woman who empowered others, particularly women.

A family whose faith was more important than their lives. Two sisters who taught me lessons that will stay with me for years to come. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Skip to content. Social Work Values Two social work values Corrie demonstrates in through her work are service and social justice. The Power of Listening Another beautiful lesson we can learn from Corrie is the power of listening. Wounded Germany can still Play Beautiful Music In the story mentioned above about Corrie asking a woman about her story, Corrie learned the woman was a pianist.

References ten Boom, C. Their faith inspired them to serve the religious community and society at large. In the s and '30s, the Ten Boom family took in many foster children, whose parents were doing missionary work. During the Second World War, the Ten Boom home became a refuge, a hiding place, for fugitives and those hunted by the Nazis.

By protecting these people, Casper and his daughters, Betsie and Corrie, risked their lives. This non-violent resistance against the Nazi-oppressors was the Ten Boom's way of living out their Christian faith. During and into , there were usually people illegally living in the Ten Boom home: some of whom were Jews and others members of the Dutch underground. Additional refugees would stay with the Ten Booms for a few hours or a few days until another 'safe house' could be located for them.

Through these activities, the Ten Boom Family and their many friends and co-workers of 'the BeJe group' saved the lives of an estimated Jews and other refugees.