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.

His first visit was to Warsaw in 1955, when he attended the World Youth Congress. In his suitcase was a Bible, a change of clothes and hundreds of leaflets entitled “The Way of Salvation” to be given away. In Poland he found isolated churches that not only needed literature, but also moral support. The following year he drove to Moscow in his blue Volkswagen Beetle, known as the “miracle car”, again laden with religious tracts. Andrew, Brother; Janssen, Al (1 July 2007). Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ. Baker Books. ISBN 978-1-4412-3891-7. Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture I want to take to Your children. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.” Meeting the need

Brother Andrew's incredible Bible smuggling story

Unsure of Gods will for his life, Andrew spent a Sunday afternoon alone with God, speaking aloud with God. Through this time, Andrew realized that he needed to say ‘yes’ to God who was calling him to mission. Before this, Andrew had been saying ‘Yes BUT I am lame.’ ‘Yes BUT I have no education’. Andrew said yes. In an amazing instant, Andrew made this step of yes, and in God’s grace he healed Andrews lame leg. Andrew goes to England Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture I want to take to Your children. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.” In 1958, he married his wife Corry and they had five children together. Corry often accompanied him on his trips, especially in the early years. As time went on, Andrew began to grow a small team around him that helped him distribute Bibles and literature more efficiently. One example of God providing miraculously was when Andrew needed to pay his visa. When Andrew received a visitor the day before he needed to send off his application for a visa, he was confident that the visitor would have come to give him money to pay for the visa. But the visitor was Richard, a man who Andrew had met in the slums in Glasgow. Richard had not come to give, but to ask. Andy explained that he had no money himself to give to Richard, but as he spoke, Andy saw a Shilling on the floor. This shilling was how much Andy needed to pay for his visa which would mean he could stay at the bible school. Rather than keeping the Shilling for himself, Andrew gave the Shilling to Richard. Andy had done what he knew was right, but how would God provide? Minutes later, Andy received a letter and in it was 30 Shillings! God had provided in His way, a Kingly Manner of provision. God calls Andrew behind the Iron curtain If you would like to, you can make a gift to continue Brother Andrew’s legacy of supporting the persecuted church. MAKE A GIFT

Maher Fouad, president of the General Society for Iraqi National Evangelical Churches, said that van der Bijl’s 1990 book And God Changed His Mind opened his eyes. In September 1953, Brother Andrew started his studies at the WEC Glasgow bible college. Over the entrance of the wooden archway of the college were the words ‘have faith in God’. During the following two years whilst studying, Andrew learnt about having faith in God and put his faith into practice in numerous ways. The Kings Way I don't pray that God will lift the persecution because if there is persecution there is a plan that God has, otherwise God wouldn't allow it,” explained van der Bijl in a 2013 interview with The Christian Post. In 1993, Brother Andrew was knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. Four years later, he received the World Evangelical Fellowship’s Religious Liberty Award. This recognised his lifetime of service to the persecuted church and his passion for spreading the gospel.I believe everyone is reachable. People are never the enemy—only the devil,” van der Bijl said. “Bin Laden was on my prayer list. I wanted to meet him. I wanted to tell him who is the real boss in the world.” After receiving missionary training in Scotland, Brother Andrew travelled to Poland in 1955 to participate in a Communist youth rally. He travelled there with a suitcase full of Christian tracts. Arriving there, he discovered that churches behind the Iron Curtain were isolated and in need of encouragement. God's Smuggler We'll help you on your journey by sending you regular prayer resources. We'll also send you a free copy of God's Smuggler, Brother Andrew's best-selling book, to inspire you as you say 'Yes' to God.

In my early days of walking with Christ, it seemed every Christian was recommending this book. Thirty years later, I've finally read it. All I can say is: What took me so long? After the war, van der Bijl joined the Dutch army and was sent to Indonesia as part of the colonial force attempting to quash the Indonesian struggle for independence. He was excited about the adventure until the shooting started and he killed people. By his own account, van der Bijl was involved in the massacre of an Indonesian village, indiscriminately killing everyone who lived there.Giving up smoking, Andrew was able to start saving to buy books. Andrew bought dictionaries and commentaries and so began studying in his spare time. One day Andrew learnt about the bible college in Glasgow run by the WEC mission. At Glasgow bible college Christians could be trained up for mission in 2 years.

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. If you have a heart for missions, this is a must-read. I regret not having read this book sooner, but having read it now, I will not ignore its powerful message and example.There have been several books throughout my journey with the Lord that have impacted me so profoundly that I now view the reading of them as milestones in my life. This book may now top the list. 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.