“We must tell people, Corrie. We must tell them what we learned,” said Betsie. The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom, is the biography of a woman in Holland during the Holocaust. The book starts out in 1937, in Haarlem, Holland. Corrie and her family were Christians who hid Jews from persecution by the German soldiers. Corrie was forced to make decisions and take actions all throughout different periods in her life. When her mother fell ill, she learned to care for someone who couldn’t do anything for her. During the time when the family was hiding the Jews, she was forced to be brave and strong. Finally, when her family was taken to the concentration camps, Corrie, with the help of her sister Betsie, was able to show love and compassion for the prisoners as well as the German soldiers. Corrie ten Boom was an honest, brave, and loving individual, which was shown in her actions.
In a person’s time of need, Corrie ten Boom’s mother, Cornelia (Cor) ten Boom, would always take food and a warm smile to help. She was an example of generosity, kindness, and selfless service to her family. Because she was always helping and caring for others, she was easy to love. Eventually, a she had a stroke and was partially paralyzed in her arms and legs, and lost her speech ability. Corrie took care of her, and learned what it meant to care for someone who could do nothing for her in return. This was an important lesson that she would use in her further ministry. Miraculously, her mother sang a hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus,” at her daughter Nollie’s wedding, but never spoke another word after that. Cornelia ten Boom died four weeks later with a smile on her face.
During the underground period, when the ten Booms were hiding the Jews in their home, Corrie was force to be brave. Because the Nazi soldiers seemed to be everywhere, they lived in constant fear of being found out. In the middle of the night, her family would wake her up and ask about