Corrie Ten Boom died on April 15, 1983. In 1944, she, her father, and sister Betsie, devout Christians, were arrested for hiding Jews in their home in Nazi occupied Holland. Their father died ten days later. She and Betsie were sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp.

Corrie was consoled by the Bible, which "was simply a description of the way things were--of hell and heaven, of how men act and how God acts." She had read about Christ's arrest and torture. "Now such happenings had faces and voices." For Christ, defeat was the path to victory.

But it was Betsie who taught the deeper lesson: "What better way could there be to spend our lives? These young women. That girl back at the bunkers. If people can be taught to hate they can be taught to love! We must find the way, you and I, no matter how long it takes."

Betsie whispered: "We must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been there." She died the next day. "Now what tied me to Betsie was the hope of heaven."