God’s Smuggler
The incredible story of the missionary who brought countless Bibles behind the Iron Curtain.
It’s 1955.The weary, frightened church of Eastern Europe is slowly choking under the tight grip of communism. Believers are scarce, and Bibles even more so. Those who are still left face daily pressure to compromise their beliefs, struggling against regimes that forcefully oppose Christianity.
In the midst of this, God calls a young man from Holland named Andrew to go behind the Iron Curtain, with instructions to “strengthen what remains and is about to die” (Revelation 3:2). He starts travelling to Eastern Europe, preaching covertly, encouraging Christians to stand firm in their faith. Smuggled with him is that crucial item for ensuring the growth and maturity of these struggling believers, all but eliminated in many countries - the Word of God.
Travelling into these closed nations, Andrew faces the constant danger of guards and checkpoints. Often, his only recourse is to trust that God will protect him. On one occasion when driving up to the Romanian border, he sees that guards are stopping each car to inspect it thoroughly. ‘Lord,’ he prays, ‘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. Then, Lord, I cannot possibly be depending on my own stratagems, can I? I will be depending utterly on you.’
With Bibles in full view, Andrew continues driving up to the checkpoint. Inexplicably, while everyone else is being stopped and searched, the guards wave him on. In less than thirty seconds, he is through the border. ‘My heart was racing. Not with the excitement of the crossing, but with the excitement of having caught such a spectacular glimpse of God at work.’
On one trip to Bulgaria, the Holy Spirit leads Andrew to the house of a hardworking local named Petroff, who has just managed to buy a Bible with only three books missing! Petroff plans to copy out the missing books by hand, which will take him roughly four weeks. Once completed, he will be able to send the Bible to a church that is without a single copy.
To his utter shock and disbelief, Andrew goes to his car, brings out a whole box of Bibles, opens it, and places one in his hands. ‘Petroff closed his eyes. His mouth was working hard to control the emotion he was feeling. But two tears rolled slowly out between his closed lids and fell on the volume in his hands.’
Together, Andrew and Petroff travel around Bulgaria, encouraging Christians and delivering Bibles. At one small church, a pastor known for his loyalty to the secret police is miraculously touched by the Holy Spirit, and allows Andrew to preach there several times. As a result of this, God sparks a steady flame of resolve among its members. Afterwards, the church of 50 grows to nearly 500 - who, when the government attempts to shut down the multiplication, spread out over the Balkan Peninsula, ‘dispersed like the church in Jerusalem, to build fires wherever they land.’
Interestingly, Andrew finds the church most weak and discouraged in East Germany, where Bibles are freely sold
and church services still open. ‘You can’t use strong-arm tactics against the church without strengthening it,’ a pastor named Wilheim tells him. ‘It’s always been that way. Under persecution a man looks at his faith to see if it’s worth fighting for, and this is a scrutiny Christianity can always withstand. The real danger comes with an indirect attack, where a person is lured away from the church before he has a chance to become strong.’ It is this tactic, it seems, that the East German government has discovered. Andrew sees that instead of direct persecution, Christians face cultural stigma for their beliefs and pressure to put their trust in the state rather than God.
It was the story of East Germany that struck me as most poignant for the New Zealand church today. Andrew’s message to them was to resist the temptation to become withdrawn and isolated. They had to go out and take advantage of the mission field right in front of them. This, it seems, is a message we need too. I pray that you will
be inspired by Andrew’s faith, courage and perseverance, and that you will ask God whether He is calling you to bring the flame of His presence to a place where it has all but been extinguished. And read God’s Smuggler for yourself - you won’t regret it!
Juliette Porter
Juliette Porter (24) works in children’s ministry.
Photo credit:
Photo of Brother Andrew. Open Doors U.S. http://www.opendoorsus.org
Quotations taken from:
Brother Andrew, Sherrill, J and Sherrill, A. (1967). God’s Smuggler. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd.