Corrie might seem like an unusual name for a girl, but it was a deliberate and personal choice. We wanted to share how we came to name and bless our dear daughter.
Long before Corrie was born, I had girl names chosen for the day when we would finally welcome a daughter into our family. I realize that the genders of my children is completely out of my control, but I like to think that God extends special grace to neurotic moms like me.
Choosing the name for our firstborn was surprisingly easy and incredibly special. Little did we know that this naming convention would carry through to our other children. After naming our boys, we developed a naming convention. First names are chosen to honor notable heroes of the faith. English middle names are based on biblical virtues that are significant to the time they were chosen. Korean middle names are chosen by Alex’s grandfather. Japanese middle names are chosen by my mother. (Side note: We agreed that Korean middle names could come before Japanese middle names because I got to choose H’s English middle name. I’m not sure if that’s really fair, but I conceded). Chinese names, although not official, are based on either their Korean or Japanese names, depending on which one sounds most acceptable.
Our children are blessed with names packed full of meaning. And I mean packed! Their names do not fit on any form known to man and create an interesting challenge any time official paperwork needs to be submitted. We’ve attempted to leave out their Korean and Japanese names on paperwork, but they are very particular about everything matching up to the birth certificate. So for as long as this system continues, our children will be forced to fill out all of their names on every official document from now until they leave this earth. Sorry guys!
Our daughter’s full name is Corrie Temperance Hyowon Airi Han. Corrie was chosen to honor Corrie ten Boom. Corrie, the original, was born Cornelia ten Boom, but called Corrie for short. She was a Dutch Christian woman of notable faith and courage. Her autobiography, aptly named The Hiding Place, tells her inspiring story. The ten Boom family provided shelter and safety for a number of Jews during the Nazi regime. They were eventually sent to the camps themselves; she the only survivor. During her time in the camps, she was a brave and bold witness for Christ. She and her sister Betsy held regular Bible studies in the barracks and took every opportunity to share what they could with the women around them.
In light of the great example lived out by these heroes, we feel that honoring them in this way is the least we could do to remember their legacy of faith. We don’t expect our children to be heroes, but we do pray that their lives will be a testament to how great God is, and that they will carry out the Great Commission work to the glory of God.