1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again (Ecclesiastes 11:1). Bonus Reading: Ecclesiastes 11

Less known than his Aunt Corrie, Peter was part of the ten Boom family that provided a safe house in Haarlem, the Netherlands, to which Jewish people escaped during the Nazi occupation. Peter and others extricated hundreds of Jewish children from orphanages ahead of the S.S. troops, who were collecting them to ship to concentration camps.

Peter also played the organ in a country church. Though it was forbidden by German decree, one Sunday Peter pulled out the stops and played the Dutch national anthem, while shocked but proud churchgoers stood and sang the words. For this act of defiance, Peter, then 16, went to prison.

After the war, Peter went around the world with the same message as his famous aunt: that forgiveness is the only answer to hatred. In Israel on one of his tours, he was felled by a heart attack. Prompt surgery was essential to save his life. The cardiologist spoke with his patient before the operation. "I see your name is ten Boom. Are you by any chance related to the ten Booms of Haarlem?"

"Yes," replied Peter. "That's my family."

The doctor replied, "And I'm one of the babies your family saved!"

—Harold J. Sala in Heroes

• Have you opened your bank account in heaven?

Thought to Apply: A man there was, though some did count him mad / The more he cast away the more he had.

—JOHN BUNYAN (author of Pilgrim's Progress, 17th century)

Credits: Adapted from —Thursday: Heroes (Promise, 1998)

Copyright © 2000 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity. For reprint information click here.

To sign up for a risk-free trial issue of Men of Integrity click here.

To order multiple copies of Men of Integrity for your men's group, click here.

 1 of 1

share this page

Prayer for the Week

Jesus, fill me with the abundant life promised in Your Word. Give me Your wisdom to live well.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter (All fields required)    RSS Feed   RSS Help