"This is what the past is for! Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for the future that only He can see."
- Corrie ten Boom,
The Hiding Place
One of my favourite traditions when traveling to a new place is to visit the home of an author. Some of the residences I have had the privilege to step foot inside of include Jane Austen in Chawton, England, Victor Hugo in Paris, C.S. Lewis in Oxford, John Keats in London and Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) in Wadowice, Poland.
About two months ago, I decided to pick up a book that has been on my reading list for quite some time. It is a book that my mom has often referenced over the years, one that she said I should definitely take the time to read, a real gem. I decided to finally read this book since I was moving to Holland, the homeland of this infamous writer. The book is called
The Hiding Place and was written by Corrie ten Boom. Before leaving the States, my mom and I decided we'd read it at the same time; she hadn't read it since when it was first published, and it would be my first encounter with this amazing memoir. The only foreknowledge I had was that it was a true story of woman who saved Jews during the German occupation of the Netherlands during WWII.
I know that I was supposed to read this, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. They are many lessons to be learned from this book, not just about war, sacrifice and hardship, but about trust, abandoning the will, and the greatest of all, love. I did some research on the internet and found out that the Beje, the home of Corrie and her family, is now a museum open to the public in Haarlem, not more than an hour drive from where we live in The Hague. I told my mom that we must do this while she was here! Ryan drove us to Haarlem and we received a very personal and special tour of the ten Boom home. Our tour guide, a devout Christian from New Zealand, was absolutely delightful. He was excited to know that my mom had the opportunity to see Corrie ten Boom speak TWICE, once in college, and another time at a Christian event. At the end of the tour, I was asked to read a poem that Corrie often used when she spoke around the world spreading the message of God's love and victory. I definitely felt her with me.
One of my favorite lines in the book is when Casper ten Boom, Corrie's father, gives out his loving advice through simple, yet very concrete images for his daughter to understand - something that Corrie herself learns to do later in an extraordinary way.
"Corrie," he began gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam - when do I give you your ticket?"
"Why, just before we get on the train."
"Exactly" And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes...you will look into your heart and find the strength you need - just in time."
Truly an incredibly woman, not of her own making, but of Christ's. Even Ryan, who rarely says much when I take him to places like this, looked around at the newspaper clippings, writings and tributes to Corrie's life and whispered to me, "I think she is the closest thing I've ever seen to a Protestant Saint." Indeed! If you have yet to read this book, I recommend that you do, it will change you, without a doubt.
 |
| The Beje, home of the ten Boom family |
 |
The Hiding Place - a small room inside of Corrie's bedroom which saved four Jews
after the Beje was raided by the Nazis |
 |
| Me on the roof of the Beje in Harlaam |
 |
The Alpina watch sign in the window which served as a secret signal
to let the "underground" workers know it was safe to enter |
