Corrie ten boom - In my father’s house

In My

Fathers

House

Corrie ten Boom

The Years Before the Hiding Place

In My

Fathers

House

Lighthouse Trails Publishing

Eureka, Montana

In My Fathers House by Corrie ten Boom

Copyright 2011 Corrie ten Boom Fonds

2011 Lighthouse Trails Publishing Special Edition

Lighthouse Trails Publishing, LLC

P.O. Box 908

Eureka, MT 59917

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recordings, or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher. All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version.

Cover Design by Lighthouse Trails Publishing;

For photo and illustration credits, please see page 193.

First Edition Copyright 1976 by Corrie ten Boom and Carole C. Carlson Published by Fleming H. Revell Company

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ten Boom, Corrie.

In my fathers house / Corrie ten Boom.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-9846366-2-4 (softbound : alk. paper)

1. Ten Boom, Corrie. 2. Christian biography--Netherlands. I. Title.

BR1725.T35A34 2011

269.2092--dc22

[B]

2011005072

Contact and ordering information in back of book.

Printed in the United States of America

When my parents were married, many years ago, they claimed Psalm 32:8 as their life verse, the promise which they felt was Gods assurance for them.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

This promise became the special directive for my life as well.

Corrie ten Boom

Cornelia (Corrie) ten Boom

Born April 15, 1892

Holland

Inheritance

emarkable , extraordinary... Peter, where did Cook find strawberries in the midst of winter? The Dutch merchant summoned his butler and pointed to the luscious fruit in the silver compote. Even in the home of great wealth this was an amazing luxury in the early 1800s.

Its the gardener, sir... Ten Boom. He does some miraculous things in that hothouse of his.

Ten Boom, you say. Hmm, must remember him. Astounding! Bring me some more, Peter, with lots of thick cream.

My great-grandfather Ten Boom grew those plump strawberries during the chilling months when ruddy-cheeked children skated over the canals. He was no ordinary gardener, but a master craftsman who caressed the soil into performing miracles. He experimented with plants, manipulating them between an ice cellar and a hothouse, until he produced the fruit which was served at the dinner table of his employer, one of the richest men in Hofstede, Bronstede, and Heemstede.

Those simple strawberries saved my great-grandfather from jail!

It was during the time of Napoleon; Europe was trembling from the onslaught of the evil little man from Corsica. Swaggering across the continent, victorious in war, the French emperor conquered country after country and forced men into submission. The government of Holland was ruled by Napoleons followers and their oppressive regime.

My great-grandfather was an independent man; he had spunk, but not much tact, Im afraid. He refused to submit to men who denied freedom to other men. However, Hollanders at that time had two alternatives: they were either obedient to those who served the strutting dictator, or they faced what could be very severe punishment.

Tyranny at any time in mans history demands loyalty.

One Sunday, Great-grandfather went to his church and heard the minister announce the opening hymn; the theme was from Psalm 21, but as the congregation began to understand the words, one voice after another stopped. They realized it was a pointed description of their political situation. Nobody dared to continue.

But Great-grandfather and the minister sang louder, a defiant duet (translated from the Dutch):

The evil one considers himself to be free from all bondage, and runs around, while he stirs the people. At the same time, the bad people assume they hold the reins of government, and they are being raised to the summits of honor.

Sad hearts and silent voices were encouraged by the bravery of the minister and the spunky gardener.

When news of Ten Booms traitorous act of defiance reached the authorities, he received a summons to appear at the town hall. He must have been prepared for the consequences, as he addressed the officer in charge.

What does this Mr. Snotneus [snot-nose] want with me?

First, he challenged the regime; then he hurled that contemptuous name at his accuser!

But where do strawberries fit into all this? Before Great-grandfather had a chance to be sentenced or taken to prison, his boss, who was a very influential citizen, interceded and had him pardoned. (A gardener couldnt grow fruit in jail, could he?)

My father told us this story of Great-grandfather and his personal challenge to the Napoleonic regime with a sense of joy.

Im glad he was a real man, Father said.

Over a hundred years later when people said to Father, Stop having Jews in your houseyou will be sent to prison, my father answered, I am too old for prison life, but if that should happen, then it would be, for me, an honor to give my life for Gods ancient people, the Jews.

From Generation to Generation

Willem ten Boom, my grandfather, was not strong like his father, so he chose a work which was not physically difficult. In the year 1837, Grandfather purchased a little house in Haarlem for four hundred guilders and set up shop as a watchmaker.

It was in 1844 that Grandfather had a visit from his minister, Dominee Witteveen, who had a special request. Willem, you know the Scriptures tell us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the blessing of the Jews.

Ah, yes, Dominee, I have always loved Gods ancient people they gave us our Bible and our Savior.

Beginning with this conversation, a prayer fellowship was started, with Grandfather and his friends praying for the Jewish people. This was an unusual idea among Christians at that time. The Jews were scattered throughout the world, without a country or a national identity; Jerusalem was a city torn by centuries of conflict. The attention of the world was not upon the Middle East, and yet a small group of Dutch believers met in a little Haarlem house, a watchmakers shop (later called the Beje), to read the Scriptures and pray for the Jews.

In a divine way which is beyond our human understanding, God answered those prayers. It was in the same house, exactly one hundred years later, that Grandfathers son, my father, four of his grandchildren, and one great-grandson were arrested for helping save the lives of Jews during the German occupation of Holland.

Another strutting dictator, more arrogant and insane than Napoleon, had planned to exterminate every Jew in the world. When Holland was controlled by Hitlers troops, many Jews were killed.

For helping and hiding the Jews, my father, my brothers son, and my sister all died in prison. My brother survived his imprisonment, but died soon afterward. Only Nollie, my older sister, and I came out alive.

So many times we wonder why God allows certain things to happen to us. We try to understand the circumstances of our lives, and we are left wondering. But Gods foolishness is so much wiser than our wisdom.