FROM THE BOOK – GOD’S SMUGGLER BY BROTHER ANDREW

About the author.
Brother Andrew is a Dutch missionary who founded “Open Doors International”, a worldwide ministry to the persecuted church, following the rise of Communism after the Second World War. His book was first published in 1968 and reprinted in 2008 with over ten million copies sold in thirty five different languages.

About the Book
It is an incredible story of faith and how God used a man with a bad back, limited education, no sponsorship, and no funds, using what he referred to as a “miracle car”, and amazing “God given supplies”, to deliver, special “pocket book” sized Bibles, to countries behind the “Iron Curtain” especially Poland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. The book is exciting, adventurous, bold and a living example of what having true faith and determination can really achieve.

Some content
Once Brother Andrew had received his stamped passport and visa to enter Yugoslavia, to begin his ministry, he was given a car, a Volkswagen Beetle, and this was the “miracle car” that was going to be used to smuggle Bibles into Yugoslavia, The car was a collective gift from the local Christian community where he was working at the time. But the story of the miracle car continues. One of the peculiarities of travel in 1957 was the friendly road-stoppings that took place, especially with foreign cars When two drivers passed each other they would stop and exchange a few words. On one of these occasions Brother Andrew was stopped for such a conversation. “Hello said the driver. Is this the miracle car. The car you pray for each morning” Andrew was astounded that this stranger should have known anything at all about the car. The driver was a mechanic and offered to take a look at the car. He took a look and declared. “Brother Andrew I have just become a believer. It is impossible for this engine to run. Look at the air filter, carburetor, sparkplugs. No I am sorry this car can not run” Andrew’s response was “It has taken already taken us thousands of miles” “Brother” the mechanic said “would you permit me to clean the engine and change the oil” This was dully completed.
The most dramatic event of faith appears in chapter ten of the book, In 1957 there was not a single Communist border over which you could take books of any kind, let alone religious books. Andrew states, “Now here I was with car and luggage literally bulging with tracts, Bibles and portions of Bibles. “How was I to get the Bibles into the country” He prayed for guidance and this prayer became the means and power by which every border crossing he made with his Bibles and tracts, was made possible. He records a couple of these amazing experiences in this book. And just how his prayer actually overcame all the searches that were conducted on his vehicle . He referred to this prayer as the “Smugglers Prayer”
“Lord in my luggage I have Scriptures that I want to take to Your children across the border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now I pray MAKE SEEING EYES BLIND. Do not let the guards see these things”. And so he set off with this amazing faith crossing several borders into several different countries delivering Bibles and tracts to the underground churches who were in desperate need of God’s written word.

He closes his book with these challenging words. “Its high Christian adventure if your heart is in the right place, because wherever you are Jesus will be, too”.