Reverend Mark led Collective Worship on Wednesday.  He talked about our value for the half term, forgiveness. 

He told us a true story about a lady called Corrie Ten Boom, who was a young woman in 1940 living with her parents and sisters.   The Ten Boom family were very happy together until the Second World War broke out. Soon, the family became concerned about some of the bad things that were going on. In 1940, soldiers marched into Corrie’s country, frightening and bullying people. The soldiers were especially unkind to the Jewish population. They hated these people so much that they marched them away from their homes and put them into horrible prison camps where they were treated badly.

One day, a Jewish woman with a baby in her arms came to Corrie’s house. ‘Please help me,’ she pleaded. ‘Can you hide my baby and me?’ The family showed compassion for this mother and her baby, and agreed to take them in. This was the beginning of Corrie and her family hiding many Jews. Sometimes, the family would hold a practice drill, a bit like the school fire drill. One of the family would press a buzzer and everyone would have to clear up and hide in the secret room as fast as they could. The aim was to be hidden in one minute. For a long time, the soldiers didn’t know that people were hiding in the house. God kept them safe.

However, one day, the soldiers found out what Corrie and her family were doing, and took them off to prison. At the time, there were six Jews hidden in the secret room, but the soldiers didn’t find them. Later, they were rescued from the room and escaped. The prison camp that Corrie ended up in was an awful place. However, she found that God was her hiding place even in prison. When she spoke to him in prayer and read the Bible that she had smuggled in, she found comfort and peace, which she shared with other people in the camp.

After many years Corrie was released from the prison camp. 

Corrie lived until she was 91 years old. After the war, she travelled around the world, explaining to people the importance of forgiveness and love.

Corrie forgave the people who had treated her and her family so badly.

Dear God,

Thank you for Corrie Ten Boom, and for all that she did to help others.

Please help us to stand up for those who are being treated badly in our world.

Amen.