At about 11 we returned to the Corrie ten Boom Museum for our scheduled tour. I stood outside of the shop that had been the ten Boom family's clock and watch shop since 1837. The ten Boom family were a Christian family who live out their life serving others and their home was always open to anyone in need because they live out their faith by loving and helping others. They were most active in doing social work in the town of Haarlem and their faith inspired them to serve both the church and society at large.
During the Second World War their home became a refuge for fugitives and hunted people. They practised non-violent resistance to the Nazi oppresses and a great risk they head many Jews and students who refused to cooperate with the enemy. All the family were involved in helping save Jews and other people and they worked with the Dutch underground resistance movement.
We sat in the lounge room where the family met each week to hold Bible studies with their church family but this room was also used as A place of refuge for those playing the Nazi oppression. It was a strange feeling sitting in the fairy room where Jewish people have hidden during the war and where they have been protected from Hitler's gangs of Gestapo who hunted down Jews.
The family hid refugees in their home until it was 'safe' to smuggle them to other families. The ten Boom family created a secret room behind a false wall in Corrie's bedroom. Ken and I stood in this narrow space and tried to imagine how scary it would have been to have been behind the brick wall knowing that powerful cruel men stood on the other side.
Even crawling through the narrow opening at the bottom of the cupboard we found was difficult and then to stand in the narrow space behind a brick wall would have been claustrophobic. Today a section of the wall has been cut out so that people can appreciate the narrowness of this hiding space. This area could hold up to 6 adults standing side-by-side. There was usually a bucket and some small food and water supplies to last a day or two if refugees had to spend time there hiding from the Gestapo.
On February 28, 1944, family was betrayed to the Gestapo and the house was raided by the secret police. Six members of the family and almost 30 friends were arrested and taken to prison. Casper, Corrie's father (84), Betsie (59) and Christiaan (24) died as prisoners, while Willem (60) died after the war. The Gestapo did not find the 4 Jews and 2 members of the Resistance hiding in the secret room. However, the refugees had no food or water because it had not been placed there that day when the sudden raid took place. Fortunately, other Resistance members were able to free the hidden refugees after for 2 1/2 days and all of them survived the war.
Corrie and her sister Betsie were taken to Ravensbruck concentration camp where they were badly treated and had to do hard labouring work outdoors in all kinds of conditions. Carrie was able to smuggle a Bible into the camp and she comforted many ill and dying women in the camp with the message of the gospel and God's love for all people. Betsie died in the camp but Corrie survived the long hard years with God's Word as an encouragement to her and a reminder that in all circumstances God works for our good. 
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