Missionary
🇳🇱Brother Andrew
1928–2022 · Dutch · Founder, Open Doors; Missionary to Communist and Restricted Nations
“Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind.”
Biography
Andrew van der Bijl was born in Sint Pancras, North Holland, the son of a blacksmith. He served in the Dutch army during the Indonesian independence struggle and was wounded in battle. His post-war aimlessness ended when he attended an evangelistic rally and committed his life to Christ. After training at a missionary school in Glasgow he felt called to smuggle Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. In 1955 he made his first trip to Communist Eastern Europe with a carload of Bibles, praying at each border crossing what became known as the Smuggler's Prayer. He traveled to Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and China — distributing hundreds of thousands of Bibles to believers who had none. His 1967 autobiography God's Smuggler, written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, became one of the best-selling Christian books of the twentieth century with over fifteen million copies in print. He founded Open Doors in 1955, an organization that continues to serve persecuted Christians worldwide. In his later years he was known for his controversial ministry to Palestinian leaders and Middle Eastern militant groups, refusing to write off anyone as beyond God's reach.
Key Works
Brother Andrew's autobiography God's Smuggler (1967), co-written with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, brought his ministry to global attention and remains one of the best-selling Christian books ever published. He founded Open Doors International (1955), which today serves persecuted Christians in the sixty-five most difficult countries for Christian witness. He authored The Calling (1996) and Light Force (2004), the latter documenting his controversial meetings with Yasser Arafat, Hamas, and Hezbollah leaders. His work established the modern infrastructure for Bible distribution in restricted nations.
Legacy
Brother Andrew's life demonstrated that no border is closed to the gospel and no person is beyond prayer. Open Doors, the organization he founded, now serves millions of persecuted believers annually. God's Smuggler has mobilized generations of Christians to pray for and support the persecuted church. His willingness to engage enemies of the faith — including leaders of militant organizations — modeled a radical commitment to the reconciling reach of the gospel. He died in September 2022 at age ninety-four.