Holland. 1943. The hand of Hitler had infiltrated to the darkest corners and doused what light remained, cloaking the country in menacing shadows. Death rained down on those who chose to voice their dissent. Free Holland had lost It’s rights; lost It’s freedom; lost It’s voice.
Barteljorisstraat 19, Haarlem, Holland. The Ten Boom Watch Sho paka the Hiding Place–a safe house for Jews and the Dutch Resistance. From 1943-1944 the Ten Boom family saved an estimated 800 Jews and sheltered many underground workers.
February 1944. Betrayal. The Gestapo raided the Ten Boom home and throughout the day captured about 30 people including Casper Ten Boom(father), Corrie Ten Boom, Nollie Ten Boom, and Bessie Ten Boom(sisters),Willem Ten Boom(brother), and Peter(nephew). The Gestapo did not, however, find the 4 Jews and 2 Dutch resistance members in hiding and it was only after 47 hours of hiding in a tight space with no water and very little food that they were able to successfully escape.
Casper Ten Boom died 10 days after being imprisoned. The Gestapo asked him if he knew he would be put to death for helping Jews and he replied, “It would be an honor to give my life for God’s ancient people.” Peter and Nollie were each freed but Betsie, Corrie and Willem remained imprisoned. However, Willem contracted spinal tuberculosis and died. Betsie and Corrie spent 10 months in 3 prisons.
While imprisoned together, Betsie and Corrie were able to share the Gospel to the other prisoners and bring many to Christ. In such a place of death, there was life and hope in knowing that God was with them the whole time. Betsie later died in the infamous Ravensbruck Concentration Camp outside of Berlin. Corrie was later freed from Ravesbruck. The most important thing that she and Betsie had learned was that “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.”
Around my 7thgrade year, I found a book called “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom and I couldn’t put it down. I later read “Tramp For The Lord.” by Corrie and “Return To The Hiding Place”. Corrie talked about the trials she had when in prison and how her sister pushed her to love more; to be more forgiving; to be more thankful. While in Ravensbruck, Corrie and Betsie had a secret Bible and through witnessing and their testimony in Christ, they were able to bring many to Him.
“But as the rest of the world grew stranger, one thing became increasingly clear. And that was the reason the two of us were here. Why others should suffer we were not shown. As for us, from morning until lights-out, whenever we were not in ranks for roll call, our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of health and hope.
Like waifs clustered around a blazing fire, we gathered about it, holding out our hearts to its warmth and light. The blacker the night around us grew, the brighter and truer and more beautiful burned the Word of God.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
I would look about us as Betsie read, watching the light leap from face to face.More than conquerors…It was not a wish. It was a fact.
We knew it, we experienced it minute by minute–poor, hated, hungry. We are more than conquerors. Not "we shall be." We are!
Life in Ravensbruck took place on two separate levels, mutually impossible. One, the observable, external life, grew every day more horrible. The other, the life we lived with God, grew daily better, truth upon truth, glory upon glory.
Sometimes I would slip the Bible from its little (sack) with hands that shook, so mysterious had it become to me. It was new; it had just been written. I marveled sometimes that the ink was dry…I had read a thousand times the story of Jesus' arrest–how soldiers had slapped Him, laughed at Him, flogged Him. Now such happenings had faces and voices.
After being released from Ravensbruck, Corrie began a world-wide ministry that took her into over 60 countries. She was later knighted by the Queen of Holland. Corrie died on her 91stbirthday, April 15th1983.
Corrie’s story is one of amazing strength and faith in God when so easily she could have given up and lost hope in Him. Because of her perseverance and unfailing trust, God blessed her time and time again. Blessed her with a Bible that saved countless women. The strength to fight another day. Even a bottle of medicine that yielded a miraculous amount of medication. Corrie lost her father to the Nazis as well as her sister and brother, was slapped, imprisoned in a hellish place of torment and she went unwillingly. However, she never lost sight of the purpose God had for her and how important it was to stay focused on Him. She remained faithful to the end.
Through whatever struggles we face each day; through whatever wall that may be placed in our path; through whatever terrors that surround us, I say to not only myself but to you who read this- never lose hope in God. Never lose sight of Him who has the power to free us. Sometimes we may not see the purpose God has in mind, but there most certainly is one. We often look just a couple of feet in front of us at all the issues we are dealing with instead of seeing the purpose for it all 10 or 20 feet ahead of us.
One of my most difficult struggles is fundraising. Why is it so difficult?! Why do I even have to do it?! Why can’t I just tell people that I need to raise $15,500 and someone hand me a $15,500 bill? Why can’t the money just magically appear in my account? Because trust and faith that God is God is imperative. Because it’s imperative to have patience and know that God has His timing and it may not be when we want it to happen. What better way to prepare us for an 11 month journey than teach us about faith and trust; than to teach us to depend on God from the very start?
As I said, this has been a struggle for me. God has brought me through 7 months of fundraising and I’m now sitting at $4,100, just $2,400 away from my financial deadline on December 18thand $11,400 away from being fully funded. I couldn’t have gotten this far without the blessing of God and those who’ve donated and I just want to say thank you. It means so much to me for people to support me and believe in what I’m doing with my life and where I’m going.
I’ve found out that if I don’t raise the $2,400, I won’t be launching with my squad. I believe God has called me to this trip and I believe that God has put the calling of missionary work on my life and I’m believing that God will provide that money. Why shouldn’t I believe it? $4,100 has already been provided and I’ve grown so much in Him! It’s going to happen! I’m going to go on this trip and it’s time to declare that! There’s no obstacle too high for God. No mountain too big to move. God is my hiding place. God is who I turn to and acknowledge. He is the One I trust in and have faith in Him. Failure is not an option.
If you’d like to donate, check out that “Brother, can you spare a dime” link to the left! Thank you 🙂 🙂
