Andrew’s place at the bible college was delayed by a year. Despite receiving a telegram from WEC telling him not to come, Andrew believed God was instructing him to go. In faith he obeyed God and left for England in 1952. Open Doors still distributes hundreds of thousands of Bibles and Christian books every year. But we also train and support persecuted Christians in other ways. The point of this is, thanks to you ministry and the way you reached out to folk – countless others have been reached and saved and seen miracles happen b the Grace of God. I will love meeting you in heaven and if you will let me, i would love to give u a big hug then. God Bless you! louise haddaway Reply Brother Andrew, who has died aged 94, was a Dutch missionary known as “God’s Smuggler” thanks to his work delivering Bibles and other illicit Christian material behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War; whenever a customs official approached to inspect his car, Brother Andrew would quietly mutter a prayer: “Lord, when you were on earth, you made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind.”

His last major release, co-authored with Al Janssen and published by Revell and Hodder and Stoughton, was Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ. In 1955, a youthful Dutch missionary attended a worldwide communist youth congress in Poland, which was at that time part of the Soviet bloc. But he wasn’t a communist: he was a Christian. One evening during that first visit, he went to a Baptist church in Warsaw where he was invited to speak. He tells the story in his best-selling book God's Smuggler:"At the end of my little talk the pastor said the most interesting thing of all, 'We want to thank you,' he said, 'for being here. Even if you had not said a word, just seeing you would have meant so much. We feel at times as if we are all alone in our struggle." After Andrew was severely wounded during his time in the army, he began reading the Bible one day and eventually accepted Christ as his Savior. After sensing the Lord calling him to ministry, he went to the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow, Scotland. There he learned to rely on God for everything, from food and clothing to lodging and visas.God used Andrew's obedience and prayers to change millions of lives and eternities. We are grieving but we are equally thankful. Celebrate our brother's homecoming with us today.” When speaking to American audiences in the early 2000s, van der Bijl regularly asked Christians if they had prayed for Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda. When US forces killed bin Laden in 2011, he expressed sadness. Shortly after the end of World War II, van der Bijl enlisted in the Dutch army. He was sent to fight in Indonesia where he was selected for special commando training. But his career as a soldier was ended by a bullet, which shattered his ankle and led to a crisis of faith.

Besides God’s Smuggler Brother Andrew wrote 15 other books, including The Calling, which reveals his secrets for ministry.In 1955, van der Bijl founded Open Doors, a Christian persecution watchdog organization that is known for its annual World Watch List, which documents the nations that most severely persecute Christians. Born in Alkmaar, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands, in 1928, van der Bijl became known for his efforts to bring Bibles to people in countries where the sacred book was banned. There wasn’t much faith in my prayer,” van der Bijl said. “I just said, ‘Lord if you will show me the way, I will follow you. Amen.’” Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors, passes away". Eternity News, www.eternitynews.com.au. 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 . Retrieved 1 October 2022. Brother Andrew's zeal to preach Christ and His Word above all else led him to make a statement that has convicted me about the way I sometimes write and speak to others. He said when we have more to say about certain evils than we have to say about the goodness of Christ, then we are ill equipped for faithful service.

In subsequent years he was to travel many times behind the Iron Curtain, putting his life on the line to smuggle Bibles at the height of the Cold War. His work went on to span many decades and many nations. More visits behind the Iron Curtain followed, with religious tracts hidden in secret compartments and under blankets. Meanwhile, volunteers who heard about his work signed up to undertake their own missions. On one occasion he was arrested in Yugoslavia and deported. That led to the establishment of the charity Open Doors, which put his work on a formal footing, and today the charity has a presence in several countries. He spent two years studying to be a missionary at the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade school in Glasgow, Scotland. As a boy he dreamed of being a spy undercover behind enemy lines. As a man he found himself undercover for God. Brother Andrew was his name and for decades his life story, recounted in God's Smuggler, has awed and inspired millions,” noted the description of the 35th anniversary edition of the book. In 1955, a young Dutch missionary went to a Communistyouth congress in Poland, at that time a part of the Soviet bloc. But he wasn’t a communist: he was a Christian. His suitcase contained his Bible, a change of clothes and hundreds of tracts entitled The Way of Salvation, which he intended to give away.

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As you read his incredible story of faith and miracles, you’ll understand why we believe that all doors are open to God. a b c d e Casper, Jayson (29 September 2022). "The Light Force of God's Smuggler: Arab Christians Mourn Brother Andrew". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022 . Retrieved 1 October 2022. The end of the book goes on to tell of his other adventure and of opening up Open Doors USA- a mission to those behind the Iron Curtain.