God's Smuggler

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Andrew "Anne" van der Bijl ( Dutch: [ˈɑnə vɑn dər ˈbɛil]; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as Brother Andrew, was a Dutch Christian missionary and founder of the Christian organization Open Doors. I've been fascinated with learning more about life behind the Iron Curtain and the totalitarian regimes that arose during and after the fall of the USSR and gained knowledge from this account, but ultimately the focus is always on God. I think my expectations of God are often too limited, His place in my heart too small, and the amount I'm willing to trust Him with too safe. To see God move again and again in situations that would be impossible for man alone, and to see every need met in such a miraculous way is c r a z y cool.

Even now as I reread it, I find myself encouraged to draw closer to the Lord and obey in every detail no matter the cost.My mom gave me this book in college back in 1995, and for some reason, I waited until last week to read it.

Van der Bijl criticized the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, stating that American evangelical Christians were too supportive of these wars. I loved hearing about the incredible and specific ways that certain needs were met, along with the divine protection that they encountered every step of the way. In 1967, van der Bijl published the first edition of God's Smuggler, written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill. From the people who supported and inspired him in his early walk with the Lord, to those behind the Iron Curtain ready to receive the Bibles Brother Andrew was supplying, this book reminds me that GOD IS IN CONTROL and that God WILL provide and that God IS building His kingdom. I also enjoyed the special features at the end of the book, especially the interview in which Andrew talked about his recent ministry in the Middle East.Summary: The story follows Andrew from his childhood growing up in Holland during World War II, to his years fighting with the Dutch army in Indonesia, to his conversion to Christianity and his early years of ministry. His first autobiography, God's Smuggler, told of his courageous Bible-smuggling exploits in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, and became an international best-seller with over ten million copies sold in English. It doesn’t encourage just through Brother Andrew's faith though; it encourages by the faith of the believers who gave up jobs, education, homes, security, and countries all for the Gospel. He founded Open Doors on 15 July 1955 (News, 17 July 2020), when he began smuggling Bibles into the country and offering support to persecuted Christians. In his late teens, he joined the war in the East Indies as a foul-mouthed rebellious drunken jerk, and there finally picked up the little Bible his mother had faithfully packed for him.