Corrie Ten Boom

This month in my ward's book club we read The Hiding Place and I LOVED it. I want to be like Corrie Ten Boom...just ask Jayce, that's what I kept on leaning over and telling him as I got further and further into the book. It's about a woman named Corrie Ten Boom and her family from Haarlem, Holland. They were a major part of the anti-Nazi underground in Holland during World War II. They arranged safe havens for Jews all over the country and hid a number of Jews in their own home, which had a "secret room" installed in it. They were finally caught by Nazi soldiers and Corrie and her sister, Betsie, go to a number of awful jails and finally end up at a women's extermination camp in Germany called Vught.

The story is full of inspiring messages, stories, and miracles that occur during this journey. Essentially, it all revolves around Christ-like love. This little Christian family in Holland was able to make all the difference in the lives of so many Jewish escapees. This family's faith got them through situations that I cannot even imagine being in.

The book closes with her coming face to face with one of the guards from Vught. She had just been preaching about Jesus Christ to a congregation in Germany when he comes up to her after and thanks her for her message. In her words,

"His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?
...I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.
And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
How amazing is it to hear stories from people all across the world who are testifying of Christ's ability to heal? There are so many wonderful people in the world.
There's my little plug to read The Hiding Place if you ever get the chance. You won't regret it!