In an era when fear cast a long shadow across a divided continent, a young Dutchman named Andrew van der Bijl, later known to the world as Brother Andrew, heard a call that seemed both audacious and impossible. The Cold War had drawn an Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe, isolating millions of Christians, cutting them off from fellowship and, critically, from access to Bibles. While many saw an impenetrable barrier, Brother Andrew saw an open door for God.
His mission was deceptively simple yet fraught with peril: to smuggle Bibles to believers in communist countries where owning God’s Word was a dangerous offense. He began with a humble blue Volkswagen Beetle, a heart full of faith and a prayer that would become his hallmark. Approaching heavily guarded borders, with his car often laden with illicit Scriptures, he would pray, “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.”
Time and again, miraculously, he passed through checkpoints, his precious cargo undetected. What officials dismissed as the naive wanderings of a tourist was, in fact, a lifeline of hope. Brother Andrew believed that if a person was persecuted and imprisoned for their faith, their prison was his parish. He ventured where others dared not go, driven by the conviction that nobody should be forgotten and that God’s Word must not be chained. His courage inspired countless others, and his work blossomed into Open Doors, an international ministry that continues to serve persecuted Christians in the world’s most oppressive countries.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God
is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
Spiritual Thought
God often calls ordinary people to undertake extraordinary tasks, not because of their inherent strength, but because His strength is made perfect in weakness. Brother Andrew’s courage was not the absence of fear, but the presence of a conviction greater than fear — the conviction that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do. What “Iron Curtains” in our own lives or communities might God be calling us to breach with His love and truth?
My Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the bold example of Brother Andrew. Fill me with courageous faith like his, willing to step out into the unknown when I sense Your call. Help me to trust not in my own abilities, but in Your unfailing love and protection. Lord, show me the barriers around me that You want to break down and give me the strength and willingness to be Your hands and feet. May I never be deterred by fear but always emboldened by Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
