Brother Andrew Andrew van der Bijl)

Andrew van der Bijl or Brother Andrew is a Christian missionary from Sint Paneras, the Netherlands. He founded Open Doors in 1955 which is noted for smuggling Bibles into Communist countries. He earned the name God’s Smuggler -the title of his 1967 book. he is known for having prayed Lord, make seeing eyes blind when stopped at the border of a communist country for his car to be inspected.

Andrew was born on the11th May 1928 in Sint Paneras. He was the fourth of 6 children. His father was a poor, near deaf blacksmith and his mother was an invalid.

In the 1940s he enlisted in the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies during the rebellion that would eventually form Indonesia. He was wounded in the ankle and during rehabilitation read the Bible obsessively, eventually converting to Christianity.

He studied at the WEC Missionary training College in Glasgow.

July 1955 visited Communist Poland to find out about the underground church. To do this he had to go on a government controlled tour. He felt he had to respond to the Biblical Commission *Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die ( Revelation ch3 v2)

In 1957 he travelled to Moscow. He started to smuggle Bibles into Communist countries in a blue Volkswagen Beetle. He prayed and left them deliberately in full view. This was a fulfillment of child’s dream of *derring-do .

The work of Open Doors continued to expand as it extended its network throughout Eastern Europe and Soviet Union.
(Read ‘Brother Andrew’s Story’ crossing into Romania.)

In the 1960s he visited China, Czechoslovakia and Cuba.

In 1967 published first edition of God’s Smugglers. By 2002 over 10 million were sold, ( See Bridge Books for special 60th anniversary edition of first trip.)

1970s visited war torn Lebanon.

In 1990s travelled several times to the Middle East - Lebanon and Israel

Brother Andrew has written 10 books.

He is now in his 90s. Is he still smuggling?