Nestled in the city of Haarlem, Netherlands, is a historic house with an impactful story. At its front entrance, quality watches were once sold and fixed for the public, while the remainder of the home was occupied by the shop’s owners: the Ten Boom family.
Though this home and business would appear unassuming, it held a heavy secret. In the thick of WW2, when Jews were targeted and taken, the love and compassion of the Ten Boom family shone brightly, and their home became a haven for the persecuted. Jews were kept safe from the Nazis in a particular hiding spot within the home—behind Corrie Ten Boom’s bedroom wall.
Though the family hasn’t lived in this house since 1945, their story of compassion and forgiveness lives on and continues to impact the public to this day.
After reading The Hiding Place, written by Corrie Ten Boom in 1971, a professor from the USA went to see the Ten Boom’s house assuming it had become a museum. Finding that it wasn’t, he approached Billy Graham with his idea: opening the Ten Boom house to the public would present an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel.
And so, on April 15th, 1988—Corrie Ten Boom’s birthday—the house was bought and opened to the public as a museum. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have come through via the six free tours offered each day.
“The tour guides—who are all volunteers—tell the message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and trust in God,” the Museum’s website explains.
“Since 1988, many thousands of people have been encouraged by this message and their visit to the Corrie ten Boom Museum. It was Corrie’s own wish that her parental home would be opened to the public so that visitors could… listen to the message of God’s great love for all mankind and of His plans for this world and His people of Israel.”
Margré Hays, one of the museum’s volunteers who also serves with Greater Europe Mission in the Netherlands, confirms the website’s statements. “I was leading a tour one day,” reflects Margré, “and this visitor says ‘Wow, this is not just a museum…you touched me here [pointing to his heart]; I’m going to go home a different person.’”
Even before committing to volunteer at the Museum, Margré saw its significance: “I’ve been in the Corrie ten Boom house 23 times bringing our guests and supporters that have come to visit us.” The Lord eventually led her to serve as a volunteer. “Now I get to share the Gospel in a very natural way, telling her life story,” she says.
Each tour guide chooses a theme as they recall the story of the Ten Boom family. Margré holds fast to the theme: God has a plan for your life, just like Corrie’s.
“I implement true stories throughout the [hour-long] tour of how Corrie came to know God’s plan for her life,” says Margré, “then add things like ‘And if you open your heart for Him, He will come and have a meal with you and will never leave you or forsake you, either.”
With the museum becoming quite popular among both the Dutch and international people, there is now a four month wait to go on a tour. With 15 people per tour and six tours a day, this museum has become an amazing ministry opportunity to share the Gospel, especially considering not everyone who visits are Christians.
“We recently had a young man from New York City on a tour,” Margré remembers. “I asked if he knew anything about Corrie Ten Boom, he said ‘No, I’m a history buff and I found out about this place, so I’m here.’… [And] we had three groups from a girl’s school from the UK… there were some Muslim girls and some Hindu girls—about 16-17 years old—and I just told the story of Corrie, and they really wanted to hear what we had to say.”
Though sharing the Gospel message with unbelievers is undeniably an amazing opportunity, sharing it among fellow Christians has proven to be significant as well.
“One day, a large group of Dutch pastors had booked a day out in Haarlem which included touring the Corrie ten Boom Museum,” Margré recalls. “We told the story of God’s love and forgiveness in a powerful way. In the end, the pastors were so impressed that they all promised the next Sunday’s sermon would have some of this tour in their preaching. Then they offered to pray for us because they realized what an incredible ministry we have!”
And what an opportunity it is! Let’s thank God for opening this door for ministry, and that more hearts would be opened as the faithful volunteers continue to boldly share the Gospel.
If you’re left feeling inspired to visit this special museum but aren’t planning to travel to the Netherlands anytime soon, take heart! Virtual tours are available online, where you, too, can experience the Gospel message portrayed by the legacy of the Ten Boom family.
To tour the museum, find out more about it, or even donate to the Corrie Ten Boom House Foundation, visit: https://www.corrietenboom.com/en/home.
