I had the privilege of meeting Corrie ten Boom before she died and hearing her story first-hand. She told me that she dreamed of her family’s home being restored as a witness of their love for God’s Chosen People. After her death, I flew to the Netherlands to visit the clock shop and follow God’s leading. As I walked around the shop, I asked about seeing the upstairs, where a total of 800 Jews had been hidden and saved during the Holocaust.
The owner advised me that the door was kept locked, as the area was only used for storage. My heart broke. I felt that the ten Boom clock shop should be open as a testimony to the world of the love of a Christian family for the Jewish people. As I stepped through the door onto the sidewalk, I prayed, “Lord, I want to buy this house and restore it. If it is Your will, please help me.” That evening, I drew a prayer circle around my desire to fulfill Corrie’s wishes. Knowing that Psalm 91 was her chapter of promise, I opened my Bible and read: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:1–2).
The next morning, I awoke confident in God’s answer. I returned to the clock shop and asked the owner if he would sell the shop to me. Just as he refused my offer, the clocks in the shop began to chime the noon hour. He turned to me and asked if I knew what day it was. I mentioned the day of the week. “No,” he said. “That is not what I meant—today is April 15, Corrie’s birthday. In her honor, yes, I will sell the shop to you!”
When the sale was complete, I vowed that no one would ever pay a cent to visit the ten Boom home—that the story of God’s love would be available to all. Since its restoration was completed, the clock shop has been open, free of charge, to thousands of visitors. Many leave with tears of remembrance and grateful hearts for the family that gave their lives to help Jewish people escape Hitler’s plan from hell. Some who have come were relatives of the people whose lives were saved by the courageous ten Boom family. All the work there is done on a volunteer basis. No one, including the board of directors, of which I am chairman, has ever received any compensation for our work, and we have paid all our own expenses.
