Brother Andrew
| Andrew van der Bijl | |
|---|---|
Brother Andrew in 2006
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| Born |
Andrew van der Bijl May 11, 1928 Sint Pancras, Netherlands |
| Residence | North Holland |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Other names | "God's smuggler," Brother Andrew |
| Occupation | Christian missionary, author |
| Known for | founder of Open Doors |
| Spouse(s) | Corrie van der Bijl (married since 1958-present) |
| Children | 6 |
Anne van der Bijl (born 11 May 1928 in Sint Pancras, the Netherlands), known in English-speaking countries as Andrew van der Bijl or Brother Andrew, is a Christian missionary famous for his exploits smuggling Bibles to communist countries in the height of the Cold War, a feat that has earned him the nickname "God's smuggler." Van der Bijl studied at the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow, Scotland. He is known for praying "Lord, make seeing eyes blind." before he stopped at the border of a communist country for his car to be inspected.
Andrew van der Bijl was born in Sint Pancras, the Netherlands, and was the fourth of ten children born to a poor, near deaf blacksmith and an invalid mother. He told John Sherrill and Elizabeth Sherrill, when they transcribed his memories into God's Smuggler, "From the day I first put on wooden shoes--klompen we call them in Holland--I dreamed of derring-do."
Van der Bijl recounts to the Sherrill spouses, in God's Smuggler, how, post World War II, he enlisted in the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies during the rebellion that would eventually form the nation of Indonesia—and that this first venture into "derring-do" (bravado, or displaying courage) initially had unpleasant results. For he endured a period of severe emotional stress while serving as a soldier. He was wounded in the ankle during the fighting; during his rehabilitation, he read the Bible obsessively, eventually converting to Christianity.
In July 1955, Van der Bijl visited communist Poland, "to see how my brothers are doing," referring to the underground church. He signed up to a Communist youth group, which was the only legal way to stay in the country. In that time, he felt himself to be called to respond to the Biblical Commission "Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die" (Revelation 3:2). This was the start of a mission leading him into several Communist-ruled countries where Christians were persecuted—those behind the "Iron Curtain," where religions like Christianity were technically legal though actively persecuted.
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Wikipedia