Andrew van der Bijl, known globally as “Brother Andrew,” was the founder of Open Doors U.S.A. and gained recognition for smuggling Bibles into communist countries.
The Dutch evangelist captured global attention through the book God’s Smuggler, published in 1967 and co-written by John and Elizabeth Sherrill.
The book detailed Brother Andrew’s daring missions, including how he smuggled Bibles across borders in his Volkswagen Beetle, often under miraculous circumstances.
One such account describes his passage through the Romanian border. As guards were meticulously searching vehicles, Brother Andrew prayed for a miracle:
“I know that no amount of cleverness on my part can get me through this border search. Dare I ask for a miracle? Let me take some of the Bibles out and leave them in the open where they will be seen,” he recalled.
He acted boldly, placing the Bibles in plain sight. When he approached the checkpoint, the guard simply looked at his passport and waved him through.
“I coasted forward, my foot poised above the brake. Nothing happened. I looked out the rear mirror. The guard was waving the next car to a stop,” Brother Andrew recounted. His prayer was answered, and he continued his mission.
A Life of Faithful Obedience
Brother Andrew’s life was defined by extraordinary faith and obedience. Open Doors, the organization he founded, described him as a leader who embraced risk for the sake of the Gospel.
“The Bible is full of ordinary people who went to impossible places and did wondrous things simply because they decided to follow Jesus.”
Brother Andrew once said. He believed that “the real calling is not a certain place or career but to everyday obedience. And that call is extended to every Christian, not just a select few.”
Open Doors continues his legacy, distributing 300,000 Bibles and 1.5 million Christian books, training materials, and discipleship manuals annually.
The organization also provides relief, community development, trauma counseling, and advocacy for persecuted Christians worldwide.
Brother Andrew was driven by a single purpose: to distribute the Bible to as many people as possible.
Andrew van der Bijl (Brother Andrew) passed away in September 2022 at the age of 94. His life’s work continues to inspire countless others to follow Jesus and embrace the Great Commission.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV)
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